b 2 trouble with textbooks
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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: [email protected]: katherinemcknight.comTwitter: @literacyworldFacebook: Katie Siewert McKnight Literacy