Comprehension Promotes the Retention and Utilization of Literary Writing Techniques.

This study described how a fifth grade reading and writing class utilized short stories to comprehend how authors used eight different writing techniques in their own writing. The researcher found that when the fifth grade students comprehended how to use a writing technique they were able to apply it to their own personal, expressive writing. The researcher also analyzed the retention of the writing techniques over an eight-week study. It was found that if the writing technique was comprehended and utilized, a fifth grade student eventually mastered the technique. The integration of reading and writing are essential in the process of comprehension. The two strategies which developed comprehension included reading as a writing strategy and writing as a reading strategy. When teachers find a balanced approach of the two strategies the result is a total comprehension of the material being studied. (Contains 36 references. Appendixes contain a reading survey instrument and a writing survey instrument.) (Author/RS)