Introduction

INTRODUCTION

Part I (Reading: Words and Images) contains handouts and activities, including information for talking about reading and critical reading tips for students, and pre-reading, post-reading, and reading for evidence activities.

In Part II (Assignments), I have included a short introduction to each assignment category, as well as at least one activity per assignment in that category, the majority of which are brainstorming activities for students to begin thinking critically about the assignment. These assignments are meant to be used as part of a scaffolded sequence, meaning each assignment builds off the previous one throughout the semester. Because the assignments use a scaffolding approach, you will in all likelihood need to choose one assignment from section one (Learning from Self) for your first assignment of the semester, then choose one assignment from section two (Learning from Others) for the second assignment, and one assignment from section three (Learning Through Research) for the third assignment. The last assignment of the semester, then, would be “Speaking Out, Joining In, Talking Back” from section four, which asks students to reflect on what they have learned about literacy and education throughout the semester, based on what they have done for their first three assignments. Also included in this section are some sample schedules and syllabi, based in part on these assignment sequences.

Part III (Readings) consists of pre-reading activities for nearly each piece (with the exception of the poetry works), as well as possible answers to some of the questions in the reflections/connections section for each reading in the three sections: Readings about Uses of Learning, Readings about Learners, and Readings about Learning (In and Out of School).

Part IV (Photographs) includes activities for “reading” photographs, as well as possible questions/reflections for you to ask students to consider regarding the photographs.

The material in this Instructor’s Manual, like that of the material in Considering Literacy, is designed to help promote critical thinking in first year students. It is my hope that you will not only find this information useful for yourself but also that you will be able to use it to help the students in your course learn and grow, both as writers and as individuals.




PART I – READING: WORDS AND IMAGES

READING HANDOUTS

Following are some handouts to give to students to encourage active, critical reading, as well as a handout on some strategies they can use if they’re just not “getting it.” Again, these handouts are not absolutes – merely guidelines for you to consider in order to help the students in your class develop their critical reading skills.

You can use these handouts as they are – just copy them from the book and give them to your class so you can go over these concepts with the students. Otherwise, you can take what you find is useful here to create your own handouts, designed exclusively for your first-year composition course. As always, the choice is yours.

As you know, talking about reading can be extremely difficult. Most often, students will say that a reading is “boring” or they just couldn’t “get into it” when they really mean something else – they were having a hard time understanding it, the wording was confusing, or they’re having difficulty making it mean something to them, for example. Using the activities and handouts that follow should not only help students get through the readings and understand them, they should also help students learn how to talk about the readings – and say what they really mean.
CRITICAL READING TIPS FOR STUDENTS

Pre-reading Strategies

∑ Think about why you’re reading the piece. Are you using it for research, as a study guide, or simply because you’re interested in the topic and want to learn more?

∑ What seems to be the subject of the piece? Do you have any preconceived notions about the subject?

∑ What does the title tell you about the piece?

∑ Are you familiar with the author? What do you know about him/her?

∑ What do you expect some topics of this reading will be? What else do you know/want to know about these topics?

∑ Note how the reading is set up. Read any headings and skim the intro and conclusion to get a stronger sense of what the reading is about.

∑ What do you hope to learn from this piece? How do you think it will be helpful to you?


Strategies to Use While Reading

∑ Read carefully – make a note of key points, areas of confusion, or other places of interest, either agreeable or disagreeable.

∑ Make a list of words/phrases/areas you don’t know or understand, and look them up – in the dictionary or online – to make sure you understand what you’re reading as best you can.

∑ Write a summary of what you’ve read. Does your summary match what you had anticipated the author’s purpose to be?

∑ What is the author’s tone in this piece, and why do you think (s)he chose this tone? Do you think the choice was effective?

∑ What is the author’s stance on the topic of the reading? How is this stance reflected in the reading?

∑ Note any sources in the reading. How does the author use sources? Why does (s)he use the sources (s)he does, and are these sources used effectively? Do they help to make the author’s point? What other decisions about sources has the author made? Why do you think (s)he made those decisions?


Post-Reading Strategies

∑ Reread quickly to be sure you have understood the reading.

∑ Make a list of the main points/topics of the piece.

∑ What do you think the author’s goals were for this piece? Did the author accomplish those goals?

∑ Were you able to answer the questions you asked while you were reading the piece?

∑ What did you like best about it? Why? What did you dislike? Why? Note any favorable or unfavorable reactions you had when reading the piece.

∑ Did the author write effectively? Did you learn more about the subject that you had previously known? What more would you like to know about it?


What To Do if You Just Don’t Get It – Understanding Readings

∑ Think about what you’ve read up to the point where you got stuck. What do you think it means? How can you relate that to what you already know?

∑ Can you connect the reading with something in your life, something else you’ve read, or something that’s happening or has happened around you?

∑ Write summaries – either at the end of the reading, or better yet, at the end of each paragraph or section.

∑ Ask questions: what’s going to happen now? Why is this happening? Why did the author say that? Whom does this matter to?

∑ Retell and reread – ask yourself what you’ve just read. If you have a difficult time answering that question, go back and reread the section you’ve had trouble with. This way, you’re rereading what you need to, rather than rereading the entire piece unnecessarily.



