The MCT curriculum’s multi-layered approach naturally suits different learning styles. If you’re working with a reading and writing learner, this blog post will help you adapt MCT to fit your learner’s strengths. Not sure if your student favors reading and writing? Here are some defining traits:

Reading and writing learners thrive when they can engage with text, whether through reading information, taking notes, or crafting written responses or essays. These learners excel at interpreting, analyzing, and remembering written material. They benefit from activities that involve reading text, creating summaries, and engaging in written exercises.

Key Characteristics of Reading and Writing Learners:

1. Preference for Written Text: Reading and writing learners enjoy reading information and find it easier to process written instructions.
2. Benefit from Note-Taking: These learners often take notes to remember and reinforce key points of what they’re learning.
3. Enjoy Written Expression: Reading and writing learners communicate best through writing and prefer structured written exercises over verbal tasks.
4. Organizing through Writing: Most reading and writing learners benefit from organizing their thoughts and ideas in written form.
5. Memory for Written Material: They tend to remember information they have read more effectively than what they hear or through verbal cues.

A reading and writing learner often:

• Prefers reading instructions over hearing them spoken or read aloud
• Takes extensive notes to aid memory and comprehension
• Enjoys creating written summaries or explanations of concepts
• Shows a strong ability to recall written information
• Prefers written feedback or responses

The MCT curriculum naturally supports reading and writing learners through its thoughtful, comprehensive, and beautiful texts. Even students who are not reading and writing learners gravitate toward the MCT books because of their carefully crafted use of design, art, and color and their concept-at-a-glance pages. The curriculum aligns especially well with reading and writing learners through its text-rich materials, practice books, and structured written exercises. By integrating written summaries, notes, and personal reflections, educators can further support learners who connect best with text-based activities.

While the Michael Clay Thompson (MCT) language arts curriculum is naturally suited for reading and writing learners, here are additional strategies to make the most of these students’ strengths.

1. Encourage Extensive Use of the Practice Books and Practice Pages

Master Concepts through Written Practice: Reading and writing learners benefit from seeing information and concepts in written form—even when that writing is their own. Encourage them to use the MCT practice books and the practice pages in the grammar and vocabulary books extensively, allowing for regular practice and reinforcing understanding through written exercises.

🌟 Tip: Have students document new grammar rules in their own words and create personal examples in a grammar journal to reinforce learning.

2. Reinforce Vocabulary with Written Definitions

Writing Definitions and Sentences for Vocabulary Mastery: Rather than relying solely on verbal learning, reading and writing learners benefit from recording or creating written definitions and sentences. MCT’s vocabulary components are particularly well-suited to this, enabling learners to internalize new words by engaging with them in writing.

🌟 Tip: Encourage students to write sentences using new vocabulary in various contexts, such as describing recent experiences or narrating stories. Fortunately, the MCT books are filled with an array of such exercises.

3. Annotate Reading Materials

Highlight Key Information: As reading and writing learners engage with MCT’s language arts books, encourage them to highlight or annotate key concepts. Many reading and writing learners, however, don’t care to alter their books permanently; rather than using highlighters or jotting marginal notes, these students prefer to use sticky notes, self-stick tabs, or page pointers to denote important content. Either method helps them process and retain information, especially in grammar and vocabulary lessons.

🌟 Tip: Encourage learners to jot down their thoughts, questions, or reflections to what they read, perhaps in a notebook with special colored sections to designate different texts or parts of a text, making reading a more active and memorable experience.

4. Write Summaries for Retention

Summarize Concepts in Writing: After completing a lesson, have reading and writing learners summarize key points in writing in their own words. This helps to solidify their understanding and provides a personalized reference for review.

🌟 Tip: Challenge learners to turn complex concepts into simple explanations, reinforcing their grasp of the material while developing summarization skills.

Implementation Tips for Other Styles

Check out these tips for adapting the MCT curriculum for other learning styles! Remember: The goal isn’t to limit students to their preferred style but to use their strengths as a gateway to developing competency in all areas.

Tips for using MCT with auditory learners

Tips for using MCT with visual learners

Tips for using MCT with kinesthetic learners