The 5 Plagues of Reading
In his book ‘Reading Reconsidered’, Doug Lemov points out that there are five types of texts that children should have access to in order to successfully navigate reading with confidence. These are complex and demand more from the reader than other types of books.
The five text types are:
Archaic Language
Books with vocabulary and cultural reference from older and more traditional texts to help to widen their reading appetite.
Non-Linear Time Sequences
Stories where time flows back and forth in a complex manner not just flows in one direction.
Narratively Complex
Some books have more than one narrator telling the story or non-human narrators such as the horse who tells the story in Black Beauty.
Complexity of story
Where the plot and symbols used are more complicated for example interwoven plots.
Resistant Texts
This refers to texts which are difficult to understand, texts that deliberately resist comprehension. You have to assemble meaning around nuances, hints, uncertainties and clues.