Textmasters: Shaking Up Textbook Reading in Science Classrooms

Student Interactives

Printouts

Strategy Guides

Professional Library

 

STUDENT INTERACTIVES

Grades   3 – 12  |  Student Interactive  |  Organizing & Summarizing

ReadWriteThink Webbing Tool

The Webbing Tool provides a free-form graphic organizer for activities that ask students to pursue hypertextual thinking and writing.

 

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PRINTOUTS

Grades   5 – 12  |  Printout  |  Graphic Organizer

Seed Discussion Organizer

Students can utilize this printout to organize their thoughts as a new concept or content is introduced through a Seed Discussion. This printout readies students to acquire new knowledge by organizing what they know and what they’re prepared to learn.

 

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STRATEGY GUIDES

Grades   6 – 12  |  Strategy Guide

Preparing Students for Success with Reading in the Content Areas

In this strategy guide, you’ll learn how to determine the level and type of support you need to provide students based on careful preparation as a content area expert.

 

Grades   6 – 12  |  Strategy Guide

Supporting Student Comprehension in Content Area Reading

In this strategy guide, you’ll learn a few simple, yet powerful, techniques to encourage students to use peer talk and writing to enhance their understanding of content area texts.

 

Grades   5 – 12  |  Strategy Guide

Introducing New Content with Seed Discussions

In this strategy guide, you’ll learn how to elicit ideas and conversation about new concepts or content by effectively holding a Seed Discussion in your classroom.

 

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PROFESSIONAL LIBRARY

Grades   9 – 12  |  Professional Library  |  Journal

Textmasters: Bringing literature circles to textbook reading across the curriculum

A fifth-grade science teacher and university researcher challenged the notion that textbook reading follows the same archaic formula: read the textbook and answer the questions at the end of the section. Together, they adapted literature circle roles to fit textbook structures, resulting in the strategy they call Textmasters. This article describes the strategy, along with the action research project that proves its efficacy in the content area middle school classroom.

 

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