Informational Text: What

1
Informational Text Whats It All About?

• Rita Maddox
• Language Arts Consultant
• April 15, 2005

2
Remember these?Seven Best Practice Structures

• Reading-As-Thinking
• Representing-to-Learn
• Small Group Activities
• Classroom workshop
• Authentic Expression
• Reflective Assessment
• Integrative Units

3
Reading-As-Thinking

• Making Connections
• Questioning
• Making Inferences
• Visualizing
• Determining Importance in Text
• Synthesizing Information
• from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis,
  2000

4
Reading-As-ThinkingMaking Connections

• Between text and past experience or background
  knowledge
• Between text and another text
• Between text and events and experiences in world
• from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis,
  2000

5
Reading-As-ThinkingQuestioning

• Proficient readers continually ask questions
• Before reading
• During reading
• After reading
• Gives a purpose for reading
• Monitors understanding of material
• from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis,
  2000

6
Reading-As-ThinkingInferring

• Use background knowledge and experience
• Pay attention to detail
• from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis,
  2000

7
Reading-As-ThinkingVisualizing

• Create pictures in your mind
• Use authors words
• Use background experience
• Make comparisons
• Note words that appeal to senses
• from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis,
  2000

8
Reading-As-ThinkingDetermining Importance

• Activate prior knowledge
• Note characteristics of text
• Skim text
• Read bold print, illustrations, graphs and tables
• Read first and last line of each paragraph
  carefully
• Take notes or highlight text
• from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis,
  2000

9
Reading-As-ThinkingSynthesizing

• Retell information
• Add personal response
• Make comparisons and contrasts
• Attempt to answer I wonder questions
• Make application of reading to real world
• from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis,
  2000

10
Which of these do you think are most effectively
used with informational text?

• Making Connections
• Questioning
• Making Inferences
• Visualizing
• Determining Importance in Text
• Synthesizing Information
• Why?

11
Strategies that Work-more. . .

• Chapter 9, Determining Importance in Text The
  Non-Fiction Connection
• Chapter 3, Strategy Instruction and Practice
• Chapter 4, Teaching with Short Text
• Chapter 10, Synthesizing Information The
  Evolution of Thought
• Appendix D Magazines and Newspapers for Kids and
  Young Adults
• Appendix F Response Options for Each Strategy

12
Informational Reading-some thoughts. . .
13
Reading for Information NAEP (National
Assessment of Educational Progress)-2005

• Involves the engagement of the reader with
  aspects of the real world
• Reading for information is most commonly
  associated with textbooks, primary and secondary
  sources, newspaper and magazine articles, essays,
  and speeches.

14
Reading for Information NAEP

• Some features that distinguish informational text
  from literary text are organization and the way
  information is presented.
• Informational text is organized by topic and
  supporting details, whereas literary text is
  organized by the structure of a story, poem, or
  drama. Informational texts may have boldface
  headings, graphics, illustrations, and captions
  that signal importance in the text. However, some
  commonalities exist between literary and
  informational text and the skills and strategies
  required for reading each. Both require people to
  analyze critically the text, reflect on it, and
  draw conclusions.
• Why is this information important?

15
NAEP-Informational Text

• When reading for information, readers need to
  know the specific text patterns, or forms of
  organization (e.g., cause and effect, sequential
  order, comparison/contrast, opinion and
  supporting arguments), to develop understanding.
• People frequently have different purposes for
  reading text of this nature (e.g., to find
  specific pieces of information, answer a
  question, or get some general information when
  glancing through a magazine article). Reading
  informational text calls for orientations to the
  text that differ from those used in reading for
  literary experience because readers are
  specifically focused on acquiring information.
  When people read for information, they may select
  parts of the text they need, rather than reading
  from beginning to end.
• What are the instructional implications?

