Helping Children Become Readers Through Writing

Arlene C. Schulze is the author of Helping Children Become Readers Through Writing originally published by International Reading Association (2006), and its accompanying video by the same name, distributed by International Literacy Association (2014) and available on YouTube. (Search Arlene C. Schulze).

Arlene has made her professional life’s work a search for the best way to help the struggling reader learn to read. In order to do this work successfully, she discovered it was necessary to thoroughly understand the beginning or emergent reader.

Arlene began her education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education in 1963. After teaching successfully for several years and receiving a lifetime teaching certificate from the state of Wisconsin, she began her own family. Observing how easily her own children became early readers through immersion and exposure to meaningful print made Arlene even more curious as to why many of her former students had difficulties with reading, and how reading should be taught in the schools. In 1989 Arlene returned to college at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) to obtain a master’s degree with a focus on reading teacher and reading specialist titles. During this time she discovered the research of Marie Clay and Donald Graves and the critical importance of writing to early reading. Through Clay she also discovered the importance of phonemic awareness. She thoroughly researched phonemic awareness and presented her findings to the Wisconsin State Reading Association in 1993. All of the activities she created for this study have been used by thousands of kindergarten teachers.

Arlene then worked as a language arts and reading instructor for UWSP in the College of Professional Studies School of Education. She successfully taught on and off campus for many years and was recognized by the university as a master teacher. During this time she also worked as a literacy consultant to several school systems in North Central Wisconsin helping K-2 teachers implement writing workshops by incorporating the research of Graves and Clay.

Although Arlene recently retired from UWSP and consulting for school systems, she remains active as a literacy tutor helping children who struggle with reading. She also writes articles for International Literacy Association (ILA) promoting writing’s value to reading, especially on the emergent level.