TEXTBOOK OR DIGITAL RESOURCE CHART 1
Curriculum Change Plan: Part 3 - Textbook or Digital Resource Chart
School of Education, Liberty University
Author Note
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.
TEXTBOOK AND DIGITAL RESOURCE CHART 2
Curriculum Change Plan: Part 3 - Textbook or Digital Resource Chart
RESOURCE CHARACTERISTICS
1. Discuss the overall information.
a. Title/Edition/URL Reading for Understanding: How Reading Apprenticeship
improves disciplinary learning in secondary and college
classrooms. Third edition.
b. Publisher/Organization Jossey-Bass: A Wiley Brand
c. Grade level Secondary and College
d. Content area(s) Interdisciplinary Reading
e. Strengths Social and social emotional learning aspects of reading are
proposed throughout this textbook. Interdisciplinary strategies
take literacy skills outside of the English and reading classrooms,
contributing to reading across content areas. Metacognitive
focused strategies are delivered clearly step-by-step. There are
graphic organizers and several anecdotes included in each chapter
from both teachers and students, allowing a lens for readers to see
application in real classrooms so that they can apply these lessons
with their own students.
f. Weaknesses The text could be improved by including easy-to-copy pages in
the form of an abstract at the end. The offered online tools would
also show improvement if they were more organized and
printer/and or electronically friendly. A glossary of definitions in
the back of the book would be a beneficial element for those who
need a quick definition without reaching for another resource and
to ensure the consistency of terminology being used between the
text and the reader, which Ashbee (2021) points out as an
important element of any curriculum; this must start with the text
that teachers are using to drive the curriculum with which they’re
working. Mavadat (2021) presents an evaluation of reading texts
used for comprehension, pointing out the importance of a
balanced approach to reading instruction, which may be
considered lacking with this framework as it does not give
attention to phonics instruction.
2. Think about language concerns.
a. Use of phonics Because this resource is focused on secondary through college
level reading instruction, it does not address phonics instruction.
This may be considered a controversial decision as there are
TEXTBOOK AND DIGITAL RESOURCE CHART 3
many advocates that believe that reading comprehension is made
more accessible for students who are given explicit phonics
instruction. Yaden Jr. et al. (2021) expresses their frustration that
recent reading instruction has been highlighting the science of
reading, pointing out that the science of reading perspectives fall
short of some necessary reading instruction, such as why and how
we read, stating that the science of reading is oversimplifying the
complexity of reading. This textbook provides a lot of insight on
the how and why behind reading, but unlike the science of
reading, this text does not include instruction in phonics, which
may be considered a major missing component of reading
instruction even at the secondary level.
b. Readability The language used throughout this text is very accessible for
college-graduates. It is engaging because it includes so many
useful tools that can be immediately put to use by teachers
looking for resources to support struggling readers. The stories
from students and teachers that are shared throughout create an
additional layer of engagement with a communal feel.
c. Vocabulary usage The vocabulary used throughout this book is approachable by
teachers of all subject areas. For literary instruction, any jargon
that is included is typically defined and carefully explained such
as metacognition. There were a few terms that are used, such as
fluency and stamina, that are not explicitly defined, but context
clues and a quick search engine could easily rectify this. A
glossary of definitions would be well received.
d. Provision of definitions The early chapters of this textbook break down the most
important terms that are used throughout the rest of the text. For
example, metacognition is given an entire chapter of explanation
and models before it is used later in the text with specific reading
strategies and activities.
e. Word choices The selection of word choice or terms used throughout this text
are fairly common. Ashbee (2021) recognizes the need to use
consistent vocabulary when building curriculum. The same could
be said when discussing various literary strategies. Word choices
when referring to school members or students remain respectful
and inclusive throughout.
f. Flow This book has an easy-to-read style that is not overly formal or
stuffy. It reads like a guide that has been written by a friend with
stories scattered throughout that improve its quality of
engagement.
3.( Think about ideas and concepts.