READING ACTIVITIES

Reading for Evidence

The following activity, given to me by a colleague, asks students to read “Hardware Store Hold-Up,” a fictional newspaper article, and answer the questions that follow the article. In this version, I allow the students to refer back to the text as much as they need to – you may want to limit them to the one minute, after which they cannot look back to the article. The choice is yours.

The fun – and the purpose – of this activity is that students will do all they can to find a True or False answer when, in reality, the only questions with definitive answers are number 3 (False) and number 6 (True). The rest cannot be answered with any certainty – there are simply not enough details in the article. Of course, the goal of this activity is not to trick students; rather, it is to encourage both critical reading and detailed writing.

READING FOR EVIDENCE

Instructions:

∑ Read the following story all the way through.

∑ Time: One minute.

∑ Turn the page over. (You may refer back to the story if you need to.)

∑ Answer the 11 True/False questions for yourself, BEFORE discussing in your group.

∑ Then, discuss and answer the questions again as a group.

∑ Time: Five minutes.

What we are working on:

∑ Reading for details and supporting conclusions with facts.

∑ How group discussion can influence and leverage individual perceptions.

∑ Building consensus and agreement through open discussion.

∑ Having fun while getting to know each other in this class!


Hardware Store Hold-up

(The following story appeared in the local paper recently. The names and specific locations in the story were edited out to preserve privacy.)

A businessman had just turned off the lights in the store when a man appeared and demanded money.

The owner opened the cash register. The contents of the cash register were scooped up, and the man sped away.

A member of the police force was notified promptly.


Instructions:

Answer the 11 True/False questions based on the news report on page one. After you have answered all the questions, discuss your answers within your group. Come to a consensus in your group, then have one person mark down your group’s answer.


Eleven Questions Individual Group
1. A man appeared after the owner had turned off his lights.
T F T F
2. The robber was a man.
T F T F
3. A man did not demand money. T F T F
4. The man who opened the cash register was the owner.
T F T F
5. The store owner scooped up the contents of the cash register, then ran away.
T F T F
6. Someone opened the cash register.
T F T F
7. After the man who demanded money scooped up the contents of the cash register, he ran away.

T F T F
8. While the cash register contained money, the report does not state how much.

T F T F
9. The robber demanded money of the owner.
T F T F
10. The story concerns a series of events in which only three persons are referred to: the owner of the store, a man who demanded money, and a member of the police force.
T F T F
11. The following events in the report are true: someone demanded money, a cash register was opened, its contents were scooped up, and a man dashed out of the store.
T F T F


Modeling Active Reading

This activity would best serve students in their “during reading” phase – showing them how to read with a pen or pencil. And best of all, this is an activity you can participate in. If these students have never learned to read with a pen – and chances are, they haven’t – it is important that you show them how to do so.

The best way to do this is to use one of their required readings for the course, make a transparency, and read through it with them. While reading, you can note (however you choose: underline, notes in the margin, whatever) what seems important to you. Stress that what seems important to one person may not be what stands out for another – and that’s OK.

Students should also be encouraged to note where they might be confused or what they think may need clarification later on – basically, any point that they might want to go back to for another look after they’ve read the piece in its entirety. Another important part of a reading is to make note of the sources – note where and how the author has used them. This not only helps students recognize that outside sources are being used but may also help show them how to use sources effectively.

Active reading is a habit to encourage – it helps to involve students in the reading process and also helps them to pay close attention to the important details and events in the reading.


PRE-READING AND POST-READING QUESTIONS

Pre-reading:

This is a relatively simple activity – you can use the sample questions provided here, or create some of your own. You can have students work alone to answer these questions, or you can have them work in groups. Either way, it is important to make sure they’re prepared to read each piece critically, making certain they understand why they’re reading it and what it means to them. In fact, “why?” and “what does it mean?” are two of the questions you could ask for these activities! I prefer to have students in groups, both because they enjoy the activities more, and they are able to get more from bouncing ideas off one another.

Post-reading:

This activity is quite similar to the pre-reading activity, in that it asks students to answers questions about the reading. Only this time, they’ve now read the piece and should be prepared to answer more detailed questions about the reading. This activity could be used in conjunction with the pre-reading – for example, students could answer questions based on what they answered for the pre-reading activity.

Questions for Pre-reading


∑ Do you know anything about the author?

∑ How do you think the title might indicate what this piece is about?

∑ Is this a topic you’re familiar with? What is your opinion on the topic?

∑ What is the purpose of reading this piece?

∑ What do you expect to learn from this piece?

∑ What does the reading look like (how is it set up)? What might this tell you about the piece?

∑ What is the genre of the piece? (i.e., is it a journal article, a short story, a comic strip?) What is the significance of choosing to write this piece in the genre the author chose?


Questions for Post-reading


∑ Is the reading what you expected it to be about? What, if anything, differs from your expectations?

∑ Did your opinion on this topic change after reading this piece?

∑ Do you think the author does a good job with this piece? Did (s)he accomplish his/her goal/purpose?

∑ What did you like about this piece? Why did you like it?

∑ What didn’t you like? Why didn’t you like it?

∑ Was the piece clear and easy to read, or did you have a difficult time understanding or following the purpose or topic of the piece?

∑ Do you think the author could have done anything differently to make this piece more accessible, clearer, easier to understand, and/or more convincing? What could (s)he have done differently?