 Writing is a powerful tool in learning to read because it utilizes 3 of our senses—sight, touch and hearing. Writing is the “construction” form of reading. A student has to think about sound to letter relationship (What letter has the sound of “s”?), the visual feature of that letter (Does it look like “s” or “n”?) and how is that letter formed (When I start at the top do I circle to the left or the right?). Thus, as a child begins to write words on paper the sense of touch enables him or her to hear and record sounds into written code. As research has proven, the more senses which are incorporated within a task, the more pathways are etched in the brain. Thus, it becomes a solid piece of knowledge upon which other mental processes can be built. When a child composes his own “story,” he or she also incorporates other important aspects of reading. These are left to right directionality, spaces between words, return sweep at the end of each line, writing conventions (such as period, question marks, exclamation points, quotation marks, etc.) and sentence structure. Another added bonus of writing is that it places value on the written code. As a child records his or her “story,” the importance of their thoughts is translated to written language. Therefore, a child begins to see the printed word as something of worth. Thus, the literacy learner comes “full circle” as he or she realizes, not only does reading become an avenue to acquire knowledge, but also a vehicle to express one’s thoughts and ideas. |
