Real Writers as Aware Readers: Writing Creatively as a Means to Develop Reading Skills

Increased attention on written response to literature has tended to eliminate other forms of student writing in literature classrooms. However, when we allow students to write fiction unrelated to a particular text, their commitment to and understanding of texts are enhanced. This can serve as a means of engaging students with reading. Eight preservice teachers volunteered to participate in a writing workshop, meeting to share their fiction and provide written and oral feedback to others in the group. Each week, participants drafted reflections about the works read for class in relation to their own work as authors. These were analyzed using the constant comparative method. Two case studies provide representative examples of how participants demonstrated behaviors associated with good readers as a direct result of their commitment to their writing. They were motivated to improve their stories, and this motivation translated into their use of effective reading strategies.