Abstract

This article describes a strategy for giving students leadership in small groups focused on breaking difficult passages down and then synthesizing their overall meaning. This approach can be integrated into any course utilizing challenging or unfamiliar primary texts. Its application helps students read for content by forcing them to identify what they believe are the key passages in the text. It also creates an atmosphere of collaborative learning among peers who must then work together to identify the meaning of these passages. Finally, this technique employs reflective self-assessment in allowing the students to revisit the chosen passages to determine how well they represent the author’s thesis.