ABSTRACT
This chapter proposes that a reading for pleasure pedagogy can have a positive influence on writing for pleasure. Promotion of the reading and writing connections and integrated reading and writing approaches are popular and potentially effective. The chapter therefore provides teachers with advice on how to build a rich class library containing a variety of high-quality texts. It shows teachers how they can encourage children to discuss their personal responses during class read-alouds and how these discussions can lead to high-quality writing through the use of intertextuality. However, it questions the advisability of the currently popular ‘novel study’ or ‘book planning’ approach invading children’s writing and casts doubt on the benefits of ‘literary criticism’ as a part of teaching the craft of writing.
This chapter gives practical advice on how a class can democratically generate a variety of writing ideas inspired by the texts they have read together. It explains how teachers can help children see the connection between writing personal narrative or memoir and how we write stories. It explains how teachers can encourage children to dabble whilst they read or listen and to regularly ‘squirrel’ away great writing they’ve read. Other techniques and strategies are also discussed.
