The following article by Richard L. Allington, State University of New York at Albany, is provided as a supplement to the ongoing coverage of reading issues presented in The Council Chronicle, published by the National Council of Teachers of English. Much has been learned in the past decade about classroom instruction that effectively develops the reading and writing of all children. The ten principles below provide a brief summary.
Nothing is better than reading and writing to develop children's reading and writing.
Children do not develop comprehension strategies by answering questions after reading. Some children need access to larger amounts of more intensive instructional support and enhanced opportunities to read and write with instructional support. Thoughtful literacy is the new general goal for reading and language arts instruction. A wealth of school tasks emphasizing summarizing, organizing, synthesizing, comparing, analyzing, creating, and presenting texts are evidence of thoughtful instruction K 12. Developing independent readers and writers is critical to developing thoughtful, lifelong learners.