So how do avid readers begin to process and store the information they read? Often it is through writing. I'm often asked the question in my 6 Traits sessions, "How do I help my students become better writers?" My recommendation is first to have students read, read, read. Reading and writing are joined at the hip. Students develop their writing skills when they consistently read great books by outstanding authors! Teachers should regularly orally read passages from mentor authors. The more exposure students receive and the more they practice their own reading - the stronger readers and writiers they become.
A second step to this process is taking copious notes. A writer's-reader's notebook can aid in this process. According to Linda Rief, author of Inside the Writer's-Reader's Notebook, notebooks allow students to learn, change, and deepen their thinking and insights. Truly, if we are trying to develop lifelong learners, our students must acquire tools that will take them deeper into texts as they progress through life. So how do you make meaning from text? Anybody out there keep a notebook when they read?
