I don't believe this at ALL. Quite possibly, I err on the opposite end fo the spectrum, where students don't know WHY they have a textbook. Perhaps, some of these new strategies can make in-class reading more productive and encourage more use of the book.

Ah. The "selective abandonment" approach. Reminds me of my days teaching Arts & Humanities -- 25 pages of random facts in the Core Content about the progress of Western, non-Western, and other indigienous visual art, drama, dance, literature, music, religion, philosophy, from time immemorial to present...all in 18 weeks of block scheduling.

in response to selective abandonment, I found in the A & H Core Content that most of it was unnecessary to do well on the test. Most of my students were able to perform at the Proficient/Distinguished level without a text...and without covering every single thing on the suggested list. Highly discouraging for a new teacher...effort, in a sense, wasted.

I think examples, early on, are really important for introducing the distinction between these terms.

It's a collective noun when used in the singular, as a "body of information." When speaking about the individual components, the term is plural. Then distinction, as mentioned, is probably not all that important when introducing the concept, but it's neat to know that it can be used both ways.