My Approach: I was trained as both a Whole Language teacher and a Wilson Reading System teacher, which are very much opposite ways of looking at the art of teaching Reading and Writing. The excitement for literature, which is part of Whole Language, is something I bring to Reading with my students. The importance of having a system for decoding, which is the Wilson approach, is something I incorporate into all Reading and Writing sessions. I also teach context clues, and tend to ask frequently, “Does that word make sense in the story?”
Reading: In our sessions, students read books of interest, at their level and also a bit above, with me as a partner reader. I believe that the more students read, the better they become at reading (and writing, too). Accordingly, I have an “incentive program” for reading books at home which involves little prizes after a goal is met. This is a great motivator for at-home reading. As part of this program, I teach the students how to choose appropriate level books to read at home.
Writing: In the Wilson program, students do a good deal of writing individual words and sentences, to make sure they understand and use the mechanics of writing. In creative writing activities, I follow the Writing Process, which includes graphic organizers, character descriptions, and other pre-writing activities. This is followed by the student writing a draft, then consulting with me, then revising, then ultimately editing the manuscript for spelling and punctuation. In the past I have typed up the stories, and students have illustrated them, and then they have a “published” piece.