Download Informational Text

Informational Reading-Text
Structures
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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?
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Informational Text
• When reading for information, readers need to know the
specific text structures, or forms of organization
(e.g.chronological/sequential order, description,
question/answer, problem/solution, comparison/contrast,cause
and effect), to develop understanding.
From NAEP
• 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?
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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. . .
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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).
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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."
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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).
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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).
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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).
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What Makes Expository
Hard?
• Students lack familiarity with the topic
• Greater density in information
presented
• Specific technical vocabulary
• Complex format and structures
• Lack Strategies to deal with complexity
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Duke-2005
Five ways to improve comprehension of informational text:
1. Increase access to informational text
2. Increase instructional time with informational text
3. 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
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Text features that signal
importance
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Fonts and Effects
Cue Words and Phrases
Illustrations and Photographs
Graphics
Text Organizers
Text Structures
from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis, 2000
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Text Structures
Text Wiseness-Creating text-wise students
Teaching students how to recognize and
represent the organizational patterns commonly
used by authors can significantly influence students’
learning and comprehension.
Palinstar, Ogle, Carr-1997
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Teach students to identify
the patterns of organization
Piccolo (1987) recommends introducing and working
on the patterns one at a time and in the following
sequence:
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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
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Text structure
Chronological/Sequential Order: A main idea is
supported by details that must be in a particular
sequence.
Description: A major idea is supported by a list of
details or examples.
Comparison/Contrast: This text structure is used
to point out similarities and differences between
two or more people, places, populations etc.
Cause/Effect: The form of writing used to explain
why something happens; how facts or events
(causes) leads to other facts or events (effects)
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Text Structure continued…
Question/Answer: The form of writing that
poses a question and proceeds to answer it
throughout the text.
Problem Solution: A form of writing that
describes a problem and presents one or
more alternatives or solutions.
Procedural: Giving steps in a process.
Persuasive:Convinces the reader to adopt a
given point of view or urges the reader toward
some specific action prompted by solid
evidence.
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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
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Text structure:
Chronological/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 lemons
2. Squeeze lemons
3. Remove seeds
4. Add sugar and water
5. Stir
6. Refrigerate
Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
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Graphic Organizer
Chronological/Sequential
Order
Author’s Purpose:
Major Idea:
Supporting Details:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Important Vocabulary:
Important Text Features:
Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
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Signal Words and Phrases
Associated
with Chronological/Sequential
• first
Order
next
then
initially
before
after
when
finally
preceding
following
Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
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Sequence Chronology
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Signal Words and Phrases
Associated with
Description
*For Example…
*Such as…
*Most important…
*Also…
*And to illustrate…
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For your thinking and
planning
Comparison/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
29
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
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Graphic OrganizerCompare/Contrast
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 1:
Where played
Played on a field
Played on a court
Attribute 2:
Number on team
9 players on team
5 players on team
Attribute 3:
Item used for play
Uses a ball
Uses a ball
Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
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Graphic OrganizerCompare/Contrast
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
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For your thinking and
planning
Cause 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
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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
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Graphic OrganizerCause/Effect
Text Structure: Cause/Effect
Author's Purpose:
Cause
__________________________
(Main Idea)
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
(Supporting Details)
Important Vocabulary:
Important Text Feature:
Effects
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
(Supporting Details)
__________________________
(Main Idea)
Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
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Signal Words and Phrases
Associated with
Question/Answer
*Where
*How
*What
*Who
*How many
*The best estimate
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Signal Words and Phrases
Associated with
Problem/Solution
*So…
*One reason for the…
*A solution…
*A problem…
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Persuasive Writing
• Convinces the reader to adopt a given
point of view or urges the reader toward
some specific action prompted by solid
evidence.
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How to access copies of
graphic organizers seen
today?
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Go to the UCSD Website
Log-in with user ID and password
Go to curriculum web page
Click on K-12 Language Arts Staff
Click on non-fiction text structures
graphic organizers.
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