Learning to Learn

I teach a highly capable group in Reading in Fifth grade. We are currently reading the book, The Devil's Arithmetic. The main character in the book travels back in time and there are many literary elements in the book. At several points in the book the author does not spell out what is happening, rather through different literary techniques (foreshadowing, hyperboles, metaphor, simile, idiom, symbols, etc.) the author hints at what is happening so that the reader needs to infer. The students in my reading class were uncomfortable with this. They knew I had read the book before and asked me to tell them what happened. They complained that they didn't understand, and it was very difficult for them to take a step  back and just dissect what we do understand to help figure out the author's message. We also discussed that the author probably had a reason for not wanting the reader to know exactly what was happening. The students in my class just wanted the information handed to them and instead, I was forcing them to try to figure it out on their own. It was a very eye opening experience! I hope as they practice learning for themselves, it will continue to develop in other subjects as well!