16
The Work of Nell Duke
Nell K. Duke is an Assistant Professor of Teacher
Education at Michigan State University and a
researcher with the Center for the Improvement of
Early Reading Achievement. Duke has worked with
children in early childhood, elementary and
secondary settings, most recently as a Primary
Grades Literacy Specialist and Director of the
Literacy Institute at the Neighborhood House
Charter School in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Duke
earned her masters and doctorate in Language and
Literacy at the Harvard Graduate School of
Education and, for two years, served as a
Supervisor at the Harvard Literacy Laboratory.
Duke's research focuses on early literacy
development, particularly among children living
in urban poverty. Her specific areas of expertise
include addressing the needs of struggling
reader-writers and the development of
informational literacy.

• Please read the next five slides. . .

17
Duke-2005

• Studies have long shown that the majority of the
  reading and writing adults do is nonfiction
  (Venezky, 1982).
• Approximately 96 of sites on the World Wide Web
  contain nonfiction, informational text (Kamil and
  Lane, 1998).

18
Duke-2005

• Academic achievement in a range of school
  subjects and academic fields relies heavily on
  informational reading and writing.
• Informational literacy is so crucial to success
  in American higher education, citizenship, and
  work that our current era is widely known as the
  "information age."

19
Duke-2005

• Nearly 44 million American adults cannot extract
  even a single piece of information from a written
  text if any inference or background knowledge is
  required (Levy, 1993).
• Large proportions of American students have weak
  informational reading and writing skills (e.g.,
  Applebee, Langer, Mullis, Latham, and Gentile,
  1994 Daniels, 1990 Langer, Applebee, Mullis,
  and Foertsch, 1990).

20
Duke-2005

• Low income and minority children are particularly
  likely to struggle with informational literacy
  tasks (Applebee, Langer, Mullis, Latham, and
  Gentile, 1994 Langer, Applebee, Mullis, and
  Foertsch, 1990).
• Some education researchers have attributed the
  "fourth grade slump" in overall literacy
  achievement in large part to problems with
  informational literacy (Chall, Jacobs, and
  Baldwin, 1990).

21
Duke-2005

• Students' difficulties in science may be related
  to their difficulties with informational text
  because science achievement is associated with
  the ability to read informational text but not
  with the ability to read narrative text
  (Bernhardt, Destino, Kamil, and Rodriguez-Munoz,
  1995).

22
Reflections

• What did you notice?
• What surprised you?

23
Pennsylvania Assessment System Classroom
Connections, 2005

• To understand informational text, readers need to
  identify the major concepts in the selection and
  the important details that support each major
  concept.
• The manner in which these major and supporting
  ideas are organized can vary.
• An author writes an informational selection to
  provide information for the reader.
• The nature of that information and the author's
  specific purpose determine how the writer
  organizes concepts and ideas.
• Unlike narrative text that has one predominant
  structural pattern, informational text has
  several possible organizational structures

24
Duke-2005

• Five ways to improve comprehension of
  informational text
• Increase access to informational text
• Increase instructional time with informational
  text
• Increase explicit teaching of comprehension
  strategies, along
• with lots of opportunities for guided and
  independent practice
• 4. Increase attention to the unique and the
  especially challenging
• characteristics of informational text
• 5. Ensure that informational text is used for
  authentic purposes as
• much as possible

25
Duke-2005

• Some Comprehension Strategies Worth
  Teaching-discuss
• Monitoring and adjusting as needed
• Activating relevant prior knowledge
• Generating questions or thinking aloud
• Attending to and uncovering text structure
• Drawing inferences
• Constructing visual representations
• Summarizing

26
Text features that signal importance

• Fonts and Effects
• Cue Words and Phrases
• Illustrations and Photographs
• Graphics
• Text Organizers
• Text Structures
• from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis,
  2000

27
Fonts and Effects

• Titles, headings, boldface print, color print,
  italics, bullets, captions, labels
• from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis,
  2000

28
Cue Words and Phrases
29
Illustrations and photographs
30
Graphics

• Diagrams, cross-sections, overlays, distribution
  maps, word bubbles, tables, graphs, charts
• from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis,
  2000

31
Text organizers

• Index, preface, table of contents, glossary,
  appendix
• from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis,
  2000

32
Text feature considerations

• How familiar are the students with this type of
  text feature?
• How familiar are the students with the
  information presented by the feature?
• What is the author's purpose for using the
  feature?
• How important is the aid to the overall meaning
  of the feature?
• What is the most appropriate way to use this text
  feature to help readers understand the selection?
  
