Writers Read Better: Narrative

50+ Paired Lessons That Turn Writing Craft Work Into Powerful Genre Reading
First Edition
M. Colleen Cruz
Corwin Literacy
Writers Read Better: Narrative
June 2019 | 312 pages | Corwin
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ISBN: 9781544385723
Available from January 0001
Paperback
ISBN: 9781506349442
Available from January 0001

Description

When It Comes to Reading, Writers Have an Advantage

We know that writing skills reinforce reading skills, but what’s the best way to capitalize on this beneficial relationship? By flipping the traditional “reading lesson first, writing lesson second” sequence, Colleen Cruz ingeniously helps you make the most of the writing-to-reading connection with carefully matched, conceptually connected lesson pairs. The result is a healthy reciprocity that effectively and efficiently develops students’ literacy skills.

Backed by long-term academic and field research, Writers Read Better: Narrative presents a series of 50 tightly interconnected lesson pairs that can be implemented either as a complete curriculum or as a supplement to an existing program. Each pairing leads with a writing lesson, used as a springboard for the reading lesson that will follow.

Throughout the book’s four sections, organized to help you teach tightly aligned lessons and units on reading and writing narrative, you’ll discover

  • Kid-friendly approaches to virtually every matter of craft, including symbolism, tenses, the role of first and last words, dialogue as character fingerprint, giving weight to what's important, and much more 
  • Clear guidance on the intention of each lesson, the type of narrative genre it’s ideally suited for, and step-by-step plans 
  • Sample teacher language for introducing and coaching each lesson
  • Mentor text excerpts to use as models for personal narrative, memoir, and story writing
  • Tips on building and organizing a contemporary classroom library filled with inspiring, illustrative texts, and how you can incorporate the tools, technology and media available in your classroom to make each lesson most effective
  • Sample student work, online videos and other supporting resources 

Complete with practical suggestions on adapting the lessons to suit the particular needs of your classroom as well as individual students, Writers Reader Better: Narrative offers a solid foundation for giving your students the advantage of powerful, transferable literacy skills.

Contents

List of Videos

List of Videos

Solutions at a Glance

Solutions at a Glance

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Preparing for Aligned or Complementary Units on Narrative Reading and Writing

Introduction: Preparing for Aligned or Complementary Units on Narrative Reading and Writing

PART 1: LESSONS FOR GENERATING STORY: ENVISIONING CHARACTERS AND SETTINGS

  • LESSON 1
  • Writing: Write Our Truest Selves
  • Reading: Characters Offer Clues to Authors’ Selves
  • LESSON 2
  • Writing: Flaws and Quirks for Character Development
  • Reading: Studying Flaws to Seek Deeper Meaning
  • LESSON 3
  • Writing: Finding Freedom in Familiar Character Types
  • Reading: Identifying Archetypes to Develop Depth of Understanding
  • LESSON 4
  • Writing: Maps, Photographs, and Songs as Tools for Setting Creation
  • Reading: Connecting Setting to Meaning
  • LESSON 5
  • Writing: Letting Characters and Settings Lead Us to Story
  • Reading: Following the Path of a Story to Understand Other Elements
  • LESSON 6
  • Writing: Finding Important Ideas in the Most Personal Piece of Our Lives
  • Reading: Focusing on the Details of a Text to Uncover Bigger Notions
  • LESSON 7
  • Writing: Studying Places for Stories to Explore
  • Reading: Making the Connection Between Place and an Author’s Message
  • LESSON 8
  • Writing: Revising the Arc to Match the Meaning
  • Reading: Connecting the Shape of the Plot to the Theme

FOR DIGITAL CLASSROOMS

  • Writing: Apps and Tools to Help Keep Track of Story Ideas
  • Reading: Reading Stories Digitally Requires Readers to Purposefully Set Themselves up to Reread

