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Kids these days just don’t have a long attention span anymore, especially with reading. That’s a common refrain. But what if, in a world where everything is a snippet, students were challenged to slow down and build reading stamina by learning with whole texts? How would that impact their ability to not only read but also enjoy long-form writing?

During the edLeader Panel “Using Whole Texts to Foster Student Agency and Critical Thinking,” education leaders and experts highlighted the value of students reading over time and how to develop a positive, whole-text culture.

Even with early readers, teachers often fall into the “passage trap,” said the panelists. Starting with decodables, teachers move away from whole texts and task students with reading short, controlled ones. While there are beneficial purposes for these shorter passages, too often this becomes the norm at every grade level. Students are asked to read a passage, interpret it, and then move on.

And then even when classes do use whole texts, many teachers will allow students to choose their own books. So, while the students are reading a longer form, they are denied the opportunity to discuss it at much length with their class because everyone has read a different work. Reading whole texts as a class, however, promotes deeper consideration of the writing, as well as allowing for in-depth conversations about the text.

Whole texts are typically a book of any genre that is meant to be read over a period of time, and was written by an authentic author and meant to be read completely from start to end. In other words, students have the opportunity to dig deeper here. They can follow a character over time and see how they change or track events as they unfold. Of course, they will talk about themes, writing style, etc., as they would with a passage, but now they can follow those characteristics and how they’re represented throughout a work.

Moreover, using the same whole text for every student is an issue of equity. “Providing whole texts to students signals that we believe in their capacity to do the heavy lifting of grade-level work,” said the panelists. Too often, teachers think that if a student isn’t on grade level, they can’t access the text. That issue, though, is more about understanding how to scaffold a work appropriately. Not all students will be ready to read a whole text on their own at the same pace, but by believing that all students are able to read a relevant, rigorous, diverse text, schools are developing confident, engaged learners who are all on the path to reaching their learning potential.

Start With an Audit

In order to transition to a whole-text culture, administrators should begin with an audit of the current ELA units. The audit should include:

• Time: What percentage of time is spent on whole texts versus passages?
• Stamina: How has student endurance changed or leveled off with the current curriculum?
• Equity: Which students are given rigorous, complex texts to read, and which students are relegated to simplified passages and excerpts?

After the audit, the next step is to pilot a program. Working with a few engaged teachers who already understand the benefits of whole texts, develop a proof of concept that can be shared with the rest of the school. Then, these teachers become the experts who can help their colleagues implement the change effectively. During the transition, emphasize support over compliance. Have frequent conversations about what’s working, what isn’t, and what additional assistance they need.

Build From There

There are three important steps for building a whole-text culture:

1. Standardize the “floor”: As part of the change to a whole-text culture, schools should consider adopting high-quality instructional materials (HQIM). When choosing the novels, teachers need to think about all aspects: grade level, themes, representation, genres (fiction vs. non-fiction), supplemental texts needed, etc. Schools can work with HQIM partners (for example, Fishtank Learning, which offers a free plan for teachers) to provide teachers with curated resources, learning tasks, assessments, etc., to ease the burden on them and let them focus on their students.
2. Redefine progress: Ask your teachers to rethink their metrics for success. For example, instead of filling in the blanks with one detail about a passage, students can build evidence-based claims using material from different parts of the whole text.
3. Address the anxiety: First, reading whole texts will be more challenging for students, but teachers should help them embrace the productive struggle. Have conversations with students and their families about the new learning format and the redefined expectations. Second, there is also often anxiety around the content and themes in the whole texts. While being mindful of the laws in your community, students benefit from reading books that discuss complex issues and ask them to think outside of their own experiences. Train teachers on how to handle these conversations sensitively. Send letters home about the books, themes, language, etc., and encourage families to talk about them in the same way. Most importantly, don’t avoid the difficult topics and conversations, but learn how to make them productive.

The ultimate goal is to develop authentic engagement. Often, the traditional classroom is built on the idea of compliance. Students are working quietly at their design with a lack of chatter and disruption. But what is not happening is kids doing deep thinking and sharing with each other. That’s the value of whole-text culture—students thinking profoundly about what they’ve read, being able to have meaningful conversations about the text, and learning to apply what they’ve learned beyond the classroom.

Learn more about this edWeb broadcast, Using Whole Texts to Foster Student Agency and Critical Thinking, sponsored by Fishtank Learning.

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Literacy and Critical Thinking is a free professional learning community where educators work together to develop their students’ reading proficiency and critical thinking skills, two related and essential skill areas that all children need to master in order to succeed in life.

Fishtank Learning creates High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) for ELA and Math, grounded in best practices and built around rigorous objectives. Both their Math and ELA curricula are highly rated by EdReports for standards alignment, with their ELA materials further recognized by The Reading League.

Article by Stacey Pusey, based on this edLeader Panel