TEXTBOOK AND DIGITAL RESOURCE CHART 4
a. Biblical perspectives The English Standard Version of the Holy Bible states, “An
intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks
knowledge” (2016, Proverbs. 18:15). In other words, those who
are wise will continue to seek truth and learning. This proverb
connects well with the Reading Apprenticeship framework
textbook because this text has gathered thousands of voices from
various stakeholders, including both teachers and students.
Students want to learn, but as Greenleaf (2023) points out, they
have often experienced incredibly detrimental social experiences
in the classroom that have molded their opinions of what type(s)
of students they are. The Reading Apprenticeship framework text
focuses on classroom environment and building relationships with
students by sharing teacher struggles with challenging texts. This
shows that even the teachers are still learning and growing, and it
encourages students to continue their own learning journeys
because they should not feel as though they are failures if they
need to struggle with a text.
b. Compare/contrast to
Scripture
The overall goal of this textbook is to provide teachers with the
tools that they need to help struggling readers access texts across
all content areas. When considering the magnitude of what it
means for society members to be unable to read and interpret
texts, it is quite disturbing to consider the alternative to this. The
English Standard Version of the Holy Bible states, “Train up a
child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not
depart from it” (2016, Proverbs. 22:6). This scripture relates to
the goals of this text because teachers need to provide their
students the means necessary to be successful in their personal
journeys. This type of metacognitive learning and breaking down
of text will also allow students to access the holy text. It is
important that society members can interpret, analyze, and
evaluate the social world around them so that they can making
intelligent voting decisions and succeed in their career paths;
these tools also provide learners the means to enhance their
spiritual lives through the reading of the Bible. It is critical that
readers can make their own connections with their readings so
that they are not taken advantage of and can have a deeper
personal relationship with God.
c. Relevance for
curriculum goals
This textbook is relevant to the proposed curriculum change plan
goals because it aligns with the educational philosophy that the
plan is built upon, which is building a community of life-long
learners who see themselves as readers and writers. A major goal
of this curriculum change is to have students reading and writing
across content areas while also having choice in what they read.
This differentiated approach calls for the types of strategies
TEXTBOOK AND DIGITAL RESOURCE CHART 5
shared within this text that will allow students to comprehend
their reading no matter what type of reading they have selected.
d. Critical thinking Metacognition is a major element of the Reading Apprenticeship
framework. In this text, there is an entire chapter dedicated to this
type of thinking. Metacognition calls for students to think about
their thinking while reading (Greenleaf, 2023). This book
enhances critical thinking in students and their teachers as
teachers are tasked to model their thinking aloud to students so
that they have a deeper understanding of the complex processes
that occur to decode and comprehend texts for skilled readers.
e. Grade appropriateness This textbook targets “secondary” readers and beyond. The
foundations of ELA curriculum changes are centered around
differentiation, which aligns with the purpose of this book since
the strategies provided are meant to be flexible for all readers,
levels, and texts at the secondary level and above.
f. Curriculum perspectives Progressive and/or constructive educational philosophies are the
basis of the Reading Apprenticeship model. This framework is
based on social interactions, community building, and re-framing
the learning environment so that students are in control of their
learning, participating in ongoing reflection of their reading skills.
The strategies suggested throughout this book allow students to
become stronger readers, aligning with progressive and
constructive educational models that promote student-centered
approaches in learning (Smith, 2020).
g. Bias In general, The Reading Apprenticeship model is focused on
whole literacy skills. The Science of Reading is currently a hot
literary topic. Opponents of this style of instruction may view The
Reading Apprenticeship model as a literary instructional
framework that lacks in the area of explicit phonics instruction
especially for students struggling in the early grades of secondary
school. Wheldall (2019) conducted small group instruction on
phonics to upper elementary students and determined that this
instruction may benefit middle school students. This text
recognizes the disparity that exists amongst students of color and
caucasian students. It also sheds light on the achievement of well-
funded public schools versus those with less financial resources,
and it attempts to use the resources and activities prescribed
throughout the text to level this playing field.
