Read, Write, and Talk (Video)

Reading is a social act. We all love to talk about what we read, whether sharing the latest novel with a friend, reacting to an outrageous editorial with a colleague, or exploring a picture book with a child. Kids are no different—when they have opportunities to think and talk about their reading, they explode with thoughts, questions, and ideas. Read, Write, and Talk provides a framework for reading, merging thinking with the information, recording thoughts, and talking about what has been read.

This lively video lets you join Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis, authors of Strategies That Work, in an intermediate-grade reading workshop where students engage in real-world literacy. In this classroom, kids use comprehension strategies to better understand what they read. They grapple with issues, information, and ideas that provoke thinking and spur lively conversation. The goal of Read, Write, and Talk is to give kids a chance to talk purposefully about their reading. As information is shared with others, thinking evolves and comprehension deepens.

Read, Write, and Talk is an ongoing practice, not a stand-alone lesson. Once students have learned this process, it is used across the curriculum and throughout the year, with science and social studies reading, literature study, and even with textbooks. It is an authentic process that replicates what "real" readers do, and supports and encourages kids to ask more questions, ponder information, and better understand what they read.

The video features a complete lesson using the Read, Write, and Talk practice, including the following steps:

• Teacher modeling: Steph models her own thinking with a short article on a current topic of interest, stopping to jot down her inner conversation, questions, connections, new learning, and other observations.
• Guided practice and discussion: During the shared reading, Steph asks kids to jot down their thinking and turn and talk to each other about information in the text. As kids share their thinking, Steph guides the discussion towards an understanding of bigger issues, ideas, and questions raised by the article.
• Independent practice: After kids have practiced the process, Steph invites them to choose from among three articles to try this on their own. They read the article, record their thinking, and talk about what they read.
• Sharing: The kids come together to share their responses, including new learning, big ideas, and lingering questions. They also discuss how the process of working and thinking together adds to their understanding.
• End-of-segment debrief: A conversation among colleagues about the Read, Write, and Talk practice and how it supports thinking and learning.