Blog Post #4

Writing and the Influence of Reading

I was an avid reader as a child and into my teens. My tiny school was directly beside the public library, and I'd find myself there on a weekly, if not daily, basis while I waited for my mom (the sole kindergarten teacher) to finish grading and planning. As young as age eight, I would walk across the parking lot and down a set of worn wooden plank stairs to my safe haven. Each visit I would find myself carrying out a stack of books as tall as I was, only to return within days to drop them off for another set.

One summer, my parents had the brilliant idea to pay my brother, sister and I two dollars for each book we read with an added dollar if we included a book report. By the end of the summer my parents owed me several hundred dollars (and consequently never paid me to read again).

All that to say, reading heavily influenced my L1 writing. By the time I hit middle school I had read hundreds of books covering a wide variety of genres, themes and writing styles. I understood how to string words together in a beautiful and meaningful way. I had stored away a large vocabulary database in my head. And most importantly, I understood that writing was the gateway to sharing important messages with the world. For L2 writers, reading allows them to explore new ideas and vocabulary that they may not come across in their day to day lives. It shows them how to construct sentences, both short, simple sentences and lengthy, complex ones.

Genres in Reading

These days I find that I am usually too busy to read long novels and fiction, though I still do on occasion when I get a good recommendation (so if you have one, comment away! I'd love to hear the titles of some good books). I do, however, often read nonfiction books about mothering, spirituality, and social justice. I also read a lot of blogs, cookbooks, op ed articles, and the news on various websites.

My academic and professional reading includes textbooks, articles (usually online but also in a quarterly magazine I am subscribed to), and blogs. Occasionally I will attend a presentation and my reading extends to digital presentations or PDF printouts of the presentation slides. Though blogs have to be taken with a grain of salt due to the nature of them (usually) not being scientifically researched (or at least being the application of someone else's research), I often find them immensely helpful and full of practical advice and application.

Instructional Materials in Teaching

As a teacher, I often look for authentic materials that are appropriate for lower level Spanish classes. This includes printed reading passages from the district-appointed textbook, video clips of native speakers in a more authentic setting (e.g. conducting interviews with random passersby on the streets in L2, which in my case is Spanish), curriculum-based video clips that target specific unit vocabulary and grammar, and reading and writing activities that I deem more interesting or relevant to the students' lives.

Unfortunately, I am not a fan of the textbook we use. It is heavy on fill-in-the-blank instead of the production of meaningful spoken and written work, so I like to supplement with other activities. Though I am not teaching L2 English, I believe that the same concepts apply - textbooks and other materials should be authentic and have the goal of producing meaningful output instead of just correct answers in a series of blanks.

L2 Textbooks 

While other textbooks can contain primarily information needed for course knowledge, L2 textbooks also need to have information and activities that support L2 schematic awareness. This would include information about how L1 writers in the specific culture are expected to organize compositions, cultural knowledge related to prompts and reading passages, and definitions for difficult or new vocabulary (e.g. numbered superscript beside words with short definitions or synonyms at the bottom of the page or passage). It should also provide scaffolded instruction to help students build on what they already know rather than introducing new material without context or prior knowledge, which would be incredibly overwhelming to L2 writers.

Augmenting a Textbook

In my very limited experience, it seems as if instructors will always need to augment their textbooks with supplemental materials. Textbooks do not know the students and class dynamics, so they are really only the guide and starting point for a course. As instructors gauge the prior knowledge and interests of the students, she or he can choose materials that complement the course goals. It also allows the instructor to differentiate instruction with different groups of students who need intervention in particular areas.

Activities Inside and Outside of Class

Activities outside of class are difficult for me to find in my current field of teaching Spanish due to Google Translate and "sharing" answers with classmates via text messages and photo-sharing. That is to say, I do not have real world experience in this, only ideas that I may one day try. Outside of class, I think that small assignments on social media would be fun and pertinent to the students' real lives. Posting messages onto a class Facebook group or tagging an Instagram post with a class hashtag in L2 would be simple and fast. Having students look for specific things in their everyday lives to use as a prompt or as part of brainstorming would also be pertinent to their real world experiences (e.g. look for the characteristics of a menu the next time you eat out and have a class discussion about its format, or how does the structure of a magazine advertisement differ from that of the passage we are reading). When we are able to link academics back to real life experiences, connections are made and interest is piqued.

Inside of class the instructor could conduct activities using a variety of media including websites, blogs, magazines, video clips, GIFs, and literary passages. Activities could be made up of compare/contrast, examining specific features (color, font, mood being conveyed, message being given), or discussing genre. These activities would expose L2 students to a wide array of vocabulary, genres and writing styles.

When it comes down to it, exposure to L2 in many forms seems to be the common denominator. Helping students explore the world around them will bring them into contact with a wide variety of material that will, with the help of the instructor, guide them towards L2 literacy and composition skills.