4. Examine the format.
a. Clear chapter headings
and divisions
The chapter headings are clear, but somewhat vague. For
example, chapter 7 is titled, “The Knowledge-Building
TEXTBOOK AND DIGITAL RESOURCE CHART 6
Dimension.” Titling a chapter “knowledge building” does not
make it clear to the reader what they will be able to find in this
chapter, which is a detriment to learners. Clearly, the framework
works best when read as a whole, but it is nice for teachers to be
able to refer to specific chapters if there are certain areas in which
they are struggling with literacy instruction; this does not
necessarily mean that the teacher(s) did not read the entire book,
but perhaps, after time has passed, they may want to revisit an
idea. Unclear chapter titles may be difficult to navigate quickly.
b. Use of graphics and
visuals
There are several “boxes” provided throughout the textbook that
act as graphic organizers to model the reading strategies being
described in each section. These boxes are fairly easy to follow
along with; there was no place in the text that clearly stated if
they existed on any of the links provided for easy printing, and
the back of the textbook did not offer printable pages as other
textbooks do. Other “boxes” include anecdotal stories of literacy
strategies being used in classroom settings, referred to as
“classroom close-ups.”
c. Identifiable topic
sentences and headings
The topic sentences and headings are logical if you are following
the reading chronologically. Without context, they are engaging
titles, but they do not necessarily offer a clear idea of what will be
discussed. For example, “negotiating success” is a bit vague.
Other headings offer more insight such as “Why read? Setting
authentic purposes.”
d. Font and legibility The font and legibility of this book are very clear with the
primary font being a 12pt Times New Roman with large pages
and decent spacing between lines. There are some text boxes that
are grayed and have a smaller font size, but these are still easy to
read.
e. Spacing The pages are large in this textbook, allowing nice spacing
between lines of text. The margins are about two inches
surrounding the text, which is nice for teachers who may want to
make notes.
f. Grammar and spelling The text is presented in a very personal manner with anecdotes
shared from real teachers throughout. As a result, this textbook
can be described as an easy read. It sounds like a fellow colleague
is sharing their experience with the reader. There are no spelling
issues; it follows a standard English spelling with correct
grammatical choices used throughout and a variety of sentence
structures appropriate for college-level graduates.
g. Layout The layout of the text follows somewhat of a pattern. Each
TEXTBOOK AND DIGITAL RESOURCE CHART 7
chapter is made up of 4-5 paragraphs of texts organized by a
bolded heading followed by notes at the end of the chapter that
act as information regarding the sources used for the chapter’s
information. This text highlights the importance of chunking texts
for struggling readers; these small sectioned writings indicate that
the writers are using their own strategies in the text’s layout.
There are graphic organizers spread periodically throughout the
chapters when applicable. There is a foreword at the start of the
book explaining the need for a third edition and an epilogue at the
end of the book focused on collaboration of community members
beyond the classroom. There is a list of credentials associated
with each of the authors at the end of the text as well. Like most
textbooks, there is also an index of terms at the end.
h. Use of color There is very limited color throughout the text. There are some
gray textboxes and bolding of key words as well as italicized
quotations regarding literacy that help things stand out on the
page. The lack of color does not take away from the learning
material.
i. Ease of use This textbook is broken down into 8 simple chapters, making it
feel accessible to the reader. The titles of each chapter could be
more telling. There are about 300 pages that make up these
chapters, which again, seems very manageable.
j. Adaptive features for
assistance
There is an electronic version of this textbook that could be used
for those who would like to use apps to listen to the book be read
aloud or search bars to find key words or phrases, but these
services are not provided with the physical text.
k. Sound quality (if
applicable)
There is no audio offered with the physical textbook; apps could
be used for the electronic textbook.