PART 2: LESSONS FOR DRAFTING A NARRATIVE, FOLLOWING PLOT, AND FINDING SIGNIFICANCE

  • LESSON 9
  • Writing: Draft Fast to Create Energy
  • Reading: Reading Voluminously to Build Momentum
  • LESSON 10
  • Writing: Drafting Stand-Alone Scenes
  • Reading: Studying One Scene for Larger Understanding
  • LESSON 11
  • Writing: Deciding When to Summarize
  • Reading: Summarizing Text to Check for Comprehension
  • LESSON 12
  • Writing: Research for Personal Writing
  • Reading: Noting When a Writer Uses Research or Artifacts
  • LESSON 13
  • Writing: Drafting With Truth in Mind, Leaving Space for Facts
  • Reading: Deciphering an Author’s Truth and Perspective
  • LESSON 14
  • Writing: Drafting With Perspective in Mind
  • Reading: Considering the Author’s Choice of Perspective and Its Effects
  • LESSON 15
  • Writing: Research Makes Fiction Believable
  • Reading: Researching Outside a Text Can Open New Interpretations

FOR DIGITAL CLASSROOMS

  • Writing: Choosing the Best Platform for Your Story
  • Reading: The Platform Affects the Way You Interact With a Story

PART 3: LESSONS FOR REVISING FOR MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE: ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUE

  • LESSON 16
  • Writing: Exploring Deeper Meaning in Drafts to Begin Revision
  • Reading: Identifying an Author’s Deeper Meaning Through Rereading and Writing
  • LESSON 17
  • Writing: Compelling Stories Thrive on Conflict
  • Reading: Identifying the Scenes That Point to Conflict in a Story
  • LESSON 18
  • Writing: Craft Settings That Connect With Characters’ Emotions
  • Reading: Noticing a Relationship Between Setting and Character
  • LESSON 19
  • Writing: Stories Extend and Elaborate on Larger Ideas
  • Reading: Tracking the Weight of a Story
  • LESSON 20
  • Writing: Increasing Suspense Through Revision
  • Reading: Spotting Moves Authors Use to Build Suspense Helps Readers Make Predictions
  • LESSON 21
  • Writing: Craft Dialogue to Match Character Personality and Uniqueness
  • Reading: Dialogue Gives Insights Into Characters
  • LESSON 22
  • Writing: The Narrator’s Voice Makes Perspective Clear
  • Reading: The Narrator’s Voice Sets up a Reader’s Inferences and Interpretations
  • LESSON 23
  • Writing: Knowing the Significance of a Personal Story Can Help Writers to Foreshadow
  • Reading: Identifying Foreshadowing in a Story to Help Discover Theme

FOR DIGITAL CLASSROOMS

  • Writing: Revising Digitally Allows for Powerful Peer Feedback
  • Reading: Other Readers Can Give New Perspectives

PART 4: LESSONS FOR PERFECTING THE PROSE AND PURPOSE: DEEP INTERPRETATION

  • LESSON 24
  • Writing: Designing Beginnings and Endings That Entice and Linger
  • Reading: Savoring Beginnings and Endings
  • LESSON 25
  • Writing: Fewer Words Can Make More Impact
  • Reading: Considering Words Used and Not Used When Interpreting
  • LESSON 26
  • Writing: Using Symbolism to Give Readers Direction
  • Reading: Interpreting Symbols in Stories—When Everything Can Have Meaning
  • LESSON 27
  • Writing: Choosing and Smoothing Tense
  • Reading: Looking to Tense for Meaning
  • LESSON 28
  • Writing: The Many Purposes of Narrative Paragraphs
  • Reading: Reading Narrative Paragraphs on Surface and Inferential Levels
  • LESSON 29
  • Writing: Using Tools to Make Smart Spelling Decisions
  • Reading: Knowing an Author Carefully Chooses Words Helps Readers Develop Deeper Understanding
  • LESSON 30
  • Writing: Making Publishing Decisions Based on the Intended Audience
  • Reading: Judging the Effectiveness of an Author’s Decisions

FOR DIGITAL CLASSROOMS

  • Writing: Using Digital Tools to Call Attention to Theme
  • Reading: Looking Across Highlights, Bookmarks, and Notes to Help Identify Unifying Themes

Resources

Resources

References and Further Reading

References and Further Reading

Index

Index

Additional materials

Description

When It Comes to Reading, Writers Have an Advantage

We know that writing skills reinforce reading skills, but what’s the best way to capitalize on this beneficial relationship? By flipping the traditional “reading lesson first, writing lesson second” sequence, Colleen Cruz ingeniously helps you make the most of the writing-to-reading connection with carefully matched, conceptually connected lesson pairs. The result is a healthy reciprocity that effectively and efficiently develops students’ literacy skills.

