Reading & Literacy

This describes a reader’s capability to check, evaluate and ask important questions concerning the truth of an author’s work, as well as how strong the arguments or points of view in the author’s book are. Thus, critical reading is a more active mode of reading where the reader forms a deeper and more complex engagement with the text.

There are some key differences between merely reading a text and reading it critically. For one, reading aims to get a basic grasp of the text, while critical reading involves forming judgment about how the text works. Second, simple reading involves just understanding and absorbing the text, while critical reading additionally involves interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating it. 

Third, in the case of reading, the focus is on what the text says, whereas critical reading emphasizes what the text means and does. Fourth, readers go with the text while reading it as they take everything that’s mentioned to be right. However, in critical reading, readers go against the text to question its arguments and assumptions, in addition to interpreting its meaning in context.

To read critically, students should be able to self-reflect. They should identify the assumptions, experiences, perspectives, and knowledge they bring to the text, the biases they have, and question if they can keep an open mind and take into account other (often conflicting) points of view.

Critical reading also needs that students read to understand. For this, students should check the text and its context by answering questions like who the author is, when and where the text was written, who the publisher is, and what type of text it is. Finding what the topic and key ideas are, in addition to resolving confusion by looking up a dictionary or using other reference materials to understand unfamiliar words and phrases, are also part of critical reading.  

When reading critically, students can keep a journal to regularly record their responses and thoughts that they may reflect upon or consult later. This habit of reading and writing in conjunction will help improve both skills.

Critical reading involves critical thinking. This means students should analyze, interpret, and assess the text. Each of these processes will let them interact with the text in different ways, including taking notes, highlighting the vital points and examples, brainstorming, evaluating answers to their questions, describing features of the text or argument, outlining, opposing the evidence or ideas presented, reflecting on their own thoughts and reading, etc.

These are a listing of the keywords for guiding the order of written stories by generalization, listening, comparing or contrasting, question and answer, or sequencing. Thanks to the order, it is easier for students to explain their understanding of the structure of the narrative. Thus, by helping students analyze and create stories, story frames can enhance their vital literacy skills.

Story frames often use fun, dynamic, and highly visual ways, including icons, storyboards, and quick drawings that make it easy for students to comprehend the narrative structure. With their teacher’s guidance, students will learn how to use the knowledge of story structure to develop basic literacy skills – from reading comprehension and oral language to writing. This, in turn, will enable students to write their own unique tales or personal stories in different genres. 

Typically, teachers should use dozens of different fiction and nonfiction books as vibrant examples when teaching their students various story elements via story frames. Any teacher can start using story frames as they act as effective and accessible pathways to structured literacy. When story frames are used year after year, they will strengthen the students’ reading, comprehension, analysis, and creative skills, among others, and instill an enduring love of reading and writing.

Teachers who are still in a dilemma about using story frames can consider these benefits that the move will bring their way:

•         Initiate a fun and engaging way to structured literacy
•         Build core literacy skills, including vocabulary, oral language, syntax, grammar, narrative development, phonological awareness, reading comprehension, and expository writing
•         Reinforce the existing curriculum with flexible learning activities and lesson plans aligned with the science of reading
•         Teach narrative structure effectively to both advanced and struggling learners
•         Teach students in any set-up, with practical tips for virtual instruction and teletherapy
•         Enhance executive function skills by making the writing process meaningful, comprehensible, and manageable

Story frames are a great way to scaffold instruction and build students’ confidence in writing, especially in writing genres and tasks with which they have nil to little prior experience. Such frames provide students with a structure on which they can base their ideas. They also help students incorporate vocabulary they have newly learned to create more sophisticated sentences and paragraphs. Story frames are an effective way of differentiating tasks to meet the requirements of all students. Thus, they can challenge and stretch more competent writers and even support struggling writers.

This is the deep study, analysis, explanation, and reflection on a set of related stories or novel. But it’s not merely teaching a book. Novel study doesn’t involve quizzing students about the contents on page 40 or 52. It doesn’t need students to simply regurgitate the text. Instead, it’s much more than that. Its aim is to engage students in high-quality literature and help develop their reading, thinking, and comprehension skills. Compared to the typical reading of a textbook, novel study lets students practice and fine-tune their reading, comprehension, and analysis skills in a much more engaging way.