• When is the best time to focus students'
  attention on the text feature before, during or
  after reading?
• Pennsylvania Assessment System Classroom
  Connections, 2005

33
Text feature considerations

• What is the author's purpose for using this
  specialized text feature?
• What are the main ideas represented?
• Why did the author choose this type of feature to
  convey the meaning?
• Can you think of another way of conveying the
  same meaning?
• Pennsylvania Assessment System Classroom
  Connections, 2005

34
Text structure

• Because of the possible complexity of
  informational writing, teachers may elect to use
  the following guidelines for creating an
  informational map as suggested by Vacca and Vacca
  (1996)
• Look for the most important idea in the
  selection. Note any signal words that indicate an
  overall organizational pattern.
• Locate additional important ideas. Identify their
  relationships to the most important one.
• Outline or diagram these ideas, visually
  representing in some way the superordinate and
  subordinate concepts.
• Pennsylvania Assessment System Classroom
  Connections, 2005

35
For your thinking and planning. . .

• Why did the author write this article?
• What was the author trying to prove in writing
  this?
• What is the most important idea in this
  selection?
• What are the three main points made by the
  author?
• Are there other ideas the author could have
  included?
• What statements support the author's main idea?
• How does the author prove his/her main point?
• Can you think of additional ideas that would
  support this point?
• Do you agree with the author? Why? Why not?
• Pennsylvania Assessment System Classroom
  Connections, 2005

36
Text structure

• Chronological/Sequential Order A main idea is
  supported by details that must be in a particular
  sequence.
• Enumeration/Description A major idea is
  supported by a list of details or examples.
• Comparison/Contrast The supporting details of
  two or more main ideas indicate how those
  concepts are similar or different.
• Cause/Effect The supporting details give the
  causes of a main idea or the supporting details
  are the results produced by the main idea.
• Pennsylvania Assessment System Classroom
  Connections, 2005

37
Teach students to identifythe patterns of
organization

• Piccolo (1987) recommends introducing and working
  on the patterns one at a time and in the
  following sequence
• chronological order
• enumeration
• cause/effect and
• comparison/contrast, problem/solution,
  question/answer
• Use short, easy paragraphs and the accompanying
  teacher created maps or graphic organizers to
  define, explain and illustrate each structural
  pattern. Help students discover the common
  distinguishing features in these examples.
• Pennsylvania Assessment System Classroom
  Connections, 2005

38
Text structureChronological/Sequential Order
Text structure Chronological/Sequential Order Author's Purpose To teach readers how to make lemonade. Major Idea The steps in making lemonade Supporting Details 1. Cut lemons2. Squeeze lemons3. Remove seeds4. Add sugar and water5. Stir6. Refrigerate Pennsylvania Assessment System Classroom Connections, 2005
39
Signal Words and Phrases Associatedwith
Chronological/Sequential Order

• first next then initially before after when
  finally preceding following
• Pennsylvania Assessment System Classroom
  Connections, 2005

40
Graphic OrganizerChronological/Sequential Order
Authors Purpose Major Idea Supporting Details 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Important Vocabulary Important Text Features Pennsylvania Assessment System Classroom Connections, 2005
41
Chronological/Sequential Order

• For your thinking and planning
• What is being described in sequence?
• Why did a chronological order pattern emerge?
• What are the major steps in this sequence?
• Why is the sequence important?
• Pennsylvania Assessment System Classroom
  Connections, 2005

42
Signal Words and Phrases Associated with
Enumeration

• for instancefor examplesuch asto
  illustratemost importantin additionanotherfurt
  hermorefirstsecond
• Pennsylvania Assessment System Classroom
  Connections, 2005

43
Graphic Organizer-Enumeration
Authors Purpose Major Idea Supporting Details Major Idea Supporting Details Important Vocabulary Important Text Features Pennsylvania Assessment System Classroom Connections, 2005
44
Signal Words and Phrases Associated with
Cause/Effect

