Reading And Writing Are Not Connected

By: Desyrae Clark

Introduction

     Throughout most people’s  career as a student they are given multiple rules on what are good and what are bad ideas about writing. For example a rule  is  don’t start a sentence off with the word “because” . Well  here is one more rule to add to the  list of bad ideas when writing. Reading and writing are not connected is one of those bad ideas that can affect a student more then that student know when  one subject is given more attention then the other subject. Reading and writing are two subjects that help each other out. For example as a college student when a English professor has given an assignment to write an essay on the book the students  have read about all year. If one doesn’t master the skill of reading and understanding what they have  read. How will the student be able to  write about what they have read. If that students previous English teacher would have given an equal amount of attention to reading comprehension skills as well as writing that student would have no issue with completing the task at hand. Instead of not connecting the two subjects according to author Ellen C. Carillo of article “Reading And Writing Are Not Connected” in the book Bad Ideas About Writing edited by Cheryl E. Ball & Drew M. Loewe teachers should not only connect the two subjects but also teach them in the classroom together as a better idea or pedagogy (style of teaching).

     In the article by Ellen C. Carillo Reading And Writing Are Not Connected she shines light on the impact of studies over the years of reading and the scores that were document. She states, “Since the 1950s we have been hearing Johnny can’t read”.  The statement “Johnny can’t read” isn’t talking about a boy name Johnny but is referring to the United States as a whole . These studies shows that this country had a serious problem in the development of reading skills.  Not only does she mention the studies on reading but also writing. She states in the next sentence ,” 1975, Newsweek informed us Johnny can’t write either” . The author is showing the readers that once again as the United States we were also lacking when it comes to writing skills . Starting off her article with those facts tells readers from the beginning how reading and writing work hand and hand. Carillo states in her article how strongly she feels that society should start allowing teachers to teach the two subjects together instead of apart . She writes, “What is often neglected in these public debates about the best way to teach literacy at the college level is that reading and writing are connected practices and, as such, the best way to teach them is together”.  Carillo uses many different resources to support and argue her opinion or her suggestion of better idea for this particular bad idea. That reading and writing should be connected and taught together in the classroom.   

     One of the references Carillo uses is Linda Adler-Kassner and Heidi Estrem’s  “Reading Practices in the Writing Classroom” . All of these writers have shined light on the bad idea of how teachers separate the two subjects of reading and writing in the classroom. The authors even mentions how not only is not being taught together but both have separate curriculums . The authors states, “ For others the curricula demands of a course like first-year writing leave little space for actual reading instructors…”.  These two ladies understand that todays standards in classrooms have split the two subjects given more attention to the other , which is causing a downfall in the over skill of mastering both . Certain classroom standards are giving students more essays to write not enough literate to read. When it comes to the overall skill of both reading and writing neither is more important than the other. The authors also state their opinions on how reading and writing are both important tools outside of the classroom. The authors writes, “ The act of reading for instance is referenced along with writing as a tool for inquiring learning, thinking ,and communication”. They show readers the importance in life of both reading and writing . Neither is more important than the other but both benefit the person.

     As stated before Carllio uses many different references to support her better idea for this bad idea. Another one of her resources she used is Robert Scholes’s The Transition to College Reading . Just like Carllio Robert Scholes believes that the best solution to this problem is that we change the way we are teaching. He states, “ We must make some changes in what we teach and how we teach it”. Scholes is telling teachers and professors that not only do we need to change the material but also the delivery of the material to the students. He is challenging the teachers of today to changes the standards to think outside of the box.. He also states his opinion on how reading and writing work together. Scholes writes, “ The natural reciprocal of writing which of course, is reading had somehow apparently subsume under the topic of literature”. Scholes is telling readers that he feels that when speaking of literature reading is now inclusive to the topic. In his first sentence of his conclusion he states, “ We need in short to , connect the development of reading and writing…”. Just as the other authors Scholes feel that the better idea or way to fixing the problem in the development of these skills is to connect them and teach them together.

Conclusion

     In conclusion , any student  try to write an essay on a book,article,or any passage. The student  will see it is impossible even if the student skims over the reading .That student  had to do some form of reading to be able to know what they are writing about. As a student think of how your grade reflected when you read and comprehend the passage and that was wrote about . Then compare that grade to a time when the passage wasn’t fully read or comprehended but still wrote about.   IEllen C . Carillo’s better idea for teachers and students is teaching reading and writing together. As a college student throughout the studet’s career in school their previous teachers have always taught them the saying” A great reader is A great writer”. Letting the student know early on how the two play a major role in the mastering of both skills. Such as a shove is to a hand in the task of digging a hole, you will need both to complete and master the task.

Workcited

Adler-Kassner, Linda, and Heidi Estrem. “Reading Practices in the Writing Classroom.” WPA: Writing Program Administration – Journal of the Council of Writing Program Administrators, vol. 31, no. 1/2, Fall/Winter2007 2007, pp. 35–47. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=eue&AN=31131518&site=eds-live&scope=site

Carillo, Ellen C.  “ Reading And Writing Are Not Connected ,” Bad Ideas About Writing. Cheryl E. Ball. Digital Publishing Institute .WVU Libraries . Morgantown, WV 26506 https://textbooks.lib.wvu.edu/badideas/badideasaboutwriting-book.pdf

Scholes, Robert.    The Transition to College Reading. no. 2, 2002, p. 165. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edspmu&AN=edspmu.S1533625502201650&site=eds-live&scope=site