Tag: comprehension

Reading is the Easiest Way to Study Writing

Photo by Christina Morillo

I can tell right away when a book is self-published by a writer who does not read (or does not do it often enough).

No shade to audiobooks, but when I say reading is how we study how to write, I mean reading physical books.

And when I say study, I mean don’t just read the book, but also:

  • Take notes as you read.
  • Highlight important facts or things that catch your attention.
  • Look up the definitions of words you don’t know.
  • Notice the structure of the paragraph, line breaks, and dialogue.

Consider picking up a copy of a physical book at least once a month and reading it through till the end. It will help you to become a better writer.

And if you don’t have time to read at least one book a month, you have no business writing books in the first place.

And don’t try and fake it because your writing will give you away!

If reading is how we study how to write, our writing also displays how much or little we read.

The Power of Reading

Photo by Rahul Sha

I believe reading to be so powerful that it has the capacity to make one wise regardless of whose institution of higher learning the person has or has not attended. In the world of books, it makes no difference whether they completed grade school, high school, or learned to read later in life. That is the capability of the human mind. It is reprogrammable for excellence. The person who spends more time reading than engaging in frivolous activities can become a person of intellect of the highest degree despite their circumstances. Of this, I am sure.

My experience with reading is that it has an unparalleled ability to jolt the mind into action, turning readers into superheroes capable of phonemic awareness, visual and auditory processes, comprehension, and fluency. Nothing would make me happier for this generation than for them to sit down with a book and taste the deliciousness of its knowledge on their tongues. Magic exists in the world of expanded vocabularies, the ability to think critically, analyze, and solve problems. With just one flavorful novel, they, too, can be hooked on the limitless potential of being a well-read person.

Say Stuff That Make Sense

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We often look for depth when there is none. Everyone has something profound to say. Sometimes what we have to show to the world is indeed profound. Not really because it is insightful, but because it introduces our minds to something we had no prior thought of. It introduces us to something so far beyond our understanding that we can only think of one word: “Wow”. Or it connects to us in some way, it reaches us. You will often notice that when people say that something is deep, it is not always because they understand it, but sometimes it is because they do not. It is so far beyond their comprehension that it is too deep to understand at the moment. The problem is that sometimes, despite how deep it is, it still doesn’t make any sense. That is, there is no truth to it. Sometimes you just need to say stuff that will make sense to people when they hear it or read it (and if you are the reader make sure your not just agreeing with something because it sounds nice, make sure it also makes sense. A lot of people have been led astray by things that are just not truth but it sounds good). Mankind is a logical thinking creation. He processes information and understands things when they make sense to him, and often when he can relate to it. It is for this reason that we are more likely to tune into people’s experiences and those things most intimate to them because it just makes sense. While one thing can make sense to one person and not to the other, it is still not wise to create profundity where there is none. Don’t reach since doing so only makes you look foolish. Just let the words flow naturally, paint the picture people want to see, and be sure to make sense of it all. Connect with them.

Uncommon Core

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Yea, 2 + 2 used to equal 4. But thanks to uncommon core, it can equal 5 if that will make the children feel better. What I don’t understand though is all the drawing stuff. Like, if there’s a math problem of: 9 + 7 =? why does the student have to draw circles to figure that out? If you never teach them how to compute in their heads they’ll never truly learn. What is a reasonable answer? What’s the purpose of learning about reasonable answers when the only thing that matters in the real world is the right answer? Why go through all of this to get the answer.

Let’s not talk about Look-See reading though. I was tutoring this one kid who brought in a list of words she was to pronounce, except they weren’t real words. They were a conjunction of letters that actually made no word at all, yet these were the “words” the child was supposed to use to learn to read. For example: “bgu” < words like that instead of words like “cat”. I couldn’t believe it. I had never seen anything like it in my life and had I not seen it with my own eyes I wouldn’t believe this post if I was you either.

But I’m not that surprised. The truth is this isn’t something new, but they are finally openly admitting that they’re dumbing kids down. Common Core is not a new phenomenon, but it actually has many names, some of which are: Outcome Based Education or OBE, Schools without Failure, Mastery Learning, etc. All of these same programs, going all the way back to the 20s, is the same system of education that has been used in the U.S. since it’s inception. Interestingly enough, with all these different name changes, Common Core is just the right title for this program…. there is truly nothing uncommon about it.

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