Backed by long-term academic and field research, Writers Read Better: Narrative presents a series of 50 tightly interconnected lesson pairs that can be implemented either as a complete curriculum or as a supplement to an existing program. Each pairing leads with a writing lesson, used as a springboard for the reading lesson that will follow.

Throughout the book’s four sections, organized to help you teach tightly aligned lessons and units on reading and writing narrative, you’ll discover

  • Kid-friendly approaches to virtually every matter of craft, including symbolism, tenses, the role of first and last words, dialogue as character fingerprint, giving weight to what's important, and much more 
  • Clear guidance on the intention of each lesson, the type of narrative genre it’s ideally suited for, and step-by-step plans 
  • Sample teacher language for introducing and coaching each lesson
  • Mentor text excerpts to use as models for personal narrative, memoir, and story writing
  • Tips on building and organizing a contemporary classroom library filled with inspiring, illustrative texts, and how you can incorporate the tools, technology and media available in your classroom to make each lesson most effective
  • Sample student work, online videos and other supporting resources 

Complete with practical suggestions on adapting the lessons to suit the particular needs of your classroom as well as individual students, Writers Reader Better: Narrative offers a solid foundation for giving your students the advantage of powerful, transferable literacy skills.

Contents

List of Videos

List of Videos

Solutions at a Glance

Solutions at a Glance

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Preparing for Aligned or Complementary Units on Narrative Reading and Writing

Introduction: Preparing for Aligned or Complementary Units on Narrative Reading and Writing

PART 1: LESSONS FOR GENERATING STORY: ENVISIONING CHARACTERS AND SETTINGS

  • LESSON 1
  • Writing: Write Our Truest Selves
  • Reading: Characters Offer Clues to Authors’ Selves
  • LESSON 2
  • Writing: Flaws and Quirks for Character Development
  • Reading: Studying Flaws to Seek Deeper Meaning
  • LESSON 3
  • Writing: Finding Freedom in Familiar Character Types
  • Reading: Identifying Archetypes to Develop Depth of Understanding
  • LESSON 4
  • Writing: Maps, Photographs, and Songs as Tools for Setting Creation
  • Reading: Connecting Setting to Meaning
  • LESSON 5
  • Writing: Letting Characters and Settings Lead Us to Story
  • Reading: Following the Path of a Story to Understand Other Elements
  • LESSON 6
  • Writing: Finding Important Ideas in the Most Personal Piece of Our Lives
  • Reading: Focusing on the Details of a Text to Uncover Bigger Notions
  • LESSON 7
  • Writing: Studying Places for Stories to Explore
  • Reading: Making the Connection Between Place and an Author’s Message
  • LESSON 8
  • Writing: Revising the Arc to Match the Meaning
  • Reading: Connecting the Shape of the Plot to the Theme

FOR DIGITAL CLASSROOMS

  • Writing: Apps and Tools to Help Keep Track of Story Ideas
  • Reading: Reading Stories Digitally Requires Readers to Purposefully Set Themselves up to Reread

