Step by step: A glimpse into the methodology of workbook writing

Abstract

In this study, I summarize the steps involved in the conception and compilation of a workbook (M. Kácsor & Petres Csizmadia, 2023) aimed at elementary school students and containing tasks that encourage interactivity. The workbook was created for Zoltán M. Kácsor’s book Utazás Dínómdánomba (M. Kácsor, 2023) and uses segmented reading to work through the story. The basic principle of the text processing, divided into ten worksheets, is that the recipients should not read the entire work at once, but should always interpret only 2-4 chapters at a time, while at the same time being able to reflect on the gradually expanding text as a whole. This approach prepares students to learn how to navigate large epic works and to extend their experience of reading small epic works in class to large epic works. The workbook tasks are aligned with the methodology of the OECD-supported PISA surveys and essentially apply three main types of thinking: access and retrieval, interpretation and integration, and reflection and evaluation. The tasks also employ creative-productive text processing techniques (G. Gődény, 2016), which encourage readers to interpret (Pethőné Nagy, 2005), creatively rethink, or rewrite the literary work they have read. The study presents the different types of tasks through examples.