News You Can Use

Pen and paper makes reading easier

University Relations
News Bureau (662) 325-3442
Contact: Pam McTeer
May 11, 2005

STARKVILLE, Miss.—While practice helps children improve their reading skills, many parents may not appreciate that writing also helps improve word comprehension and use.

Devon Brenner, an assistant professor of curriculum and instruction at Mississippi State University, says the two are inseparable when it comes to teaching children how to read fluently.

“One of the ways people learn to read is by learning how to use words to communicate,” Brenner says. “Writing is a really important activity, especially for kids who are having trouble reading.”

She urges parents to encourage both reading and writing excellence by their children by, first, “letting them see you write.”

Some other steps in the process of helping children include:

—Making writing a regular practice through the composition of thank-you notes, birthday cards, party invitations, and even the family grocery list;

—Beginning any composition project with a first draft with which a parent can positively critique and provide assistance with structure and grammar;

—Seeking opportunities to turn play time into writing time; playing “restaurant” can require the writing of menus and signs, for example; and

—Encouraging children to a keep personal journals.