PART 2: LESSONS FOR DRAFTING A NARRATIVE, FOLLOWING PLOT, AND FINDING SIGNIFICANCE

  • LESSON 9
  • Writing: Draft Fast to Create Energy
  • Reading: Reading Voluminously to Build Momentum
  • LESSON 10
  • Writing: Drafting Stand-Alone Scenes
  • Reading: Studying One Scene for Larger Understanding
  • LESSON 11
  • Writing: Deciding When to Summarize
  • Reading: Summarizing Text to Check for Comprehension
  • LESSON 12
  • Writing: Research for Personal Writing
  • Reading: Noting When a Writer Uses Research or Artifacts
  • LESSON 13
  • Writing: Drafting With Truth in Mind, Leaving Space for Facts
  • Reading: Deciphering an Author’s Truth and Perspective
  • LESSON 14
  • Writing: Drafting With Perspective in Mind
  • Reading: Considering the Author’s Choice of Perspective and Its Effects
  • LESSON 15
  • Writing: Research Makes Fiction Believable
  • Reading: Researching Outside a Text Can Open New Interpretations

FOR DIGITAL CLASSROOMS

  • Writing: Choosing the Best Platform for Your Story
  • Reading: The Platform Affects the Way You Interact With a Story

PART 3: LESSONS FOR REVISING FOR MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE: ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUE

  • LESSON 16
  • Writing: Exploring Deeper Meaning in Drafts to Begin Revision
  • Reading: Identifying an Author’s Deeper Meaning Through Rereading and Writing
  • LESSON 17
  • Writing: Compelling Stories Thrive on Conflict
  • Reading: Identifying the Scenes That Point to Conflict in a Story
  • LESSON 18
  • Writing: Craft Settings That Connect With Characters’ Emotions
  • Reading: Noticing a Relationship Between Setting and Character
  • LESSON 19
  • Writing: Stories Extend and Elaborate on Larger Ideas
  • Reading: Tracking the Weight of a Story
  • LESSON 20
  • Writing: Increasing Suspense Through Revision
  • Reading: Spotting Moves Authors Use to Build Suspense Helps Readers Make Predictions
  • LESSON 21
  • Writing: Craft Dialogue to Match Character Personality and Uniqueness
  • Reading: Dialogue Gives Insights Into Characters
  • LESSON 22
  • Writing: The Narrator’s Voice Makes Perspective Clear
  • Reading: The Narrator’s Voice Sets up a Reader’s Inferences and Interpretations
  • LESSON 23
  • Writing: Knowing the Significance of a Personal Story Can Help Writers to Foreshadow
  • Reading: Identifying Foreshadowing in a Story to Help Discover Theme

FOR DIGITAL CLASSROOMS

  • Writing: Revising Digitally Allows for Powerful Peer Feedback
  • Reading: Other Readers Can Give New Perspectives

PART 4: LESSONS FOR PERFECTING THE PROSE AND PURPOSE: DEEP INTERPRETATION

  • LESSON 24
  • Writing: Designing Beginnings and Endings That Entice and Linger
  • Reading: Savoring Beginnings and Endings
  • LESSON 25
  • Writing: Fewer Words Can Make More Impact
  • Reading: Considering Words Used and Not Used When Interpreting
  • LESSON 26
  • Writing: Using Symbolism to Give Readers Direction
  • Reading: Interpreting Symbols in Stories—When Everything Can Have Meaning
  • LESSON 27
  • Writing: Choosing and Smoothing Tense
  • Reading: Looking to Tense for Meaning
  • LESSON 28
  • Writing: The Many Purposes of Narrative Paragraphs
  • Reading: Reading Narrative Paragraphs on Surface and Inferential Levels
  • LESSON 29
  • Writing: Using Tools to Make Smart Spelling Decisions
  • Reading: Knowing an Author Carefully Chooses Words Helps Readers Develop Deeper Understanding
  • LESSON 30
  • Writing: Making Publishing Decisions Based on the Intended Audience
  • Reading: Judging the Effectiveness of an Author’s Decisions

FOR DIGITAL CLASSROOMS

  • Writing: Using Digital Tools to Call Attention to Theme
  • Reading: Looking Across Highlights, Bookmarks, and Notes to Help Identify Unifying Themes

