Ask the Reading Coach: Ten Fun Ways to Connect Reading and Writing at Home This Summer

Summer is an ideal time to ignite a love of reading and writing by supporting children in their reading and language development. Unencumbered by the demands of curriculum, school assignments, and due dates, we are free to explore a myriad of fun and creative learning opportunities all summer long!

When increasing one's skills as a reader and writer, it is imperative to include a purposeful study of language and vocabulary as part of the process. Children and teens who know how to read strategically will have developed a strong foundation of essential word discovery skills to help them understand the meaning of new terms in the text.

One very important reading skill that I teach in my parent coaching workshops as well as with the children in my private practice work is that of using context clues to figure out the meaning of a new word. Reading a sentence over again, thinking critically about the context of a story, learning more about characters, setting, and plot - these all help to build that context clues muscle.

By modeling for children just how to "think aloud" and use our "word detective" skills, we are helping to build and support their independent problem-solving skills. Soon, the use of context clues becomes an effortless and invaluable part of the independent reading process.

Reading for meaning should include a very focused approach, yet this endeavor can - and should! - be as fun and imaginative as we can help make it for our kids. Connecting reading to writing, i.e. using writing as a medium to respond to text, is an essential tool for children to build not only stronger comprehension skills, but to also gain a deeper understanding of how language works.

One enjoyable way to encourage the connection between reading and writing this summer is to provide your child with a new journal that he or she can decorate and write in to record their reading experiences.

Here are ten fun ways to integrate creativity and writing skills while building reading comprehension skills when reading fiction this summer:

• Create 5 new titles for the book, and give a reason for each. Write these in a list or a web format, and encourage your child to discuss each title with you, a friend, or a sibling, in order to foster critical thinking skills and to help he or she articulate the reasons for their choices.
  

• Create a fun bookmark or new cover for the book: use paints, collage, and mixed media. Integrate 5 vocabulary words learned from the story to increase comprehension skills (use a dictionary, if needed.)  Write a sentence for each new word learned from the text.
  

• Write a journal entry from the point of view of a single character in the text - A favorite! - Once again, try and encourage your child to choose just one event in plot development, to give the writing task some structure and to format the work (i.e. "Let's write about how Peter was feeling when he left the house when his new baby sister came home" in Peter's Chair by Ezra Jack Keats.) 

• Write a letter to a character, asking 4 or 5 specific questions from the story, based on plot (this gives some structure to the letter, and lends some substance and accountability to the task, rather than running the risk of being vague or off-topic). Or, in the alternative, ask your child to share his thoughts with the character about a particular event that happened within the story. This practice will help develop critical thinking skills and foster a reflective approach to independent reading.

• An A to Z list!  See my previous blogs for an abundance of opportunities for an A to Z list! These are basically fun, creative, and exciting brainstorming lists of vocabulary that relates directly to one story, or even to one author, if you've read several books by the same author. (Children LOVE to take part in this frenzied activity, as they engage enthusiastically in the very energetic pace to find a new term for every letter of the alphabet. Finally, the fun "game" of creating A to Z vocabulary lists can, in turn, invigorate a child's interest in reading as a part of daily life! and increased motivation is always a good thing!)

• Character development -  "Would you like to have this character as a friend? Why or why not?" OR "Did any character change during this story (or book)? How did he / she change?"  Validate specific examples of certain behaviors within the text, and foster the use of concrete details from the book in order to build the muscle for providing textual evidence - a skill required throughout your child's academic life. 

• Acrostic Poems -  Two options: (many more!) Choose either a character, OR the book title, and write it in vertical format. Then, encourage your child to write a word or phrase (depending on age) for each letter. This is always a big hit with the kids in my teaching practice. For the character option, focus on the use of character traits, and have a handy guide ready (easy to find online). Then, have your child find the textual evidence within the story to support her ideas.

• Text-to-Self connection -  from the work of Stephanie Harvey in her groundbreaking book, Strategies that Work: Encourage your child to describe a personal experience similar to that of a character in a book that she is reading. In order to provide context, invite your child to choose just one, specific event in the story and then write (or draw a picture accompanied by one or two sentences, for younger children) about a time he or she experienced something similar in life (good tool for building empathy for characters).

• Create a book review or poster for your book. Include details such as character names, setting, and highlights in plot development. Once again, the use of textual evidence here is an excellent way for your child to reinforce and extend his comprehension skills over the long summer break!
  

and, finally......

• HAVE FUN!  Journals can be a private world for your son or daughter to escape to this summer. All of these recommendations are just suggestions to get you started!  If your child prefers independence and thrives on self-directed work, then by all means, provide this list of ideas, crank up the A/C, and let them have at it! 

As long as your child or teen is exploring literacy on an independent basis, not required to do so based on school assignments, you are already way ahead of the game!

Quick note -  Always keep in mind non-fiction texts! I cannot say enough about the gains I have been honored to witness in my students when they discover the limitless realm of non-fiction texts. Learning more about outer space, soccer, animal rescue, rainforests, ballet, dinosaurs, mosaic tiles, history, or how ice cream is made - the possibilities are endless! Stay tuned for one more column from "Ask the Reading Coach" on non-fiction texts - Coming on June 21st!

Happy Summer!

Carolyn Polchinski, M.S.Ed. is a Clinical Professor of Literacy Education and licensed Learning Specialist based out of Scarsdale. She is the founder of Confident Readers, a full-service tutoring and educational consulting firm. She specializes in supporting children with A.D.H.D. and executive function deficits.Visit her on the web at www.confidentreaders.com.

To learn more about Carolyn's summer reading programs, call 914.325.0297 or email Carolyn@ConfidentReaders.com.