Reading is the way to good writing, and the foundation of all learning.

We all know that reading is the way to good writing, and even more, reading is actually the foundation of all learning. ​But why? 
我們都知道，想要有好的寫作能力，必須從養成閱讀的習慣開始；其實不單單如此，閱讀更是所有學習的基礎。為什麼呢?

Literacy is the foundation of all learning.
Patty Murray, U.S. Senators and a former educator, mentioned that “if students don’t have a strong foundation in reading and writing, there is very little else we can do to help them succeed in the modern world.”
According to an article in The Guardian, children who frequently read books at age 10 and read more than once per week at age 16 had higher test results than those who read less. Reading for pleasure was linked to higher academic achievement in vocabulary, spelling and even mathematics. Not only academic achievement, but literacy also brings positive impacts to kids behaviorally, economically, and even health. 

The Key to Good Writing is Reading.
Stephen King had advised that an aspiring writer should read something like five hours a day. But how exactly reading could improve writing skills? According to one of Wendy Rider’s article, Improving Student Writing through Reading Strategies, in her 20+ years of experience teaching writing, composition courses emphasize documentation, but students also learn about essay content and structure from exposure to effective models. Below are her findings of how reading intersects with writing:

• In all disciplines, reading is an important precursor to writing on a purely informational level. Students must understand a topic before they can write coherently about it. They must do the research before they can write a research paper.
• Students who read widely (in any genre) usually have a greater command of vocabulary and the nuances of written expression. Many readers also absorb correct grammar and punctuation subconsciously, whether or not they know the rules behind when to use a comma. The poet Jane Kenyon’s advice to “have good sentences in your ears” is often quoted for a reason (qtd. in Popova) .
• This relationship between reading and writing is not a new concept. Reflecting on his writing process, for instance, the popular author Stephen King notes the value of ineffective models as well as inspirational ones. “One learns most clearly what not to do by reading bad prose,” he says. In contrast, “[g]ood writing . . . teaches the learning writer about style, graceful narration, plot development, the creation of believable characters, and truth telling” (211). While fiction writing is less emphasized in academia, the principle holds true.
• Finally, college writers need a deeper knowledge of their subject to think—and write—critically about it. Whether it be anthropology, economics, or literature, that knowledge often comes from scholarly articles and books, whether in print or online.

So, how to find books for your kids? Let Lighthouse help you. We will regularly share our recommendations on books, with a variety of topics, for different ages as well as reading levels. Follow our blogs to pick books for your kids and develop their lifelong reading habits as young as possible. You’d also join our reading clubs, writing class, English Journalism, and other humanity camps like Ancient Greece/ Greek Myth. There’s also Storytelling for younger ones, age 4-6.  ​

閱讀是所有學習的基礎
         一位曾是老師的美國議員，Patty Murray，根據他多年的在教育界的經驗發現，如果孩子的閱讀寫作等文學底子不夠，不管老師家長怎麼努力協助，很難在現今社會找到成功之路。而英國衛報的文章中也提到一項研究發現，在10歲時養成時常閱讀的習慣，然後到16歲時每周閱讀超過一次的學生，考試成績表現遠優於其他閱讀量較少同儕。休閒性的閱讀可以提高學術成就，不只是字彙量、拼字，甚至在數學方面也顯示相同的結果。而且不只在學術方面，良好的文學素養，對孩子的行為、經濟甚至健康有正面的影響。

想要有好的寫作能力，必須由良好的閱讀習慣開始
         史蒂芬金曾經對寫作新手們建議，每天都要閱讀，最好一天可以讀五個小時以上。
但閱讀實際上到底是怎樣提升寫作能力呢?
         我們擷取一位超過20年寫作教學經驗的Wendy Rider的分享:

• 學生必須真的理解寫作主題，才能寫得對題；寫研究報告時，更需要大量閱讀蒐集的資料。
• 大量閱讀的學生，字彙量及字彙的運用能力較高，也能利用不同的寫作表達方式，即便是非常細微的差別。透過閱讀的潛移默化，獲取正確文法和標點符號的用法，即便他們可能其實並不明白背後的原則是甚麼。
• 透過多閱讀，可以分辨好跟不好的作品，就算是不好的作品也可以教我們怎樣避免犯下一樣的錯誤。
• 隨著年紀增加，寫作的內容與作者本身對主題的理解以及想法更為相關，不管你大學是念人文、經濟或文學，寫報告的知識都是來自文章或是書本的閱讀，就算是線上閱讀亦然。

但該如何幫孩子選書呢? 別擔心，我們將開設新的主題單元"好書推薦"，您可以根據孩子喜歡的主題、年紀或是閱讀程度，選擇合適的英文書籍閱讀。歡迎訂閱我們的部落格，或是追蹤我們的社群軟體，以獲得最新的好書推薦! 也可以加入我們的閱讀俱樂部、寫作營, 、英語寫作記者營，或其他像是古希臘文化/希臘故事營來培養孩子的寫作閱讀能力，另外，我們也有提供更小的4-6歲孩子英文聽故事的活動。