Resources

Resources

References and Further Reading

References and Further Reading

Index

Index

Additional materials

SAGE Publishing Logo

Writers Read Better: Narrative

50+ Paired Lessons That Turn Writing Craft Work Into Powerful Genre Reading

M. Colleen Cruz
Cancel Print

June 2019 | 312 pages | Corwin

Format Published Date ISBN Price
Paperback 01/02/2026 9781506349442 $40.95
Lifetime 01/02/2026 9781544385723 $37.00

When It Comes to Reading, Writers Have an Advantage

We know that writing skills reinforce reading skills, but what’s the best way to capitalize on this beneficial relationship? By flipping the traditional “reading lesson first, writing lesson second” sequence, Colleen Cruz ingeniously helps you make the most of the writing-to-reading connection with carefully matched, conceptually connected lesson pairs. The result is a healthy reciprocity that effectively and efficiently develops students’ literacy skills.

Backed by long-term academic and field research, Writers Read Better: Narrative presents a series of 50 tightly interconnected lesson pairs that can be implemented either as a complete curriculum or as a supplement to an existing program. Each pairing leads with a writing lesson, used as a springboard for the reading lesson that will follow.

Throughout the book’s four sections, organized to help you teach tightly aligned lessons and units on reading and writing narrative, you’ll discover

  • Kid-friendly approaches to virtually every matter of craft, including symbolism, tenses, the role of first and last words, dialogue as character fingerprint, giving weight to what's important, and much more 
  • Clear guidance on the intention of each lesson, the type of narrative genre it’s ideally suited for, and step-by-step plans 
  • Sample teacher language for introducing and coaching each lesson
  • Mentor text excerpts to use as models for personal narrative, memoir, and story writing
  • Tips on building and organizing a contemporary classroom library filled with inspiring, illustrative texts, and how you can incorporate the tools, technology and media available in your classroom to make each lesson most effective
  • Sample student work, online videos and other supporting resources 

Complete with practical suggestions on adapting the lessons to suit the particular needs of your classroom as well as individual students, Writers Reader Better: Narrative offers a solid foundation for giving your students the advantage of powerful, transferable literacy skills.


Table Of Contents:

