Strategies that Work Teaching for Understanding and Engagement

1
Strategies that WorkTeaching for Understanding
and Engagement
Workshop 10 Non-fiction Comprehension Strategies
Debbie Draper Julie Fullgrabe
2
Agenda for the day

• 900 Introduction / Reflection
• 930 Fiction and non-fiction differences
• Non-fiction text features
• Non-fiction text types / genre
• Non-fiction text structures
• Signal words
• Graphic Organisers
• 1230 Lunch
• 115 Comprehension Strategies
• Determining Importance in texts
• Summarising
• Synthesising
• Feedback process / Exit Slips
• 345 Close

1030 1100 Morning Tea
3
Time for Non-Fiction Part 1 140
4
Time for Non-Fiction Part 4 122
5
Time for Non-Fiction Part 2 109
6
How are fiction and non-fiction texts different?
The kapok tree, Ceiba pentandra, is a large,
deciduous, tropical tree that is native to
tropical America, Africa, and the East Indies.
The flowers are pollinated and the seeds are
spread by fruit bats. Anatomy This fast-growing
tree is generally from 45 to over 100 feet (14-30
m) tall the kapok is the tallest tree in Africa.
It has pink, white, or yellow night-blooming
flowers borne in clusters. The green leaves are
lanceolate (lance shaped) and palmately compound
(with 5 to 9 leaflets). Uses The light-weight
silky down from the seed pods (sometimes called
Java cotton) is used as pillow stuffing, sleeping
bag stuffing, life jacket stuffing, furniture
upholstery, insulation, and for other uses. The
yellow-green oil from the seeds is used in foods
and to manufacture soap. Young leaves are also
cooked and eaten the wood from this tree is also
used. Classification Division Magnoliophyta,
Class Magnoliopsida, Subclass Dilleniidae, Order
Malvales, Family Bombacaceae.
Sometimes referred to as narrative vs expository
text
7
(No Transcript)
8
Teaching about it

• Read two texts one fiction and the other
  non-fiction on the same topic to students each
  day for a week or so.
• Ask students to brainstorm similarities and
  differences.
• Create an anchor chart with students.

9
(No Transcript)
10
(No Transcript)
11
Blurring of the lines
12
http//www.youtube.com/user/groenbrothersp/u/23/T
YIOIM6hHBk
13
Challenges of Non-Fiction Text

• Content challenges - read to learn new
  information outside of their own world
• Vocabulary challenges - unique to subject matter,
  requires a high level of word analysis
• Text structure challenges - lack of experience
  with text type
• Text feature challenges - formattingdiagrams,
  captions, charts, maps, graphs...

14
Terminology

• Text Types
• Genre
• Text Form
• Text Features
• Text Structures

15

• Text Types / Genre / Text Form

16
Non-fiction Text Features

• Revisit the differences between fiction an
  non-fiction texts
• What special features of non-fiction texts have
  you noticed?
• NB This process could be used for non-fiction
  digital texts as well

17
Non-fiction Text Features Match
18
Teaching about it

• Revisit the non-fiction books (or look at others,
  use IWB etc)
• Locate with students some of the features they
  notice
• Create a list with students introducing the
  correct vocabulary for each feature
• Talk about the purpose of each text feature

19
Block Diagram with cut-aways
http//k-8visual.info/
20
Cut away diagram with detail
http//k-8visual.info/
21
Diagram with colour coding
head
 
body
 
abdomen
 
leg
 
 
mandible
antenna
http//k-8visual.info/
eye
 
22
(No Transcript)
23
Exploded diagram
http//k-8visual.info/
24
Numbered Diagram
http//k-8visual.info/
25
Scale Diagram
http//k-8visual.info/
26
Flow Chart
http//k-8visual.info/
27
Maps
http//k-8visual.info/
28
Tree Diagram
http//k-8visual.info/
29
Storyboard
http//k-8visual.info/
30
Table
http//k-8visual.info/
31
Picture Glossary
http//k-8visual.info/
32
(No Transcript)
33

• Open the packs with the visuals
• Discuss the purpose of the different visual
  representations
• How could these be used to
• Give an example of something from the text
• Help you understand where something happens
• Show something that is hard to explain with words
  
• Add new information

34
Teaching about it
Text Feature
Purpose
Example
35
(No Transcript)
36
Convention Purpose How it Helps
Caption Information directly relating to a photo or illustration Tells the reader what to focus on in the picture that is important
Comparison Show size relationship between two or more objects of ideas Helps the readers take something familiar to show how it relates or compares with something new
Close-Up A smaller more detailed section of the larger photo or illustration It allows the reader to see inside or a smaller part of a large area so we can understand it in a more detailed way
Table of Contents Located in the front of the book to share a list of key topics or chapter in which the book addresses in the order in which they appear in the text It allows me to see the chapters and topics and know exactly what pages they are on so I can get to the information I need in the quickest way.
Glossary
Index
Cutaways
Print Size

37
(No Transcript)
38
http//www.teachingcomprehension.org/
Brainstorm a list of text features. Create a
space on the wall. Ask your students how much
space should be dedicated to each text feature
(usually pictures and captions take up the most
space and italicised words take up very little.)
Draw dividing lines and label each box with the
name of a feature. Provide stacks of resources
for students to cut out. Have students cut out
text features and glue them on the mural.
39
Interactive Whiteboard Resources
40
(No Transcript)
41
(No Transcript)
42
(No Transcript)
43
(No Transcript)
44
(No Transcript)
45
(No Transcript)
46
Revisit Terminology

