1. Different ways to approach reading at a high-level.
Angles of Literacy
Different ways to approach reading at a high-level.

2. 5 Angles of Literacy 1. Interacting with the text
2. Making connections to the stories and ideas in a text
3. Shifting perspectives to examine a text from many points of view
4. Examining the language and craft of a text
5. Identifying biographical details of an author

3. 1. Interacting with the text
It is important to mark up the text—both in the margins and in the text itself. This is called annotating. Be sure to do the following:
Underline key phrases
Write questions and comments you may have
Note word patterns and repetitions
Circle words you do not know, and look them up as you read

4. 2. Making Connections
When you make connections to the stories within literature and elsewhere, you will find that many texts contain experiences or incidents which are familiar to you. Keep the following in mind:
Notice the general story being told
Connect the story to stories you have been exposed to previously
Further, connect the stories to personal experiences as well

5. 2. Making Connections: Example
Homer’s The Illiad
The Avengers, 2012
The Avengers in general: Larger than life super-heroes fight each other and larger than life super-villains for glory and the sake of humanity.
The Illiad in general: Larger than life super-heroes fight each other and larger than life super-villains for glory and the sake of humanity.

6. 3. Shifting Perspectives
This means looking at what you read and write from many points of view. Good readers form an idea about the text as they read. Then, they try thinking about the text from other perspectives. A text may seem to mean one thing, but that meaning may shift when looked at from a different perspective.

7. 3. Shifting Perspectives, cont.
Authors select and shift perspectives when they write. They consider time, place, culture, and genre when creating a text. Active readers use several strategies for understanding perspectives:
Examine the point of view
Change the point of view
Explore various versions and interpretations of an event
Compare different texts on the same event

8. 4. Language and Craft
Studying an author’s use of language furthers your understanding of a text. It is important to notice the words an author uses and the ways those words are arranged. There are many strategies you can use to pay attention to how a text is written as well as what it means:
Understand figurative language
Modeling the style of writers
Studying various kinds of writing

9. 5. Identifying biographical details of an author
By studying one writer’s background you can learn about the author’s style, and you can gain insights into a single text by knowing about the writer’s life and work. The following are ways to learn biographical details:
Read what an author says about writing, including where their ideas and inspiration comes from
Read what others say about their writing
Make inferences about the connections between the author’s life and their work
Pay attention to repeated themes and topics in the work of the author