Writing About Reading

"Students' written responses to what they have read provide evidence of their thinking. When we examine writing in response to reading, we can make hypotheses about how well readers have understood a text. But there are more reasons to make writing an integral part of your reading instruction. Through writing - and drawing as well - readers can express and expand their thinking and improve their ability to reflect on and think analytically about a text. They can also communicate their thinking about texts to a variety of audiences for a variety of purposes. By helping students examine effective examples of writing about reading, they learn the characteristics of each kind of writing and can 'try it out' for themselves. The models serve as mentor texts that students can refer to as they use different kinds of writing to reflect on reading." The Literacy Continuum, Fountas and Pinnell