Structure of the resource
At the start of the activity , I ask students to read a short text . I devised five questions ( detailed below ) in order to stimulate discussion on different areas of academic reading , with a focus on two fundamental aspects : purpose and process ( Rhead , 2019 ). As Abegglen et al ( 2020 , p . 14 ) note , “ the development of advanced academic reading strategies is best done through discourse ” and I wanted the discussion to be the core part of the activity , rather than providing a checklist of things for students to do .
Question 1 : What is the story about ?
The first question invites students to discuss the difference between skimming ( to get an overview of the text ) and scanning ( to find specific details ). Whilst Kimberley and Thursby ( 2020 ) highlight that instruction on academic reading must go beyond merely offering advice on these techniques , starting with this discussion provides an opportunity for students to share how they approach reading academic materials .
Responses to this question range from a brief synopsis to philosophical interpretations relating to social issues such as poverty . I emphasise that there is no ‘ right ’ or ‘ wrong ’ answer and elicit responses from several students in order to highlight that each student interprets the material in different ways . Through this discussion , it is possible to identify that most students skim the text in order to gain a general overview of the content . To relate this to the academic context , we discuss the benefit of skimming academic texts in order to gain a broad outline of the material , followed by a more focused reading of the abstract , introduction and conclusion in order to identify which texts to read in more depth ( as illustrated by Baker et al ., 2019 ).
Next , I ask students if they are familiar with the story . Even for those who are not , there is a sense of familiarity with the concept of fairy tales and this not only allows students to explore what they are learning from a basis of what is already known ( Davis , 2009 ), but also helps me to illustrate how reading academic material does not take place in a vacuum ( MacMillan , 2014 ). To relate this to their academic reading , I encourage students to think about , and look for , connections between what they already know on the topic and what is in the academic text , thus , helping to provide a ‘ way in ’ to the material ( Weller , 2010 , cited in Baker et al ., 2019 ).
Question 2 : Why is the miller ’ s daughter asked to spin straw to gold ?
This question is intended to instigate a conversation about context . In asking why the miller ’ s daughter spun straw to gold , students are asked to consider the background to the events in the story , and by extension , the context of the academic materials that they read . This question also opens a dialogue about how students can think about situating material into a wider context ( Manarin et al ., 2015 ) rather than solely reporting or summarising information .
Most students suggest that the king ’ s greed is the main reason for the miller ’ s daughter spinning straw to gold , but sometimes the poverty of the miller and the powerlessness of the miller ’ s daughter are also mentioned . Interestingly , most responses relate to the actions or situations of other characters , rather than broader issues such as poverty , despite this being a response to Question 1 . The discussion of not one , but multiple contexts , demonstrates the range of influences on an individual text . When applying this to academic material , it challenges students to reflect on how an idea is conveyed depending on the theoretical , cultural or political viewpoint of the author , as well as the contemporary events and ideas of the time . Situating this in a broader context , students can then analyse whether the ideas in a text are supported or refuted in other materials . In considering the context of the material that is read , students can start to think about reading critically and how context might influence both the writer ’ s and their own perspectives ( Misson and Morgan , 2006 , cited in Nguyen and Henderson , 2020 ).
Question 3 : What does the miller ’ s daughter give to the manikin on the second evening ? How many days is she given to guess the
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