5. Think of student supports.
a. Appropriate questions
and assignments for grade
level and age
This text covers resources and strategies ranging from secondary
school to college levels. The strategies suggested in the text are
applicable to varying text levels, which makes it an ideal resource
for the foundations of ELA curriculum change plan being
proposed; students can work through texts that are interesting to
them and appropriate to their reading levels.
b. Varying knowledge
levels for questions and
assignments
There are anecdotes from real classrooms shared throughout the
textbook in the form of quotes and “classroom close-up”
graphics. These stories and quotes come from teachers in varying
grade levels ranging from secondary to college and across content
areas. The website listed at the end of the book also offers
TEXTBOOK AND DIGITAL RESOURCE CHART 8
additional resources and examples.
c. Appropriate suggestions
for additional reading or
resources
There is a nicely organized section of “additional resources”
listed in the back of the textbook that breaks down various skills
sometimes by grade level and others by content area. Examples
from the back of the textbook include “science in the news
assignment” and/or “introducing QAR” – high school. Along with
these resources, there are two links included in the back of the
textbook that include resources and examples.
d. Addresses visual,
auditory, and kinesthetic
modalities
The spacing, clean font choice, large margins and page sizes
allow for an ease of reading from the page. There are no auditory
or kinesthetic modalities offered in the physical textbook.
e. Logical development of
subject matter
This text follows a logical development of instruction related to
literary teachings. The early chapters begin with what is described
as a “literary crisis” in the United States. Many perspectives and
reasonings for this so-called crisis are considered as well as
attempted solutions that are falling short. The next chapter
progresses into what reading is based on the authors’ research and
experiences. Chapter 3 moves onto the necessary climate to
deliver the Reading Apprenticeship model effectively, which
consists of shifting classroom values from correctness to growth.
This progression makes sense early on because the atmosphere of
the classroom plays a large role in the content delivery of this
framework. Chapter 4 shifts into metacognition and how its
modeled, which is described as the heart of the program. Chapter
5’s focus is on the incorporation of extensive reading
opportunities using the metacognition discussed in chapter 4
across content areas. Chapter 6 provides a toolbox of reading
strategies for teachers to practice with their students. Chapter 7
focuses on bringing schema to the forefront of metacognitive
thinking while reading, continuing to build from the previous
chapters. The final chapter calls for the building of inquiry to help
students learn to evaluate their reading, and the epilogue makes
suggestions for outside literary support from the community. The
subject matter of this text builds background knowledge, provides
strategies, and builds upon those strategies in a logical and
systematic manner.
f. Provides introductions,
explanations, and
summaries
The book offers a thorough foreword and preface that provide
explanations for the decisions made throughout. The foreword
explains that there have been thousands of contributors to the
text’s creation including professors, teachers, the authors,
researchers, school leaders, and hundreds of students whose
voices and experiences are shared throughout the text. Each
TEXTBOOK AND DIGITAL RESOURCE CHART 9
chapter begins with an introductory element and summarizes
what can be expected as the reader continues forward with the
section.
6. Consider the overall relevance.
Identify the state or
national standards that you
will use in your curriculum
change plan. Explain why
these standards are
appropriate for your
curriculum change plan.
For example, how do they
address student learning
and/or societal needs? How
do these standards relate to
this selected resource?
Pennsylvania Common Core State Standards will be used in the
foundations of ELA curriculum change plan. These standards are
appropriate because this course is offered by a public middle
school in the state of Pennsylvania that assesses students
according to the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment
(PSSA). These standards focus on the need of middle schoolers
to comprehend, evaluate, analyze, interact with, compare, and
synthesize literature and content area writings across all classes.
These skills are considered important for students to develop so
that they can make strong inferences and draw conclusions about
challenging texts throughout their lives both inside and outside
of school while also preparing students for college-level readings
and evaluating news sources and other media in their personal
lives. These standards relate to this textbook because the purpose
of the book is to help students be aware of their own thinking
(metacognition) while reading, allowing them to build awareness
of what they are doing and perhaps not doing to comprehend
text. In addition, the text breaks down the factors that make a
text challenging for students to comprehend such as language,
sentence length and complexity, conceptual difficulty, idea
density, and relevance (Greenleaf, 2023). These are relevant
factors for all teachers to be aware of when they assign a text
because there is content reading outside of the English
classroom, and these teachers must guide their students through
literacy instruction despite the fact that they have not necessarily
received any training to teach reading at all. The resource
provides strategies for not only students but also teachers to
assist their struggling readers.