Using novel study, teachers can build a love of reading in their students. When done in a group, it paves the way for shared experiences that creates connections and helps build communities.

The following steps can help teachers plan a novel study:

•         Decide the timeframe: Based on their district and school, teachers need to decide on the timeframe they wish to assign to a novel study. For instance, if it’s an alternative school where no homework is assigned, all the work will need to be finished in class. This means the teacher will need to set aside a longer duration for a novel study.
•         Mark vital dates: Teachers should know the exact number of teaching days they will have with their students. For this, they should mark the holidays, in-service days, half-days, and even days they know they’ll be absent due to prior commitments.
•         Identify days to “teach light”: Some particular days, such as the day before summer or winter break, aren’t ideal for introducing a complex novel or discussing intricate details. Teachers should plan their novel study while keeping these days in mind.
•         Have a buffer week: If the novel study is planned to be completed within six weeks, teachers should leave the last week as a “buffer” week. That’s because unexpected or unplanned things will invariably crop up and eat into their teaching time, like a snow day, a sudden meeting with the school counselors, or a last-minute assembly that they must attend.

A novel study introduces new vocabulary to students and encourages fluent word decoding and expressions, in addition to quick comprehension and processing that help them focus on character analysis and plot development. Be it study activities for character analysis, exploring plot development, or predicting how the character graph of key players will change, a novel study offers the students food for thought. Thus, it motivates students to read and enjoy the process.

These are sets of students that regularly gather to dissect a book they have read. Different individuals in the group usually have their assignments with respect to the discussion. For instance, a person could be the director of the discussion and another the summarizer for that particular meeting.

Literature circles talk about the author’s craft, characters and events in the book, or personal experiences connected to the story. Collaboration is at the heart of literature circles that offer students a way to undertake critical thinking and reflection as they read, respond to, and discuss books. Through structured discussion with other participants of literature circles, along with extended written and artistic responses, students can construct meaning of what they have read and even reshape and add to their comprehension. This way, literature circles direct students to a deeper understanding of the books.        

Literature circles vary – from classroom to classroom, grade to grade, teacher to teacher, and student to student. Since they are reader response-centered and have no fixed recipe, they aren’t a particular “program” and never look identical from one year to the next or even from one day to the following day. The reason is that true engagement with literature can’t probably be prescribed within a community of learners. Instead, it can just be described.

In literature circles, the role of teachers is more of an observer, facilitator, or encourager. However, any scaffolds they employ would just be temporary supports to facilitate extended and rich conversations around books or some selected sections of them.

Adaptability and simplicity are the keys to literature circles’ success. Many may think the most logical subjects that can benefit from literature circles are the ones heavy in reading, such as history, language arts, and English. However, other subjects too can use them. For example, science teachers can use literature circles to help students understand and discuss complex scientific terms.

In literature circles, teachers should ideally give students one thing to think about and focus on the conversation, beginning with a five- or ten-minute discussion. However, they should avoid giving students too much to do, such as complicated projects or a long list of questions. Else, the students’ energy will be focused on the tasks instead of delving deeper into the books. Students may be encouraged to use Post-it notes to identify pages or passages or even write down a phrase or quote they have come across while reading that they want to discuss.

These are classes of writing styles that are chosen based on different attributes such as tone, narrative technique, or content. In literature, there are four key genre types – fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama.

Fiction

These are narrative works written in prose that aren’t real and often use elaborate figurative language. Fiction is extremely well structured and written in sentences and paragraphs with appropriate grammar and punctuation. Typically, fiction is divided into multiple chapters.

Fiction’s subject matter could be anything as it’s based on imagination. The setting of a fictional work take could be the past, the present, or the future. It may follow the occurrences in everyday life or integrate the most fantastical ideas. Examples of fictional works are folk tales, short stories, fairy tales, and novels. The Divergent trilogy, with its storyline set in a post-apocalyptic future, is a popular work of fiction.

Nonfiction

This literary genre is based on real-life and real-world experiences. Nonfictional works can be found in different forms – from newspaper articles and entries in diaries and journals to autobiographies, biographies, and essays.

Nonfiction pieces are usually written in prose, similar to fiction, and sometimes may even be divided into chapters. They can also use figurative language, though it’s not as abundant as in fiction. Typically, figurative language in nonfiction comes through well-known common phrases used daily by many. A celebrated example of nonfiction is Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl, in which Anne wrote about her real-life during World War II.

