It's not enough for students to just understand a text. In order for students to achieve academic excellence and succeed in today's society, they must also be able to exercise critical awareness over what they read. But how do you cultivate comprehension and help kids sharpen their analytical skills? The answer, writes Barbara King-Shaver, lies in thinking outside the book by studying texts in tandem.
In When Text Meets Text, King-Shaver lays out rationales and strategies for using an approach called intertextuality, where a reading of carefully paired texts increases students' grasp of content while honing their command of crucial critical tools. Making connections among texts, students delve deeper into each by observing similarities and differences in literary characteristics such as syntax, plot, character, and structure, propelling them toward greater meaning making. King-Shaver presents the research supporting intertextual instruction, techniques for adding it to your curriculum, suggestions for a wide array of books to teach together, and, best of all, practical ideas for units of study covering key aspects of teaching literature, including:
- genre
- theme
- author
- archetypes.