ACTIVATE: 
Text Purpose Audit

Determine what academic thinking skills are necessary for the unit of study, as well as the level of competency students have in applying these skills to the course content. 

Select a text that is appropriate for the course or grade level and that also demonstrates academic thinking.

Review the text and determine what academic thinking skills apply to the text and to what extent they are used. 

INTRODUCE RESOURCE:  Introduce Student Resource: Academic Thinking Skills Assessment Tool to the class by having students review what it means to apply, analyze, evaluate, and synthesize as a content expert.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:  Introduce the Essential Question: Would a content expert choose this text to learn more about the class content?

CLASS DISCUSSION:  Engage students in a class discussion around what a content expert would be looking for in an ideal text.

READ PORTION OF TEXT:  Begin by reading a portion of the text with the class, using a Think-Aloud to model analysis of the text and how to respond to the questions in the Student Resource: Academic Thinking Skills Assessment Tool.

SMALL GROUP REVIEW REMAINDER OF TEXT:  Students work in small groups or with partners to review the remainder of the text and complete the Student Resource: Academic Thinking Skills Assessment Tool. 

GROUPS DECIDE:  Student groups decide why they would or would not use the text and provide a written reflection for their decision based upon their understanding of the text's effectiveness as a learning tool through the lens of a content expert.