Reading and Writing with Children

Mail and newspapers

Read and write flyers and catalogues.
Read and write cartoons, sports articles, horoscopes or photo captions.
Write a letter to a sports figure, music personality or politician.

Movies and television

See the movie/read the book. Role‐play a story and then write a script.
Read the TV listings, watch the program (at home) and then critically discuss it.
Meet with others to discuss books, magazines, movies, music, etc.

Written conversation

Have a written conversation with your students on paper. Take turns writing to one another. Focus on the meaning of what you are writing rather than grammar or spelling mistakes. You can use the misspelled words as the basis for another exercise. Written conversation keeps the focus of meeting together on reading and writing while giving you the opportunity to discuss an issue or event.

Music and poetry

Read and write song lyrics or poetry. Rap and read. Talk about music.
Record each other reading and listen to your recordings.

Computers

Publish your students’ writing.
Use computer software or the internet to help your students with skill development. Visit the Frontier College website for information on websites you can use on‐line with your students or resources you can print and use with your students.

Reading Buddies

Find opportunities for your students to read aloud to younger children. The younger children benefit from the reading practise and positive role modeling, but it is the older students who benefit the most from this activity. Reading aloud with younger children is one of the best ways older students can improve their reading abilities.