On Friday’s teachers call we had some fantastic questions on teaching reading and writing.
( We have group calls for teachers every Friday & Sunday in the Skool group – you’re welcome to join us!)
So whilst it was all still fresh in my mind I did a quick Youtube live. You can check it out above! 👆
A few take aways –
- 🧭 Best order: Speaking → phonics → graded readers (reading for pleasure) → story writing → journaling
- 🎤 Speaking first — Build confident speakers before reading and writing (i.e. the main Genki English Curriculum)
- 🧠 Reading = meaning — It is not just saying the words. It’s taking strange symbols on the page and converting them to a thought in your brain.
- 🔤 Phonics helps decode — Use it to work out new words, not as the final goal.
- 💡 Go for light-bulb moments — Let students figure things out for themselves.
- 🚫🔊 No audio first for beginners — Otherwise they may copy from memory, not really read.
- 📚 Use graded readers — Start easy and level up step by step.
- ❤️ Reading for pleasure — Enjoyment leads to progress.
- 🏫 Build a book-borrowing system — Let students take books home and choose what they like.
- ⏰ One week loans work best — It gets the books read and shared.
- ❌ Don’t kill books with too many questions — Over-testing destroys the joy.
- 🤝 Skip “trust” questions — Don’t keep asking students to prove they understood, you’re just telling them you don’t trust them.
- 💭 Use “thought” questions — Ask things that create real opinions and discussion e.g. “10 hours? That’s crazy!” works better than quiz questions.
- 🌱 1. Respect everyone 2. Tell me when you don’t understand — Applies to all lessons. Students are responsible tell you when they don’t understand.
- ✍️ Delay writing too — More speaking and reading first means better writing later.
- 🧱 Reading gives writing lego blocks — The more they read, the more they can write.
- 📝 Writing = expressing ideas — Not copying. Not tracing. Real thoughts on the page.
- 📖 Start writing with stories — Story structure helps organise ideas & is a skill for life.
- 📔 Then move to Genki journaling — Great for fluency, reflection, and tenses.
- ☁️ Imagination Worksheets – can be a great first step too.
- 🎓 Exam prep comes last — Build real ability first, then teach the test.
- 😌 Less stress for the teacher — Students become more independent.
- ⚡ Energy matters — Confidence, positivity, and enthusiasm are the method.
- 🚀 Big takeaway — Make reading and writing alive, fun, and meaningful.
If you have more questions or would like to learn more, do join us on our Friday & Sunday calls – they are lots of amazing things that come up each week!
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