CHAPTER 2................................................................................................................................... 16
2.5 Scaffolding strategies for teaching writing
2.5.2 Reading as a scaffolding tool for writing
Learners understand texts better if they can write about it and they become better readers through writing instruction (Graham & Herbert, 2010). Four aspects from early research into the reciprocal nature of reading and writing are provided by Tierney and Leys (1984, p.23):
(1) Depending upon the measures which are employed to assess overall reading and writing achievement and attitude, the general correlation between reading and writing is moderate and fluctuates by age, instructional history, and other factors.
(2) Selected reading experiences definitely contribute to writing performance; likewise, selected writing experiences contribute to reading performance.
(3) Writers acquire certain values and behaviours from reading and readers acquire certain values and behaviours from writing.
(4) Successful writers integrate reading into their writing experience
and successful readers integrate writing into their reading experience.
This list indicates that learning reading and writing are two processes which are dependent on each other and as the learner progresses from grade to grade the mastery of one would lead to mastery in the other. The more learners read, the more their linguistic knowledge and understanding of the structure of different genres will increase, thus their writing will improve. Although the teaching of reading and writing should be integrated, each should be given equal attention, as both are important literacy skills required for effective functioning in modern society and, according to Grabe (2003), if they are taught together, the result can lead to more effective learning.
Grabe (2003) further states that content-based and task-based learning offer the best opportunity to integrate reading and writing. According to Graham and Herbert (2010) writing could be a vehicle for improving reading, in three ways. Firstly, both reading and writing are functional activities. By combining them, specific outcomes like being able to use reading to learn can be accomplished. Secondly, reading and writing draw upon common knowledge and cognitive processes, which means that improving a learner’s writing skills, would result in an improvement of reading skills.
Thirdly, the view that reading and writing are communicative activities means that when learners create their own texts, they gain insight about reading, which, in turn, would lead to an improvement in comprehension of texts that are produced by others (Graham & Herbert, 2010, p.4).
On the other hand, reading can be used to develop learners’ writing skills. If one considers the structure of the 2-week cycle as outlined in the CAPS’ lesson plans, learners start the cycle with Listening and Speaking, then Reading and Viewing, which is followed by Writing and Presenting (the development of language and vocabulary is integrated into these skills) (DBE, 2011a). For instance, in Grade 6, term 1, weeks 1-2 learners listen to a radio or newspaper report and discuss current issues. They then read newspaper articles. Thereafter they write a newspaper article (DBE, 2011a, p.72). In this way listening, speaking and reading are used as scaffolding tools for the writing task by modelling and familiarising learners with the type of text that they are required to produce.
The CAPS adopts this in most of the lesson plans using different text types to develop different subskills. However, for the novel, the CAPS states that learners listen to a novel, participate in a group discussion, read a short novel, and then they must write a book review (DBE, 2011a, pp.77, 80). Although learners have been required to write a book review in the Grade 5 lesson plans, they have not been through the scaffolding process of listening to, speaking about and reading a book review in Grades 4, 5 or 6. The CAPS does state that the learners must write this book review by using a frame (DBE, 2011a, pp.77, 80). Learners, particularly FAL learners learning English at HL level, may have trouble when writing this book review for the first time in Grade 5 as they have not experienced the structures, conventions and language that is particular to this genre. Thus, the teacher will need to include more scaffolding strategies such as listening to and discussing a book review, or reading a book review during the pre-writing and planning stages of the writing cycle.
2.5.3 Thinking as a scaffolding strategy for writing
When writers write, they think of things that they did not have in mind before they begin writing. This would suggest that writing and thinking cannot exist in isolation, as the act of writing generates ideas (Bruner, 1973). The idea that writing is a medium for thought provides writing with many important uses, for instance, solving problems, identifying issues, constructing questions and possibly trying out an incomplete idea (Miller, 2013). The process of writing also involves drafting and revision and these involve exploration and discovery. They are less about simply fixing mistakes in the previous draft and more about finding additional ideas and implications for what one is talking about (Miller, 2013).
Teachers should also bear in mind that new thinking occurs every time a piece of writing is revised, and they need to use creative strategies to get learners thinking about the topic. During the planning stage of the writing process, teachers can use thinking to scaffold writing by asking learners to brainstorm what they think about the topic, preferably through group work or pair work (Buehl, 2011) or they can complete a mind map to help organise their thoughts. In addition to this, when the learners write their drafts, they inevitably shift into the positions of reader and thinker as they read what they have written and think about the best way to edit or move forward. Also, during the revision and editing stages, they have to read and think about how best to
implement the comments from the teacher or peers before writing their final drafts.
This relationship between writer, thinker and reader is integral to the writing process.