When Text Meets Text: Helping High School Readers Make Connections in Literature

by Barbara King-Shaver

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, Find an exciting new way to build literature connections in your classroom, as you extend the comprehension abilities of your students. Read Barbara King-Shaver's When Text Meets Text , and find out why two texts are better than one.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction

136 pages, Paperback

First published August 8, 2005

Reviews

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book definitely inspired me in engaging my pre-service teachers with building their units. I am transitioning from high school teaching to college/university-level teaching and found this very applicable to the state and district required units which are based on several texts of different genres which are now required by the common core state standards. King-Shaver breaks down several ways in which teachers can provide intertexualities in the English classroom (genre study, theme, author study, and archetypes) to help students link what they already know, through personal experiences and previously encountered texts to what they are currently learning. Intertextual literary study helps students more deeply grasp the material when they encounter similar characters, themes, symbols, and other literary devices. She also encourages cross-curricular planning as well which can be done through pairing nonfiction and fiction texts with similar ideas. The author also uses teachers' classroom practice and students' responses to show how intertextuality works in the classroom and benefits students' learning. She also provides helpful guides throughout the book to help teachers/students impliment the practice in their own classrooms.