Subjects Matter-How to Use a Textbook

The last two blogs have covered both the challenges of using textbooks in the classroom and some strategies that help students better understand what they read in textbooks. This chapter added six structures and strategies that work well with textbooks. Before introducing the strategies Zemelman and Daniels covered the issue of how much to use the textbook in the classroom and addressed the most important things students need to learn to become more literate in our disciplines. Often times teachers will divide the number of pages in a textbook by the number of days in a school year, this may cover all the pages in the textbook but leaves the teacher to wonder how many of the big concepts will be remembered once school is over. "You can have students move their noses up above any number of pages, left to right, top to bottom, but that is neither teaching nor learning." Students only learn by acting upon the ideas presented to them. Although it takes time it is the responsibility of the teacher to break down difficult text into steps and stages through the use of activities. Teachers should identify about a dozen "fencepost" concepts in every course that they teach. Content in all subjects has different levels of importance, the book provides four ways to narrow down the important concepts and filter the textbook: "1. Does the idea, topic, or process represent a big idea having enduring value beyond the classroom? 2. Does the big idea, topic or process reside at the heart of the discipline? 3. To what extent does the idea, topic, or process require uncoverage? 4. To what extent does the idea, topic, or process have the potential for engaging students?"

There are some key elements to helping students comprehension while using textbooks more effectively: 1. Have empathy- as teacher you have read the book a number of times so it should seem straightforward to you, but students may find the material challenging. 2. Help kids get started- don't just assign reading, but rather use some of the pre-reading activities mentioned in my last blog. 3. Don't leave kids alone with their textbooks-have kids work in pairs and groups to discuss the material and make better sense out of it. 4. Choose wisely- assign fewer pages that cover the most important concepts. 5. Supplement richly- coordinate the textbook reading with other sources.

Activity 1: Checking out the Textbook:
Many times teachers skip the introduction material in textbooks and have students go straight to chapter one, but there is value in covering the introduction material. The front of the textbook covers information about the structure of the book and can help students understand features and organizing principles before they begin reading the content.
Activity 2: Jigsawing
Jigsawing involves dividing up the text amongst groups of students and receiving oral summaries of sections. So in a classroom setting the teacher can divide the text into five groups each group covers one chapter, the group members read the chapter individually and then come together to discuss the main concepts in that chapter, the students then share what they learned in their chapter with one group member from each of the other chapter groups. Many novels can't be studied this way because information in previous chapters is crucial for understanding later chapters. "But textbooks can be easily subdivided."
Activity 3: Guide-O-Rama Study Guides
Teachers often prepare guides to help students make their way through the text, but often times these guides are more like outline of the textbook chapter rather then helpful tips to make the reading more comprehensive. The "Guide-O-Rama" is like a reading roadmap, page numbers on one side of the page with tips about the teachers own understanding on the other side. "The Guide-O-Rama lets you informally coach, support, and chat with kids as you steer them along. It also invites you, as the most experienced reader in the room, to open up your head and show students how you 'thought your way through' the same text they are reading."
Activity 4: Vocabulary Word Sorts
A big struggle for understanding a reading is making sense of unfamiliar words, this activity was designed to combat that struggle. Teachers bring several sets of lists of key words from the chapter that are all written on note cards, the words include terms that the students already know, words that are familiar but are used in an unfamiliar way, and brand new words.  The students are then put into groups and handed the list of words. The students then put the words into categories that the group agrees on, what goes with what. Each group then picks a spotter that explains to the class how the group picked their words, After they present their sorted lists and justifications, they read the chapter and either validate their choices or understand why their choices were wrong. "So word sorts, even when kids don't know the definitions, set a purpose for reading: they get students watching for key vocabulary and prime them to stop and think when those words appear in the text."
Activity 5: Textbook Circles
 This activity works similarly to adult book clubs. Before reading the text, students fill out a KWL chart on what they know about a particular subject and what they want to know about the subject. The teacher then assigns textbook clubs by balancing students strengths and weaknesses in reading. The students in each club are assigned roles for working with the text like re enactor and illustrator and connector. The groups meet on a schedule, the first class period they meet read a selection from the textbook and make notes with their assigned role in mind. The next class period the students work on their roles within the group. During the group meetings the teacher facilitates and guides, after each textbook circle the students all gather together and discuss positives and negatives of their interactions and discussions. Assessment is based on kids rating themselves as group members, notes from the teachers individual visits to groups, and a unit test over the textbook.
Activity 6: SQ3R: Remembering Facts from Long Texts:
A model with stages: Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review. "If you really want to remember big textbook chapters you cannot simply read straight through them like a novel- you need to attack the text in a whole different way." This can be laborious for students, but combining it with other activities can keep them engaged. 

I think it is important as educators to make sure we are doing everything we can to help students understand the text and I think these strategies are really informative and I plan on trying the textbook circle one in my classroom. Until next time...