Using Literature to Teach Reading Comprehension K-12
Trainer: Engy Hammam
Duration: 17 Hours
Objectives
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. Understand how literary texts support the development of reading
comprehension skills.
2. Select age-appropriate literature to foster critical thinking and interpretive skills.
3. Apply a range of comprehension strategies using fiction, poetry, and drama.
4. Design lessons and activities that build inference, prediction, visualization, and
synthesis through literature.
5. Differentiate instruction using literature to meet diverse student needs and
reading levels.
6. Assess comprehension effectively through literary-based tasks.
7. Integrate multicultural and diverse literature to build empathy, perspective-taking,
and global awareness.
Outline
Module 1: The Power of Literature in the Reading Classroom
• Why use literature to teach comprehension?
• Benefits of literary texts over informational texts
• Literary genres (fiction, poetry, drama, folktales) and their impact on engagement
• Literature and emotional-literary connection
• Key comprehension processes supported by literature
Module 2: Selecting and Using Literary Texts for Comprehension
• Criteria for choosing texts (grade-appropriateness, complexity, themes, cultural relevance)
• Matching texts with specific comprehension goals
• Annotated examples of texts for different grade bands (K–2, 3–5, 6–8, 9–12)
• Creating literature-rich classroom environments
Module 3: Teaching Comprehension Strategies through Literature
• Explicit comprehension strategies:
o Predicting and confirming
o Making connections (text-to-self, text-to-text, text-to-world)
o Visualizing
o Questioning
o Inferring meaning
o Summarizing and synthesizing
• Modeling and guided practice using literature
• Strategy mini-lessons with mentor texts
• Using read-alouds and think-alouds effectively
Module 4: Literature Circles and Discussion-Based Instruction
• Introduction to literature circles and student roles
• Socratic seminars and guided discussions
• Encouraging student-led questioning and dialogue
• Promoting deep comprehension through collaborative talk
• Rubrics and tools to assess participation and understanding
Module 5: Differentiation and Supporting Diverse Learners
• Using leveled literature and scaffolding texts
• Strategies for ELLs and students with learning differences
• Culturally responsive literature selections
• Tiered comprehension tasks
• Audiobooks, graphic novels, and multimodal literary formats
Module 6: Assessment of Literary Comprehension
• Designing comprehension assessments using literature
• Alternative assessments (journals, creative responses, book talks)
• Using rubrics to evaluate interpretive thinking
• Aligning assessments with standards
Module 7: Designing Literature-Based Comprehension Lessons
• Planning effective literature-based lessons
• Integrating literature into thematic units
• Sample lesson templates and collaborative planning
• Hands-on practice: creating a lesson using a selected literary work
• Peer feedback and refinement
Module 8: Integrating Diverse and Global Literature
• Why representation in literature matters
• Multicultural literature to build global perspectives
• Resources for sourcing diverse texts
• Creating an inclusive literature curriculum
Capstone Activity
• Present a lesson or mini-unit using a literary text with embedded comprehension strategies
• Peer feedback and instructor coaching
• Reflection: Shifts in instructional mindset and practice