Abstract of

Does The Imposter Strategy Pass the Authenticity Test?

Sharon Kane

While agreeing with the authors of the 2005 JAAL article “The Imposter” (http://dx.doi.org/10.1598/JAAL.49.3.2) regarding the importance of critical reading and the need to provide purpose for reading, this article advocates using authentic texts for instruction rather than embedding contradictory ideas, statements, or numbers into reading passages. Teachers can model strategies and suggest ways for students to

• Discover word- and sentence-level errors in texts they read

• Learn to recognize problems with facts, logic, and arguments

• Identify problematic issues in texts relating to morality and ethics

Suspicious readers can be on the look-out for flaws and examples of deliberate attempts to mislead; critical readers can respond to texts with their own thoughts, accusations, and rebuttals. Examples are provided to show how teachers can use real texts to model thoughtful and careful reading.

Abstract from Kane, S. (2007, September). Does The Imposter Strategy Pass the Authenticity Test?. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 51(1), 58–64. doi: 10.1598/JAAL.54.1.6