Subtext Strategy Peer Thoughts

KA POST By Courtney & Kamanie

You’ve probably been asked by a teacher at some point to think about how a certain character feels. Maybe you had just read a picture book and were reflecting on what happened. You could have been responding to a painting hanging in a museum, or a newspaper article.  

It is natural to empathize with characters when the trigger is something we can relate to. Making connections based on our prior knowledge is one way we do this. You also can make inferences or predictions based on available information. But it may be harder, especially for younger students, to understand perspectives that differ from what they are accustomed to. This could be especially true if the context is culturally or socioeconomically different from the students’ own backgrounds, and that why it is important to let the students step into someone else’s shoes to enhance comprehension.

Subtext strategy, presented by Jean Anne Clyde (2003), is a comprehension tool that combines visual literacy with original drama by prompting students to imagine what characters are thinking. This strategy is a natural fit with inquiry because it transforms “school from a place where we tell students what to think to a place where we can help them experience thinking” (Clyde 152). 

Terms

perspective-taking- a learner’s ability to identify with multiple perspectives or character in a text

transmediation- moving the experience from one communication or sign system to another

egocentric- unable to appreciate others’ feelings or circumstances

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KB POST,  Nikki and Karen

“Everybody knows the story of the Three Little Pigs.  Or at least they think they do.  But I’ll let you in on a little secret.  Nobody knows the real story, because nobody has ever heard my side of the story.”

-       By A. Wolf in The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs as told by John Scieszka

                                

            Perspective can significantly alter the story.  It can also support comprehension by promoting critical thinking that fosters a deeper understanding of the story’s events.  A college friend of mine used to talk about perception being reality.  An individual’s reality was based on their unique point of view.  By stepping outside of ourselves and looking at things from a different vantage point, we can see things differently.  When you do this, things are not always so black and white, much like Colleen’s question “Is War Justified?” and our reading of Faithful Elephants by Yukio Tsuchiya.

            Often authors do not explicitly share a characters thoughts and feelings.  The reader is required to make inferences either from a combination of text and illustrations in picture books or simply the text in chapter books.  There are many references in child development to a perfectly normal stage of egocentrism in childhood.  In her article, Clyde references research that points to young children’s inability to assume multiple perspectives from different characters in a story. 

                  Promoting perspective taking, Clyde’s Subtext Strategy invites students to try on a character and “walk around inside a story.” (p. 150)  This enables the reader to make deeper connections as they activate their imagination and engage with the story.  By incorporating all dimensions of a text, the words, pictures or illustrations, context, setting, plot, action and characters with drama, readers take on the roles of the characters in the story.  No longer an outside observer, the reader experiences the story and makes personal connections that deepen their understanding and more fully develop their comprehension.  Using drama, students become the character and use their own experiences to interpret what the characters are thinking and feeling.

            By assuming the roles of different characters, readers are able to successfully identify and integrate multiple perspectives.  This strategy takes comprehension to a higher level as all components of a story are opened up for exploration.  The reader isn’t merely walking beside a character through the story.  The reader is transported into the story as a participant, which makes the reading personal and creates an experiential learning opportunity.  In an on-line background essay for the video Integrated Teaching: The Subtext Strategy, Clyde is quoted as saying:

                 

                  “Thinking like an artist, thinking like a musician, a dramatist, changes the way you can           see the world. The things that we all remember and understand best in our lives are the things we’ve lived. So that’s what I try to do in teaching—give students opportunities to step into a character’s world, into the story.”

            Using the Subtext Strategy to promote empathy with the characters, not only solidifies reading comprehension, but it also broadens our understanding of historical events.  The Subtext Strategy facilitates looking at history from the perspective of all sides.  History is no longer written by the winners in one sided accounts.  “The empathy inherent to the subtext strategy is a powerful tool for anchoring even young children in times, places, and conflicts.” (Clyde, et. al. 2006, p. 123.)  This holds true for creating sensitivity to others in everyday life as well.  In a world plagued by bullying and uncivil behavior, this is a valuable tool for students to learn.

P.S. If you are not familiar with The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, we have included a link below.

            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m75aEhm-BYw