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Reading context really matters; readers who don’t have the appropriate context established will approach texts in dramatically different ways depending on their perception of the purpose for reading. The reading strategies that a skilled reader chooses to use are highly dependent on the purpose for reading and the disciplinary lens they are reading through. This activity is designed to help students brainstorm how they might approach strategic reading from various lenses. In other words, they will analyze what it means to “read like a content expert.”
PREPARATION:
Review Teacher Resource: Literacies Within the Disciplines for a refresher or develop talking points around how mathematicians, or historians, or scientists, or authors read, write, and think.
Determine groups of four to six students and prepare materials (e.g., markers, handouts).
Determine the “content expert” lens that will be used for this activity. In a content-specific classroom like math or science, students will practice reading like a mathematician or scientist. In a multiple-subject elementary classroom, students will practice reading like a content expert as determined by the content that they are studying (e.g., history, art, literature).
STEPS:
HAND OUT READ LIKE A CONTENT EXPERT: Hand out copies of Student Resource: Read Like a Content Expert or have students create their own version.
COLLABORATIVELY WORK: Students will work together in groups of four to six, brainstorming ideas for what it means to “read like a content expert.” They should record these ideas on notepaper or in a digital format. Examples may include mathematician, scientist, writer, historian, or critic/peer reviewer.
WRITTEN REFLECTION: After they have created the visual, have students collaborate to generate a written reflection on what it means to “read like a content expert.” This can go on the bottom of the handout or on a separate sheet of paper. The reflection can be also be used in secondary and higher education settings as a guide when studying different disciplines.
PRESENT IDEAS: Ask groups to present their ideas of what it means to “read like a content expert” while the educator creates a master list on the whiteboard or on chart paper. These ideas will become the foundation for the lens that students will use as they approach reading texts as a “content expert” within the chosen discipline.
EXTENSIONS:
Younger students can keep their notes from this instructional practice in the cover of their binders or notebooks as a reminder of the skills and strategies needed for reading within a particular content area or discipline.
Post the class definitions of what it means to “read like a content expert” as a regular reference for students.
Post student work around the learning environment as a reminder for future reading assignments.
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