Research indicates that reading and writing should be learned together since both are language processes, and that children should be shown how the skills they have acquired during learning to read apply to learning to write. A language experience approach is useful for accomplishing this. Many aspects of writing point out the integrative relationship between reading and writing, including (1) interest, (2) spelling, (3) punctuation, (4) grammar, and (5) composition. Children should learn to read and write just as they learned how to talk, naturally, without an awareness of the skills being learned. Teachers need to show children that reading and writing do make sense and that there is much more to learning than boring drills and test-oriented activities. Using natural language and experiences in the classroom can motivate writing. Whether a child becomes a good writer depends upon the teacher's role--if the teacher is open and accepting and responds positively to the child's writing, chances are the child will become a good writer who focuses on meaning in the same way that a reader focuses on meaning. (HTH)