Explain your views on the
progression models,
sequencing, supplemental
resource, and access issues
for this resource (See the
Ashbee text.).
There is a very sequential progression and sequencing that
evolves and is built upon in The Reading Apprenticeship
framework text. Models of thinking, changing mindsets, and
classroom environments act as the starting points for the more
complicated and intricate lessons and strategies that will require
the knowledge of the previous chapter’s application and success.
“The nature of progression within a subject occupies the
interface between knowledge, cognition, and measurement, all of
which have significant bodies of theory behind them and which
require careful thought and analysis to draw together” (Ashbee,
2021, p. 55). The necessary thoughtful planning of which
TEXTBOOK AND DIGITAL RESOURCE CHART 10
Ashbee refers has occurred to ensure teacher and student success
when applying this framework. There is an electronic version
available of this text, but I chose to evaluate the hardcopy. The
websites that are provided in the text that present additional
samples and resources are varied and provide a wide range of
materials, but they could have been stronger if the examples
were more printer or electronically friendly; like the textbook
itself, the website resources appear in the same format, requiring
the teacher to recreate what could otherwise be pre-made,
convenient and usable resources.
Explain how this resource
will enhance or support
your curriculum change
plan. How does this
resource relate to the
educational philosophy that
you elaborated upon earlier
in the term? ·M
The purpose of this textbook is to provide ELA teachers and
other stakeholders a clearer idea of what is involved in reading
comprehension instruction. Many ELA teachers feel as though
they have not received the training that they need to help their
students learn to read at the secondary level, so they focus on
teaching literature rather than the skills necessary for students to
access the literature independently. This textbook will support
teachers by providing strong reasonings for the techniques
suggested as well as simple strategies that can be used to assist
all readers.
This text relates to a progressive and/or constructive educational
philosophy because it provides the resources and tools necessary
for students to make sense of their world while sharing social
connections with classmates and reflecting on their thinking and
learning. It connects to my overall educational philosophy
because it puts the learner in the driver seat. The foundations of
ELA curriculum change plan is built upon its need to include
differentiated options for struggling reading and writing
students. The Reading Apprenticeship framework provides
strategies to access any text, which is imperative in a
differentiated reading classroom.
References
Ashbee, R. (2021). Curriculum: theory, culture and the subject specialisms. Taylor & Francis.
TEXTBOOK AND DIGITAL RESOURCE CHART 11
Greenleaf, C. Schoenbach, R. Friedrich, L., Murphy, L. & Hogan, N. (2023). Reading for
understanding: How reading apprenticeship improves disciplinary learning in secondary
and college classrooms. Third Edition. Jossey-Bass: A Wiley Brand.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. (2016). Crossway Bibles.
https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Proverbs%2018%3A15
Mavadat, S. (2021). Evaluating the presentation and practice of reading skill in vision 3 and its
workbook using two frames of reference: categories of a taxonomy and perspectives of
English teachers. Research in English Language Pedagogy, 9(2), 381-396.
DOI:10.30486/relp.2021.1916777.1243
Smith, S. J. (2020). Windows into the history & philosophy of education. Kendall Hunt Publishing
Company.
Wheldall, K., Bell, N., Wheldall, R. Madelaine, A. Reynolds, M., & Arakelian, S. (2019). A
small group intervention for older primary school-aged low-progress readers: further
evidence for efficacy. The Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 36(2), 35-40.
DOI:10.1017/edp.2019.15
Yaden Jr., D. B. Reinking, D. Smagorinsky, P. (2021). The trouble with binaries: a perspective
on the science of reading. International Literacy Association, 56(1), 119-129.
https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.402