• because of as a result of in order to may be
  due to effects of therefore consequently for
  this reason if ... then thus
• Pennsylvania Assessment System Classroom
  Connections, 2005

45
Graphic Organizer-Cause/Effect
Text Structure Cause/Effect Author's Purpose   Text Structure Cause/Effect Author's Purpose  
Cause __________________________ (Main Idea)     __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ (Supporting Details) Important Vocabulary Important Text Feature Pennsylvania Assessment System Classroom Connections, 2005 Effects __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ (Supporting Details)     __________________________ (Main Idea)
46
For your thinking and planningCause and Effect

• What is the cause/effect process the author is
  describing?
• Why did a cause/effect structure emerge?
• What is the cause?
• What is the effect?
• Pennsylvania Assessment System Classroom
  Connections, 2005

47
Signal Words and Phrases Associated with
Comparison/Contrast

• different from same as similar to as opposed
  to instead of although however compared with
  as well as either... or
• Pennsylvania Assessment System Classroom
  Connections, 2005

48
Graphic Organizer-Compare/Contrast
Text Structure Comparison/Contrast Author's Purpose To show similarities and differences between baseball and basketball Text Structure Comparison/Contrast Author's Purpose To show similarities and differences between baseball and basketball Text Structure Comparison/Contrast Author's Purpose To show similarities and differences between baseball and basketball
Supporting Details Major Idea Baseball Major Idea Basketball
Attribute 1Where played Played on a field Played on a court
Attribute 2Number on team 9 players on team 5 players on team
Attribute 3Item used for play Uses a ball Uses a ball Pennsylvania Assessment System Classroom Connections, 2005
49
Graphic Organizer-Compare/Contrast
Text Structure Comparison/Contrast Author's Purpose   Text Structure Comparison/Contrast Author's Purpose   Text Structure Comparison/Contrast Author's Purpose  
Supporting Details Major Idea Major Idea
Attribute 1    
Attribute 2    
Attribute 3    
Attribute 4    
Important Vocabulary    
Important Text Features Pennsylvania Assessment System Classroom Connections, 2005
50
For your thinking and planningComparison/Contrast

• What is the author comparing/contrasting?
• Why is the author comparing/contrasting these
  things?
• Why did the comparison/contrast structure emerge?
• Pennsylvania Assessment System Classroom
  Connections, 2005

51
Caution!

• Identifying patterns of organization is not the
  ultimate goal of text structure teaching. This
  ability is only beneficial as students
  internalize knowledge about text structure and
  subsequently use it to enhance their
  comprehension.
• Teach students to use the patterns of
  organization to improve their comprehension.
• Pennsylvania Assessment System Classroom
  Connections, 2005

52
Revisit your GLCE/Informational TextDiscuss. . .

• What connections can you make between your GLCE
  and the text structure information?
• How could you use this with your students?

53
Remember these?Seven Best Practice Structures

• Reading-As-Thinking
• Representing-to-Learn
• Small Group Activities
• Classroom workshop
• Authentic Expression
• Reflective Assessment
• Integrative Units

• How do the Best Practice Structures connect with
  the reading strategies on the previous page?

54
Notes
55
Notes
56
Next steps. . .

• Selection of materials
• and/or
• Development of lesson using strategy or resources

57
Materials/Resource Selection

• Teacher/Building/District
• Grade
• Content Area
• Materials/resources selected
• For use with
• Alignment with GLCE
• Instructional strategies to be used
• Research supporting strategies
• Method(s) for differentiating instruction
• Resources needed

58
Lesson Instruction Plan

• Teacher/Building/District
• Grade
• Content Area
• Learning targets and outcome(s) of lesson
• Alignment with GLCE/MCF (Strand/Code)
• Instructional strategies to be used
• Research supporting strategies
• Method(s) for differentiating instruction
• Resources needed
• Directions

59
Rita MaddoxLanguage Arts Consultant989.875.4521,
ext. 336rmaddox_at_edzone.net