Gone With The Sins: The Seven Virtues Of Reading

A response to a discussion on Thomas Newkirk's "Seven Deadly Sins of Textbooks" from his book Minds Made For Stories

Be 3D

Traditional textbook writing tends to be flat. So do the opposite. Search for texts that have vivid descriptions, are of students' interest, and will raise engagement levels. The world is interesting after all.

Quality over Quantity

The typical textbooks tends to overload readers with vocabulary, jargon, and key words words in bold. Newkirk argues an overuse of such things might actually obscure crucial information that readers need. Use such language sparingly and include a verb rich description of what is actually happening in a process or event being described.

Bring it back to Earth

Non-fiction doesn't have to be formal and traditional! Look for texts that alternate between traditional formatting and "speaking in a language" that your students can relate to. This can be an anecdote, a comic twist, or just using language that is accessible to kids today.

Pride and perspective and voice

The agent should not be a secret!! Who is your writer's audience?

Dare to Share

Search and share surprising information! Many textbooks are full of information and facts and readers can lose interest in a text trying to read it all. Try picking out the facts or information in a text that your students might find surprising or shocking. What can piece of information can you pick out fro the get go that will help a reader "buy into" a book? How can you present new information to readers in a way that will hook and engage them?

Did you know that chicken's don't fly?

How can you present information to students in a text book in a fun and exciting way? Try incorporating videos or other forms of technologies to share information to students in ways that can engage them in facts or a text.

Dare to share information in surprising ways...

Make it literary

We understand ideas, even complex ones, better when we can relate them to a story. People have been telling stories since before they could write; stories help us make sense of our world. Literary elements, like metaphors and analogies, are like mini-stories, translating something complex into an understandable situation. Use them to make challenging content relatable.

To be or not to be

Look for texts that have active voice rather than passive voice which can feel repetitive and vague. There need to be agents doing and being things.