What’s Thinking Got to Do With It? By: Sarah Stratton

 Why making your students reread portions of a text they’ve already read and think about what they’ve read THROUGH WRITING will move their reading scores forward more than just discussion



What is Literacy?

Literacy is the ability to both read and write. We tend to think of literacy as the ability to read; it isn’t though. It is the ability to READ & WRITE. 


Reading equates to word knowledge. The more words students knows, the better they comprehend their texts. That is because students automatically gain words when they have read the words 8-10 or so times. Because gaining words is automatic through reading, it's easy to see why reading is the best way to improve reading.


The number of times a students has to see a word to automatically acquire it is important. A curriculum must spend enough time on a topic that students do see the words enough times to gain them. Unfortunately, most literacy curriculums fall short in the writing aspect. They tend to depend less on writing--which is important--and more heavily on verbal discussion–which is valuable too–but is most valuable when it is used AFTER students have done the heavy thinking and writing.


Write Then Discuss

We use discussion in isolation as a means to seal learning far more than we should. Discussion alone will never seal learning for all students. Knowing for certain that all students are focused on the discussion and are paying attention is impossible. Additionally, not all students can THINK on the spot, so we are short changing many of our students by COLDLY sending them into a discussion–with no time to think before discussing.


The thinking time we give our students should be in the form of writing. We want to give all of our students time to think–time to gain more words–time to gain more knowledge. When students have to write–they have to think with their own brains. This will be hard for some of them at first, but the more they write and the more they think, the better they will get.


A Productive Discussion is Possible When Students Write First

When students have taken the time to reread their text, have taken the time to think about what they’ve read, have taken the time to formulate their response, they will grow into sophisticated readers and writers.


When students go into a discussion prepared, they are confident and willing to share. They can discuss the similarities and differences of their written responses. They can agree or disagree with each others’ thinking. They can add to each others’ thoughts. The possibilities are limitless.


Discussion in isolation will NEVER get students to  the level of thinking that writing will provide. Writing is thinking.


Thinking has EVERYTHING to do with it. EVERYTHING. Want to propel your students in literacy? Have them write every single day and when you hold discussions, make sure they have prepared for the discussion by rereading, reexamining, thinking, and writing. 


Their literacy skills–the ability to read and write–will soar!

Ⓒ Sarah Stratton 2025 All Rights Reserved

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