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Beyond Excerpts: Teaching with Whole Books Boosts Comprehension and Engagement

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Title: Beyond Excerpts: Teaching with Whole Books Boosts Comprehension and Engagement
Language: English
Authors: Natalie Wexler
Source: American Educator. 2026 50(1):22-27.
Availability: American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO. 555 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001. Tel: 202-879-4420; e-mail: ae@aft.org; Web site: http://www.aft.org/newspubs/periodicals/ae
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 6
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Descriptors: Reading Instruction, Reading Comprehension, Books, Reading Processes, Reading Skills, Teaching Methods, Skill Development, Instructional Effectiveness, Elementary Secondary Education
ISSN: 0148-432X
Abstract: This article discusses how, to enable all students to read at length and understand texts at a deep level, changes are needed to the widely held assumptions about what reading comprehension is and how it can be fostered. There is a need to recognize that limiting students to brief texts seen as vehicles for teaching comprehension skills is an illusory and self-defeating approach. Technology and other societal pressures present new and daunting challenges to students' abilities and attention spans, but the best chance of addressing those challenges is to center whole books in the K-12 curriculum.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1502890
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Beyond Excerpts: Teaching with Whole Books Boosts Comprehension and Engagement
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  Data: This article discusses how, to enable all students to read at length and understand texts at a deep level, changes are needed to the widely held assumptions about what reading comprehension is and how it can be fostered. There is a need to recognize that limiting students to brief texts seen as vehicles for teaching comprehension skills is an illusory and self-defeating approach. Technology and other societal pressures present new and daunting challenges to students' abilities and attention spans, but the best chance of addressing those challenges is to center whole books in the K-12 curriculum.
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      – Text: English
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        PageCount: 6
        StartPage: 22
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      – SubjectFull: Reading Instruction
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Reading Comprehension
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      – SubjectFull: Books
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      – SubjectFull: Reading Processes
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