• Text Types
• Genre
• Text Form
• Text Features
• Text Structures

47

• Text Types / Genre / Text Form

Text Features / Text Conventions
48
Text Structures The Building Blocks
49
Non-fiction or Expository Texts

• Expository texts (nonfiction) have different
  structures than narrative texts (fiction).
• Non-fiction texts have
• Descriptions
• Sequences
• Compare/contrast
• Problem/solution
• Cause/effect
• Question/answer

50
(No Transcript)
51
(No Transcript)
52
(No Transcript)
53
(No Transcript)
54
(No Transcript)
55
(No Transcript)
56

57
(No Transcript)
58
Signal Words Point the Way
Text Structure Signal Words
Description/ Hierarchical List
Cause Effect
Compare/ Contrast
Problem/ Solution
Question Answer
Sequence
For instance For example Furthermore Such
as Also To begin with Most important Also In
fact In addition And to illustrate
Since Because This led to On account of Due to As
a result of For this reason Consequentially Thens
o Therefore thus
In like manner Likewise Similar to The difference
between As opposed to After all However And
yet But Nevertheless On the other hand
One reason for the A solution A
problem Where The question is One answer
is Recommendations include
How When What Next Why Who How many The best
estimate It could be that One may conclude
Until Before After Finally Lastly Firstlast Now
then On (date) At (time) First,
second Meanwhile Not long after initially
59

• Teaching students how to
• recognise and represent the
• organisational patterns commonly
• used by authors can significantly
• influence students learning and
• comprehension.
• Palinstar, Ogle, Carr, 97

60
(No Transcript)
61
Text Structure

• If you know the text structure of a text, then
  you can summarise it more easily.

62
(No Transcript)
63
(No Transcript)
64
Have a look at the NAPLaN Texts

• Choose one text each to view, analyse and then to
  share with others at your table
• What is the text type?
• What is the text structure?
• What text features can you see?
• How could you use this knowledge with students or
  staff?

65
Revisiting....
The kapok tree, Ceiba pentandra, is a large,
deciduous, tropical tree that is native to
tropical America, Africa, and the East Indies.
The flowers are pollinated and the seeds are
spread by fruit bats. Anatomy This fast-growing
tree is generally from 45 to over 100 feet (14-30
m) tall the kapok is the tallest tree in Africa.
It has pink, white, or yellow night-blooming
flowers borne in clusters. The green leaves are
lanceolate (lance shaped) and palmately compound
(with 5 to 9 leaflets). Uses The light-weight
silky down from the seed pods (sometimes called
Java cotton) is used as pillow stuffing, sleeping
bag stuffing, life jacket stuffing, furniture
upholstery, insulation, and for other uses. The
yellow-green oil from the seeds is used in foods
and to manufacture soap. Young leaves are also
cooked and eaten the wood from this tree is also
used. Classification Division Magnoliophyta,
Class Magnoliopsida, Subclass Dilleniidae, Order
Malvales, Family Bombacaceae.
Sometimes referred to as narrative vs expository
text
66
The 4 Main Parts of Tree

• CROWN- where the tree increases each year in
  height and spread of branches by adding on a new
  growth of twigs.

• LEAVES- make up the crown and produce food for
  the tree (photosynthesis).

• TRUNK- supports the crown and produces the
  majority of the trees useful wood.

• ROOTS- anchors the tree, absorbs and stores
  water and nutrients.

67
Types of forests

• Different kinds of forests grow in different
  parts of the world. Forests can be naturally
  occurring (native) or planted by people
  (plantation).
• Native forests include coniferous forests,
  deciduous forests and rainforests.
• Conifers are evergreen. Pine trees are a kind of
  conifer. They grow in places where the winter is
  long and rainy. In autumn, the leaves of trees in
  deciduous forests change colour and fall off.

68
Papermaking
Sometimes trees from plantations are used to make
paper. Stripped logs are chipped into small
pieces by knives mounted in massive steel wheels
(used in chemical pulping process). The chips
pass through vibrating screens, whereby both
undersized chips, dust etc and oversized chips
are rejected. Accepted chips are then stored in
huge bins ready for the next process. Mechanical
and chemical pulping processes are used. Finally
the pulp passes to a blend chest where chemicals
are added to obtain the required
characteristics to the finished paper such as
density and colour.
69
Human Impact in Forests

• Low latitude forests are mostly affected by
  human influence through farming and logging. As a
  result the amount of forest land has diminished
  decreasing biodiversity and increasing the number
  of endangered species.
• Monsoon forests like other forests are being
  continuously stressed by human activities. Much
  of this deforestation results in the washing away
  of soil during monsoon season due to the trees no
  longer binding the soils, and often ending in mud
  slides. The lack of vegetation resulting from
  deforestation also diminishes animal populations.
  

70
How to Save Tropical Rainforests

• Deforestation of tropical rainforests has a
  global impact through species extinction, the
  loss of important ecosystem services and
  renewable resources, and the reduction of carbon
  sinks. However, this destruction can be slowed,
  stopped, and in some cases even reversed
• Teach others about the importance of the
  environment and how they can help save
  rainforests.
• Restore damaged ecosystems by planting trees on
  land where forests have been cut down.
• Encourage people to live in a way that doesn't
  hurt the environment.
• Establish parks to protect rainforests and
  wildlife.
• Support companies that operate in ways that
  minimise damage to the environment.

71
What future can we create instead?
Climate change and deforestation can still be
stopped. We can create a different kind of world.
What world do you want to create?

• Stop buying and using so much stuff.
• Use less energy when you do use stuff.
• Try not to throw any stuff away.

72
(No Transcript)
73
(No Transcript)
74
Highly enjoyable
Not enjoyed at all