Should the sections and chapters be used in a certain order?

The first four sections of the book, Building and Sustaining Resilience, Using the Reading Process, Reading to Summarize, and Reading to Respond, should be completed sequentially before progressing to the thematic readings. The first section provides the foundations for becoming a resilient learner. The next three sections provide details about how to complete the activities included with the thematic readings, including examples and opportunities for practice.

Can I choose which thematic readings to use?

Yes.There are 24 readings provided so that you have options. This is more than can possibly be covered in a semester. You may wish to select isolated readings from different thematic sections. You may decide to focus on one thematic group or choose a few articles from two different thematic groups. You could give students the opportunity to choose the readings that interest them.

Why aren’t there comprehension questions for the readings?

Students develop their critical thinking and reading practices when they construct meaning on their own– not when they choose an answer that someone else has formulated for them. The activities in this ebook require students to make meaning from the texts.

How much time should I expect to spend on the activities for one thematic reading?

If a class meets twice per week, I suggest spending one class on the reading process, one class on summarizing, one class on responding, and one class on the extension activity (if you choose to complete that last part). If you have a different meeting schedule or a hybrid format, you will need to adjust based on the class meeting schedule. It may seem excessive to spend this much time working with a single, short article, but for students to practice all the thinking, reading, and writing components, they must have adequate time. Multiple opportunities to revisit the same reading for different purposes deepens their understanding, expands their reading strategies, and builds familiarity with the text, all of which builds confidence. Below is a suggested workflow for a single reading.

Work Flow for a Thematic Reading

How much support should I provide with the activities for the thematic readings?

It is helpful to complete many of the activities as a class and to scaffold the process for students. When the students work in class, they also have each other for support. This helps them persist and sets them up for success with any follow-up work you assign outside of class. Observing the work of the students in class also provides opportunities for impromptu mini-lessons– either individual or whole class–  to respond immediately to any confusion. Being available in the moment of confusion also encourages question-asking. This is so much more effective than finding out at the next class meeting that students were struggling with something and were not sure how to proceed with the reading and writing task. By working with the students during class, they internalize and establish habits that they can use in future semesters.

Below is a discussion of how I would scaffold the reading process, summarization, and response writing. As the semester progresses and students become more independent with these tasks, some supports can be removed.

Reading Process

1. Preview: I would first walk the students through the preview process and provide time to preview in class. We would discuss their predictions, background knowledge, questions, and confusing vocabulary. I would record some ideas, like their questions, on the whiteboard. If appropriate, we might build background through resources outside the text. For example, we might watch a video about the topic, research background information, or read an interview with the author. Discussion throughout the process, either as a class or in groups, builds motivation to read the article.
2. Read Interactively: We would then read the text aloud as a class to build engagement. I might read the article aloud or ask if any students would like to do any reading aloud. Listening to a reading while following along in the text forces students to slow down. I might prompt them to pause at certain points to monitor their comprehension, confirm or revise their predictions, and answer their preview questions. Reading aloud also provides opportunities for me to pause and model aspects of the reading process by thinking aloud– talking out loud about the thinking process I am using to understand the ideas in the text (e.g. “Based on the first three paragraphs, I think the author might be trying to say ___” or “Hmmm. I didn’t quite get what the writer was trying to say in that paragraph. I’m confused about ___, so I think I will reread it.”).
3. Reflect: Having completed the previewing and interactive reading processes in class, students would be familiar enough with the article to move on to the reflection stage outside of class and complete it successfully. Experiencing success in class with the preview and interactive readings phases will boost students’ confidence to work independently on the reflection. At the next class, meeting the students will be able to share their reflections in pairs, in small groups, or with the entire class.

Summarization

When learning how to summarize, it is helpful for students to complete their Summary Notes in class. If they are assigned this work outside of class, some students will rush through it, leaving them unprepared to write a complete and accurate summary.

We begin this process by rereading the article as a class. (We read it first as part of the reading process.) As we reread, I ask the students to decide which paragraphs they will group together (or leave separate) as they determine the major points; if consecutive paragraphs (e.g. paragraphs 3-5) support a major point in the reading, they will be able to write one main idea for those three paragraphs in their notes. Once we have finished rereading the article, we discuss those groupings. This helps the students to discuss the relationships between ideas in the text and to develop metacognition, or awareness of their thinking processes. I remind the students that it is okay for us to have some different groupings, as long as we cover the major points.

I give the students time to write down the major points in their notes and to formulate a thesis statement. I am able to monitor their progress, check their notes, and let them know if they need to revisit any part of the article because they overlooked or misunderstood something. They can also compare notes with each other and ask questions if they need help.

Once their notes are complete, they are ready to draft their summaries outside of class and can do so with confidence. If there is time, students could begin their drafts in class. At the following class, the students can engage in peer review.

Response Writing

As with the reading process and summarization, the earlier steps of response writing can be completed in class.

I always give the students about 15 minutes to record their thoughts about the Questions to Guide Response. Again, providing time in class ensures they will put in the necessary time to think about the questions rather than rushing through them outside of class. I then allow time for students to share their ideas with each other in small groups. This exposes them to different opinions and experiences and helps them to clarify their own thoughts.

Following discussion, the students choose the idea they want to write about in their responses. They work on drafting a topic sentence in class, share their topic sentences, and receive some feedback from me. Following development of a topic sentence, they can brainstorm ideas to include in their responses.

Having a clear focus for their response and ideas for support, they are ready to draft their responses outside of class and can do so with confidence.