b 2 trouble with textbooks

D-3 The Trouble with Textbooks

Katie McKnight, Ph.D.Katie@katherinemcknight.com

The Textbook ChallengeOften SuperficialExceedingly Hard to ReadBadly DesignedAuthoritarianInaccurateNot Written for Students

Six Ways to Use Textbooks More Effectively1. Empathy- Do you remember when you

had difficulty in a subject and the text was difficult?

2. Help the students to get started. We need to “front-load” our teaching.

3. Don’t leave kids alone with their textbooks.

4. Choose wisely. Be more selective with assignments. Be strategic about what is most important.

5. Supplement richly.

Textbook Feature AnalysisThink about the textbooks that your students

encounter. What kinds of features would they find in these texts?

How do textbooks affect our students’ study habits and success?

Now What?Consider the role of your textbook in

teaching your subject matter.How can you promote critical thinking with

textbooks?

Strategies for Textbooks: A SampleSticky NotesBookmarksReQuestSupplement RichlyAudio AssistMaking Smaller Book Versions

Daniels, H. and Zimmerman, S. (2004). Subjects Matter: Every Teachers’ Guide to Content –Area Reading. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, p 121.

Sketch Through Text

Stop and Write

Textbook CirclesModeled after Literature CirclesStudents work in teams of 4-5 members.Going BEYOND the textbookUsing a wide variety of reading materialStudents choose what they will read.

Getting StartedAssign groups for some reading experiences.When the students are reading a longer

work, groups are formed by choice.

Going Beyond the TextbookOther than textbooks, how do we get

information?Look at the adult world and what do we read

and use to get the information that we need?

Going Beyond the TextbookOther than textbooks, how do we get

information?Look at the adult world and what do we read

and use to get the information that we need?

Reference BooksNews Stories (Print and Digital Media)Historical AccountsMemoirsNarrated nonfiction

Using a Wide Variety of Reading MaterialFiction vs Non FictionLevels of text difficultyDifferent levels of lengthPrimary and Secondary SourcesMultiple Texts and Single Sources

Classroom LibrariesArticlesMagazinesWebsite ListsA wide variety of trade books

Books for Content ReadingSee American Library Associationhttp://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/

yalsa/yalsa.cfm

The Official Site of the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents

http://www.alan-ya.org/

Resources I LikeSubjects Matter: Every Teacher's Guide to

Content-Area Reading, Harvey Daniels and Steven Zemelman

Differentiating Textbooks: Strategies to Improve Student Comprehension and Motivation, James Grant

The Teacher’s Big Book of Graphic Organizers, Katherine McKnight 

How to Reach MeEmail: katie@katherinemcknight.comWebsite: katherinemcknight.comTwitter: @literacyworldFacebook: Katie Siewert McKnight Literacy