Creative Reading &
Writing Strategies
Presented by:
Amanda Trostle
Spanish Instructor, atrostle@nvcc.edu
Mayamérica Cortez
Poet, mayamerica@comcast.net
Why read?
• Reading at the appropriate level (comprehensible
input) supports oral communication, because…
• listening to texts while following along helps
student mimic proper pronunciation, models
sentence structure and variety.
• reading reinforces and introduces new vocabulary
• it teaches to students to look for context clues
and make educated guesses
Why read?
• When appropriate reading strategies are used,
students learn to think critically.
Why write?
Writing also supports oral communication by…
• Getting students to use what they know in
order to communicate
• Putting the “puzzle” of language together
(syntax)
• Allows visual learners to “see” the language
• Plan out what they want to say and how they
want to say it
Making Reading & Writing Fun
Bump Method (All levels)
• When reading in class have students “bump”
another student in the room. (When a
student finishes reading, he/she says, “I bump
to……”
• This keeps all students on their toes and
introduces an element of surprise.
• Allow the students to have fun with it
(Disclaimer: bump wars may occur)
Making Reading & Writing Fun
Crossword Puzzles (All levels)
• Students read short clues to fill out crossword
puzzle
• Teacher generates puzzle around theme or
grammatical structure
• Reinforces vocabulary
Making Reading & Writing Fun
Reader’s Theater (Intermediate/Advanced)
• Have students write their own “mini-play”
• Give them three random props (if they
happen to be culturally appropriate props,
even better! Think “Whose line is it anyway?”)
• Ask them to create a dialogue around these
props
• Perform for class
Variations of Reader’s Theater
The news program (Intermediate/Advanced)
• Ask students to create a fake news segment
(Think Saturday Night Live)
• In groups of 3 or 4, students can present
news, weather, sports, entertainment, etc.
• Encourage props and creativity
Variation of Reader’s Theater
Read a real play (Intermediate/Advanced)
• Look for short plays in the target language
• Use the play as an in-class text to review
grammar and vocabulary in context
• Make reading a daily part of the class
• Encourage students to practice their “roles”
for pronunciation and expression
• Check for comprehension
Making Reading Fun
Sometimes competition works! (Depends on the class)
• Ask students to complete assigned comprehension
questions associated with reading. (Review
questions with students before reading so they know
what information to look for).
• Allow students to work together in pairs or small
groups to answer the questions.
• Divide the class into two teams.
• Ask the comprehension questions to the class. Ask
students to raise their hand to say the answer. (Try
to call on each team evenly). The team with the
most points “wins”.
Pre-reading Strategies
Story Time
• The teachers uses a book with large pages and
colorful pictures to ask students critical
thinking questions before reading begins:
– Who do you see in this picture?
– What do you think this story is about?
– What do you think is going to happen?
Story Time
• As the teacher reads, she points to vocabulary
words in the picture.
• She continues to ask students critical thinking
questions
• Students write their own stories based on the
one that was read
Checking for Comprehension
Draw Four Scenes
• Students read short selection (chapter in book,
article, short story)
• Draw four scenes (stick figures only!) Give students a
time limit to discourage elaborate art projects.
• Students explain their scenes to the class. (Two
sentences for each scene works well).
• In lower levels, allow students to write down what
they plan to say first to help them prepare, but
encourage them not to read it.
Reading for pronunciation
Player/Coach Method
• Teacher models pronunciation by reading a short
selection to the class
• Students read a chosen selection out loud in
pairs
• One student is “player”, other student is “coach”
• Coach listens while player reads and underlines
problem words
• Player repeats/practices those words
• Students switch roles
(Elabsy, 2013)
Reading for expression
Poetry
• Students listen to a recording of a poet reading
her work
• Students practice reading for expression in pairs
• Students take place in “Speech Contest”
• Goal is best delivery based on pronunciation,
intonation, expression
(Elabsy, 2013)
Works Cited
Elabsy, T. (2013). Successful reading strategies
for second language learners - Theory and
Practice. Outskirts Press, Inc.