Poetry

Often, poetry is considered to be the oldest form of literature. Though poetry, for many, includes rhymes and counting lines and syllables, there are diverse forms of poetry different from what most people think the standard is. For instance, some free-form poetry lack any rhyme or common patterns. Some forms like prose poetry even cross genre lines. However, a piece of text is considered a poem when it has some rhythm and focuses on the way the words, syllables, and phrases sound when they are put together. Typically, poems use a lot of imagery and metaphor. They often include phrases and fragments instead of grammatically correct and complete sentences. Poetry is almost always written in lines and stanzas that create a unique look on the page. An example of epic poetry is John Milton’s Paradise Lost.

Drama

Drama or play refers to a text that’s intended to be performed rather than read. Dramas written by Shakespeare like Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet, and Romeo and Juliet are most commonly taught in classrooms.

This is a system that helps beginners in reading to choose material at the right level of reading. It focuses on fluency and comprehension for grades K-5. Using it, students can classify books they are reading as “just right,” “too easy,” or “too hard” for their reading level.

The Goldilocks strategy helps select books that are ‘just right’ for students. This strategy draws its name from the story ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears.’ In this story, Goldilocks tastes three bowls of porridge, each different from the other, and finds that she prefers porridge that’s neither too cold nor too hot but has a temperature that’s just right. Similar to Goldilocks, students too prefer activities that are neither too complex nor too simple but just right. When their reading material is too hard, they fail to grasp it and lose interest fast. Even when it’s too simple, they don’t feel challenged enough and can’t engage with it.

For instance, if Jack’s parents want to choose a suitable book for him, they should find answers to the following questions. If Jack’s answer is ‘Yes,’ the book is possibly:

Just Right

•         Is the book new to him?
•         Does Jack comprehend a lot of the book?
•         When Jack reads it, does he find some sections smooth and others difficult?
•         Are there just a handful of words in the book that Jack doesn’t know?

Too Easy

•         Has Jack read it multiple times before?
•         Does he understand the story extremely well?
•         Can he read it smoothly?
•         Does he know just about every word?

Too Hard

•         Does the book have over five words on a page not known to Jack?
•         Does Jack feel confused about what’s happening in most sections of this book?
•         When he reads it, does it sound quite difficult?
•         Is everyone else occupied and unable to help Jack?

Though parents and teachers can use this strategy, they can also teach the students how to apply it, thus letting them decide which books will be best suited to their reading level for independent reading. Once students learn how to use the Goldilocks strategy, they will become more responsible toward their reading and may possibly enjoy reading the books more.

To help students learn how to use the Goldilocks strategy, parents and teachers can:

•         Explain the strategy by using three books at each level 
•         Analyze books as a class and create a reference chart
•         Make the students implement the strategy during their independent reading sessions

This is a reading method whereby the teacher directs the students as they read a material, be it in whole or in part, several times and totally helps them throughout the course of their reading. In close reading, students read and reread a material purposefully and carefully. When they “close read,” students focus on what the author is trying to say and what his intention is, what the words mean, and what the material’s structure tells them. This way, close reading ensures that students truly comprehend what they’ve read.

Close reading involves critical and thoughtful analysis of a material. It focuses on significant patterns or details to help students develop an in-depth and precise understanding of the material’s meanings, form, craft, etc. Typically, close reading includes:

•         Focusing on the material itself
•         Using excerpts and short passages
•         Diving right into the material with limited pre-reading activities
•         Reading with a pencil
•         Rereading intentionally
•         Taking note of things that are confusing
•         Discussing the material with others (in either small groups or with the entire class)
•         Responding to material-dependent questions

Selecting the material for close reading needs careful screening as not all are suitable. For instance, though students will enjoy stories with simple vocabulary and storylines like The Wimpy Kid series, they aren’t fit for close reading. The reason is that once they have been read, they don’t leave room for thought-provoking messages or pondering upon deep ideas.

Typically, materials that are close read-worthy include concepts that are complex enough to explore and discuss for one or more days, guided by the teacher’s instructions. Close reading is often a multiday commitment to a material that offers an adequately rich vocabulary for students, ideas to ponder upon, and information to read, analyze, and discuss over a few days without feeling as if they’re beating a dead horse.

