2. • “By the time many students reach high
school, they have been adversely affected by
years of instruction that treats reading and
writing as distinct skills, separated from
activities of learning and experiencing”
(Lindsey, 1996, p. 103).
3. Connection between reading and
writing
• Reading and Writing are symbiotic- they
mutually reinforce, enhance, and shape each
other (Lindsey, 196, p. 103).
• Reading helps writers discover
structures, forms, and voices.
• Writing helps readers uncover meanings and
strategies.
4. Types of Writing Tasks
• Open Tasks:
– Student directed
– Students framed problem and designed solution
– Associated with higher cognitive processes and
metacognition.
• Closed Tasks:
– Teacher directed
– Students worked towards one solution or “right”
answer (Parsons & Ward, 2011, p. 463).
5. Teacher’s Role
• The effectiveness of tasks depends on the
teacher (Parsons & Ward, 2011, p. 464).
• Designing authentic tasks is more difficult
than traditional content instruction that relies
on textbooks (Parsons & Ward, 2011, p. 464).
• Teachers must be thoughtful and adaptive in
designing authentic tasks.
6. Authentic Tasks
• Enhance students’ motivation.
• Mimic the activities people complete in
setting outside of school.
• Promote strategic behavior.
• Build students’ academic vocabularies.
• Invite peer collaboration.
• Sends the message that content and literacy
are important and relevant to real life.
7. Autobiographical Writing
• Students who bring their own experiences to a
text remember the texts better and achieve a
deeper understanding of those texts than
those who do not.
• Through autobiographical writing, students
come to see commonalities between narrative
words and their own experiences (Lindsey, 1996, p. 103).
8. Response Journals
• Response journals allow students to record:
– How they feel about a character
– How they connect with a particular character
– How the text makes them feel
– How the text relates to their lives
– How they predict the book will continue or end
Response journals also promotes communication
with the teacher (Lindsey, 1996, p. 104).
9. Class Discussions
• Students need practice in articulating their
thoughts and ideas.
• Teacher must create an appropriate classroom
environment and pose good questions to
assist, guide, and clarify throughout the class
discussions (Lindsey, 1996, p. 104).
10. Book Blogs
• Students can blog about books that they have
read.
• Other students read their books and are
inspired to read those books.
– Kidblog.org
– Wikis
– ePals
• (Mangelson&Castek, 2008, p. 54)
11. In2Books
• Designed to foster reading and writing skills in
grades 3-5.
• Matches students with an adult e-mail pal.
– Each pair reads the same book and exchanges e-
mails to prompt discussion.
– This generates enthusiasm for reading and
encourages conversation about literature
(Mangelson&Castek, 2008, p. 54).
12. References
• Lindsey, M. (1996). Connections between reading and
writing:what the experts say.The Clearing House, 70(2), 103-
105.
• Mangelson, J., &Castek, J. (2008). Thinking outside the book:
Making reading and writing connections online. Book
Links, 17(5), 54-55.
• Parsons, S. A., & Ward, A. E. (2011). The case for authentic
tasks in content literacy. The Reading Teacher, 64(6), 462-465.
