Contextualization

Reading is an essential skill for everyday life. It allows us to access a myriad of information, ideas, and knowledge. Furthermore, reading helps us develop skills such as interpreting and understanding texts, and expressing our own ideas in a coherent and clear way.

A fundamental aspect of reading is defining its objectives. Why do we read a text? What do we expect to get from it? These questions define the way we approach a text and the depth with which we interpret it. If we are reading for pleasure, we may not want to go beyond the surface of the text. But if we are reading for research or study, we will likely need to explore the text more deeply, which involves skills such as identifying arguments, analyzing evidence, understanding the structure of the text, among others.

Introduction

The "Reading Objectives" project aims to explore this fundamental competence for language and communication. In it, students will have the opportunity to investigate the different objectives that may be behind reading a text and the different ways of approaching reading, according to these objectives.

Reading is an activity that can be approached in many ways. When we read, we can have different objectives: to understand a concept, to form an opinion, to find specific information, to learn something new, among others. Each objective requires a different reading approach, and understanding this is crucial to becoming an effective reader.

This project aims to improve students' understanding of the different objectives of reading and the reading strategies associated with these objectives. In this way, we hope that students will become more skilled readers, capable of approaching different types of text effectively, whether in the academic context or in everyday life.

Practical Activity

Activity Title: Literary Treasure Hunt

Project Goal

The project aims to provide students with a deeper understanding of the different objectives of reading. The goal is for students to realize that the way we approach a text can change according to what we are trying to get from it. By the end of the project, students should be able to identify the different objectives of reading and associate these objectives with different reading strategies.

Detailed Project Description

Students will be divided into groups of 3 to 5 people. Each group will be responsible for choosing a book (previously approved by the teacher) to be the basis of the project. From the chosen book, the groups will develop a series of questions and challenges that the other groups will have to solve. These challenges should be designed in such a way that whoever solves them needs to apply different reading strategies and achieve different reading objectives.

Materials Required

• Books (one per group)
• Paper and pen for developing the questions and challenges
• Computers or tablets for research (if necessary)

Detailed Step by Step

1. Group Formation and Book Selection

Students will be divided into groups and each group will choose a book to be the basis of their challenge. The book must be approved by the teacher.

2. Reading and Creation of the Challenges

Students will read the chosen book and from it create a series of questions and challenges. Each question or challenge should be associated with a specific reading objective (for example, identifying the author's thesis, summarizing the main argument, finding specific information, etc.) and classified in terms of difficulty (easy, medium, difficult).

3. Exchange of Challenges

After creating the questions and challenges, the groups will exchange their books and challenges with each other. Each group will have to solve the challenge presented by the previous group.

4. Challenge Resolution and Evaluation

The groups will solve the proposed challenge, applying different reading strategies to solve each question, according to the reading objective associated with the question.

5. Results Presentation

At the end of the deadline, each group will present their results in a class meeting. Each group will have to explain how they approached each question, what reading strategies they used and why, and what they learned from the experience.

Project Deliverables

At the end of the project, each group must present:

1. Written Report: The report should detail the group's experience, from the choice of the book, the creation of the challenges, the resolution of the challenge proposed by the other group, and the evaluation of the experience. The report should be structured in four main parts: Introduction, Development, Conclusions, and Bibliography used.

   • In the introduction, students should contextualize the theme of the project, explain its relevance and application in the real world, and present the objective of the project.
   • In the development, students should present in detail the theory behind the objective of reading, explain the activity carried out, the methodology used, and present and discuss the results obtained.
   • In the conclusion, the group should reflect on the lessons learned, taking up its main points, and make explicit the conclusions drawn about the project.
   • In the bibliography, the group should indicate the sources that underpinned the work on the project, such as the books chosen for the development and resolution of the challenge, websites consulted, videos watched, etc.

2. Oral Presentation: The project results will be presented orally. This will include an explanation of the questions and challenges created, the strategies used to solve the challenge proposed by the other group, and the lessons learned throughout the project.