Literature & Thought <show description>
Literature & Thought emphasizes critical thinking skills with unique features that make it different from any other literature program available. Designed to provide the thematic literature and teaching support you need to meet the challenges of state standards.
• informational text
• close reading strategies
• writing to sources
• critical thinking
• appropriate text complexity
• academic vocabulary support
• text dependent questions and tasks
Choose from 25 titles in government and current events, historical events and eras, literary themes, and literary genres.
STUDENT EDITIONS
• Creating context—an introductory essay, graphics, and concept vocabulary support the essential question.
• Essential questions (whole book) and cluster questions (units) focus on developing specific critical thinking skills through careful reading, textual analysis, discussion, and writing activities.
• Outstanding literature and content-rich nonfiction and informational texts engage interest and focus attention on the critical thinking questions.
• Responding to cluster activities—textual analysis, writing, and discussion activities follow each cluster. The final cluster in each anthology focuses on synthesizing information to answer the essential question.
Close Reading Skills Handbook in Student Editions provide detailed guidance to help students turn standards into actionable skills practice.
• Close Reading guidelines for a careful interpretation of the text
—specific to the type of text being read—informational, argumentative, narrative, or poetry
—students are prompted with detailed “questions to ask” and “where to look for answers” for a guided first read and focused re-reading
• Textual Evidence—guidelines show students how to work textual evidence into a written literary analysis or informational report.
• Comparing Texts—focus points and questions for comparing and contrasting different texts with an emphasis on strategies if text types or medium differ.
TEACHER GUIDES
Expanded Teacher Guides—informational text strategies, citing evidence to support analyses and claims, practice with academic vocabulary, specific support for standards in each selection (including detailed standards correlations), and multiple assessment options.
Each Teacher Guide helps you:
• activate prior knowledge
• model and teach thinking skills
• plan a one- to two-week unit, a four- to six-week unit, or use the anthology in conjunction with related literature
• develop thematic vocabulary
• use writing to integrate literature and thinking skills
• assess students’ knowledge
Interactive whiteboard lessons (included on CD with each Teacher Guide)—explicit modeling and instruction of critical thinking and reading skills, writing rubrics, and much more.
PROGRAM BENEFITS
• Critical thinking skills are developed through a powerful mix of stimulating, challenging,
highly focused fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and more.
• A unique questioning strategy helps students learn to use critical thinking skills.
• A flexible design offers choices of themes, genres, and historical eras—create your own
literature program, supplement any basal program, or integrate literature and social studies.
• Striking, thought-provoking visuals connect students to the reading selections and
stimulate thinking.
• Vocabulary, writing, and discussion activities guide students’ thinking about the theme.
PROGRAM DESIGN
The structure of the Literature & Thought books keeps students entirely focused on the
theme study and directly teaches critical thinking skills.
• Essential Question
Students begin the theme study with an essential question that frames their reading and
thinking throughout the book.
• Cluster Questions
Each cluster (unit) of selections asks students to consider a question that ties the selections
together and relates to the essential question.
• Thinking Skills
Each cluster also targets one specific critical thinking skill that students use as they read and
respond to the cluster question. This thinking skill is modeled and practiced before students
apply it.
• End-of-Cluster Activities
At the end of each cluster, discussion questions ask students to synthesize what they have
learned, apply the targeted thinking skill, and respond to the cluster question.
• Writing
Each cluster ends with a writing prompt that asks students to respond to the cluster
question based on the selections they have read. An organizer in the Teacher Guide helps
students structure their writing.
• Assessment
An essay test in the Teacher Guide ties the theme study together. Students are asked to
respond to the essential question based upon their reading, writing,
and discussions. Scoring rubrics are provided.
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