When choosing a material, teachers should consider the three key components of complexity:

•         Quantitative measures
•         Qualitative measures, and
•         the task and the reader

For quantitative measures, teachers should decide if the material has a suitable readability level for their students and find ways to ensure their success with this material.

Qualitative measures include checking if the material offers information or ideas that further students’ understanding of the topic, follows familiar language conventions, etc.

Under task and reader considerations, questions like how interested the students are, what’s their level of prior knowledge about the topic, and how difficult it would be for them to read the material should be answered.

This is a big surface for learners to post words they see a lot during the course of engaging with a material—reading or writing. A bulletin board, wall, or any other display surface in a classroom can be used as a word wall.

There are various reasons to encourage the use of word walls. First, they provide the students with a permanent model for words that are often used. Second, they help students notice relationships and patterns in words, thus building and improving their spelling and phonics skills. Word walls also offer reference support for students during their reading and writing activities.

To use a word wall optimally, teachers should make it accessible and position it where each student can see the words. It’s wise to use bold and large letters for the words and put them on different background colors to help students distinguish words that frequently create confusion.

Ideally, students and teachers should work together to decide which words would be put up on the word wall. Choosing words most commonly used by students in their reading and writing would be a good way to begin. Gradually, new words should be added to the word wall. For a slow and steady start, the goal could be adding five words each week. Teachers should encourage the daily use of the word wall to practice words. 

This can be done by incorporating different activities, such as tracing, chanting, cheering, word guessing games, snapping, clapping, and even writing the words down. The teachers should let the students have adequate practice to ensure they read and spell the words correctly and automatically. It’s important to make sure the words from the word wall are always spelled correctly in the student’s daily reading and writing tasks.

Instead of choosing and putting up randomly selected words on the word wall, it’s better to select words from the curriculum’s content. When these words are referred to often, students will be able to understand them better and even notice their relevance.

Word walls don’t just work for languages. Even subjects like mathematics can benefit from a word wall that provides visual cues, graphic representation, mathematical concepts, number sense, etc. For example, multiplication on a word wall can be displayed by different symbols like *, x, and ( ). Even in science, interactive word walls can help students categorize things from the smallest to largest or vice versa (bacteria, cell, tissue, etc.) or create connections (say, organs are made of tissues and tissues are made of cells).

This is an act or an entire setting that has the dramatization of a text or the place where the text is orally presented. The process involves a “script” that the students read based on who gets which part of the script to read aloud. Reader’s theater scripts don’t need costumes, memorization, props, special lighting, or blocking. They just need the students to reread their assigned scripts multiple times, which helps develop their fluency.

Any classroom or library can act as the setting for a reader’s theater. Students can either sit or stand in their allotted seats or be asked to form a semi-circle, where they take turns to read aloud their assigned scripts.

Choosing an appropriate reader’s theater script is a task that needs careful screening. Boring stories or scripts should be given a miss. Instead, scripts or stories that have lots of dialogues or involve dramatic presentations should be given preference. The key is to find stories or scripts that the students will find interesting to read aloud with expression, comprehension, fluency, and joy. 

Once the teachers finalize the script, they just need to give their students a photocopy of it, allot a section to each of them, and have them read those sections of the script aloud and act it out. The focus should be on the students reading their assigned sections of the script with gestures and expressive voices. By using reader’s theater, teachers can make comprehending the script fun and meaningful for their students.

Since reader’s theater doesn’t involve any costumes, props, or memorization, students don’t feel overwhelmed or at risk while getting involved. Instead, even the most introverted or shy kid can enjoy the procedure and may blossom, while becoming confident in social interactions with peers and developing a strong sense of community. Since reader’s theater gives the students an adequate opportunity to practice before they read aloud their respective scripts in front of an audience, struggling readers can also participate as they aren’t put on the spot.

When using reader’s theater for the first time, teachers should start small and slow. They should give the students enough time to make them feel at ease in the performance mode. If the teachers find a script with has too many scenes, sections, or characters, they can trim it down by eliminating the ones they feel unimportant and won’t affect the overall story. Since reader’s theater scripts aren’t sacrosanct, teachers can mold them as they deem fit if such changes work better for their students.