  • List of Videos
  • Solutions at a Glance
  • Acknowledgments
  • Introduction: Preparing for Aligned or Complementary Units on Narrative Reading and Writing
  • PART 1: LESSONS FOR GENERATING STORY: ENVISIONING CHARACTERS AND SETTINGS
  • LESSON 1
  • Writing: Write Our Truest Selves
  • Reading: Characters Offer Clues to Authors’ Selves
  • LESSON 2
  • Writing: Flaws and Quirks for Character Development
  • Reading: Studying Flaws to Seek Deeper Meaning
  • LESSON 3
  • Writing: Finding Freedom in Familiar Character Types
  • Reading: Identifying Archetypes to Develop Depth of Understanding
  • LESSON 4
  • Writing: Maps, Photographs, and Songs as Tools for Setting Creation
  • Reading: Connecting Setting to Meaning
  • LESSON 5
  • Writing: Letting Characters and Settings Lead Us to Story
  • Reading: Following the Path of a Story to Understand Other Elements
  • LESSON 6
  • Writing: Finding Important Ideas in the Most Personal Piece of Our Lives
  • Reading: Focusing on the Details of a Text to Uncover Bigger Notions
  • LESSON 7
  • Writing: Studying Places for Stories to Explore
  • Reading: Making the Connection Between Place and an Author’s Message
  • LESSON 8
  • Writing: Revising the Arc to Match the Meaning
  • Reading: Connecting the Shape of the Plot to the Theme
  • FOR DIGITAL CLASSROOMS
  • Writing: Apps and Tools to Help Keep Track of Story Ideas
  • Reading: Reading Stories Digitally Requires Readers to Purposefully Set Themselves up to Reread
  • PART 2: LESSONS FOR DRAFTING A NARRATIVE, FOLLOWING PLOT, AND FINDING SIGNIFICANCE
  • LESSON 9
  • Writing: Draft Fast to Create Energy
  • Reading: Reading Voluminously to Build Momentum
  • LESSON 10
  • Writing: Drafting Stand-Alone Scenes
  • Reading: Studying One Scene for Larger Understanding
  • LESSON 11
  • Writing: Deciding When to Summarize
  • Reading: Summarizing Text to Check for Comprehension
  • LESSON 12
  • Writing: Research for Personal Writing
  • Reading: Noting When a Writer Uses Research or Artifacts
  • LESSON 13
  • Writing: Drafting With Truth in Mind, Leaving Space for Facts
  • Reading: Deciphering an Author’s Truth and Perspective
  • LESSON 14
  • Writing: Drafting With Perspective in Mind
  • Reading: Considering the Author’s Choice of Perspective and Its Effects
  • LESSON 15
  • Writing: Research Makes Fiction Believable
  • Reading: Researching Outside a Text Can Open New Interpretations
  • FOR DIGITAL CLASSROOMS
  • Writing: Choosing the Best Platform for Your Story
  • Reading: The Platform Affects the Way You Interact With a Story
  • PART 3: LESSONS FOR REVISING FOR MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE: ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUE
  • LESSON 16
  • Writing: Exploring Deeper Meaning in Drafts to Begin Revision
  • Reading: Identifying an Author’s Deeper Meaning Through Rereading and Writing
  • LESSON 17
  • Writing: Compelling Stories Thrive on Conflict
  • Reading: Identifying the Scenes That Point to Conflict in a Story
  • LESSON 18
  • Writing: Craft Settings That Connect With Characters’ Emotions
  • Reading: Noticing a Relationship Between Setting and Character
  • LESSON 19
  • Writing: Stories Extend and Elaborate on Larger Ideas
  • Reading: Tracking the Weight of a Story
  • LESSON 20
  • Writing: Increasing Suspense Through Revision
  • Reading: Spotting Moves Authors Use to Build Suspense Helps Readers Make Predictions
  • LESSON 21
  • Writing: Craft Dialogue to Match Character Personality and Uniqueness
  • Reading: Dialogue Gives Insights Into Characters
  • LESSON 22
  • Writing: The Narrator’s Voice Makes Perspective Clear
  • Reading: The Narrator’s Voice Sets up a Reader’s Inferences and Interpretations
  • LESSON 23
  • Writing: Knowing the Significance of a Personal Story Can Help Writers to Foreshadow
  • Reading: Identifying Foreshadowing in a Story to Help Discover Theme
  • FOR DIGITAL CLASSROOMS
  • Writing: Revising Digitally Allows for Powerful Peer Feedback
  • Reading: Other Readers Can Give New Perspectives
  • PART 4: LESSONS FOR PERFECTING THE PROSE AND PURPOSE: DEEP INTERPRETATION
  • LESSON 24
  • Writing: Designing Beginnings and Endings That Entice and Linger
  • Reading: Savoring Beginnings and Endings
  • LESSON 25
  • Writing: Fewer Words Can Make More Impact
  • Reading: Considering Words Used and Not Used When Interpreting
  • LESSON 26
  • Writing: Using Symbolism to Give Readers Direction
  • Reading: Interpreting Symbols in Stories—When Everything Can Have Meaning
  • LESSON 27
  • Writing: Choosing and Smoothing Tense
  • Reading: Looking to Tense for Meaning
  • LESSON 28
  • Writing: The Many Purposes of Narrative Paragraphs
  • Reading: Reading Narrative Paragraphs on Surface and Inferential Levels
  • LESSON 29
  • Writing: Using Tools to Make Smart Spelling Decisions
  • Reading: Knowing an Author Carefully Chooses Words Helps Readers Develop Deeper Understanding
  • LESSON 30
  • Writing: Making Publishing Decisions Based on the Intended Audience
  • Reading: Judging the Effectiveness of an Author’s Decisions
  • FOR DIGITAL CLASSROOMS
  • Writing: Using Digital Tools to Call Attention to Theme
  • Reading: Looking Across Highlights, Bookmarks, and Notes to Help Identify Unifying Themes
  • Resources
  • References and Further Reading
  • Index

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