Reading Informational Texts
Purpose
This module was designed to provide teachers with one idea for incorporating the reading of informational texts into the China Odyssey experience. Additionally, students may use the skills learned in this lesson when reading and responding to the Odyssey reports. These lesson activities, along with those in the "Analyzing Informational Texts" lesson, are designed to promote students' understanding and familiarity with reading informational texts, skills which are vital for meeting goals in the Common Core Standards for English Language Arts, as well as the American Association of School Librarians' Standards for the 21st Century Learner.
Objectives
As a result of this lesson, students should develop skills for reading "informational texts" using close-reading techniques, including:
- Exploring unknown vocabulary and determining the meaning of words and/or phrases
- Identifying the key ideas of the text and how the author develops the idea throughout their writing
- Summarizing a text in their own words
- Learning to ask questions of the text, rather than simply absorbing information
Materials
The plan here is designed using two articles chosen to supplement students' experiences with the China Odyssey project. The first article, "Why Chinese students enjoy playing truant?" from China Daily (a state-run Chinese newspaper), discusses why Chinese university students may be skipping class. The second article, "Schools Use Celebrity Wake-Up Calls to Battle Truancy" from the New York Times, examines a program in New York City which is using motivational messages from celebrities to decrease truancy rates in high-risk K-12 schools. These articles are also used in the "Analyzing Informational Texts" lesson.
You may want access to a whiteboard, flip-chart, or projector to write down students' responses to questions or to use while demonstrating text-mark up during close reading.
You may want access to a whiteboard, flip-chart, or projector to write down students' responses to questions or to use while demonstrating text-mark up during close reading.
Anticipatory Set - The "Hook"
The articles in this lesson each address issues related to student truancy. Since the majority of students should be familiar with "skipping school," one way to "hook" their interest is to begin the lesson by discussing their opinions on truancy. Discussion questions may include:
- In the United States, why do you think students of a certain age are required to go to school?
- Why should young people go to school? Why should they be allowed to skip school?
- Why do you think students skip school? Who's job is it to make sure students go to school?
Input - Direct Instruction
- Briefly introduce students to the concept of "informational texts": non-fiction texts which are written to inform or provide factual information, rather than simply to entertain. You may wish to give different examples, including newspaper articles.
- Pass out copies of the article, "Why Chinese students enjoy playing truant?" Give students time to read the article once.
- Explain the purpose of a "close read" to students. We use a technique called "close reading" to better understand written material through active dissection and questioning. It's almost like we're having a conversation with the author about the text.
- Go through steps of completing a close read, modeling each step for students. Encourage students to use a system for marking up and notating sources as they go through each step. You may wish to break the article into smaller sections, demonstrating all steps for the first section of the article and asking for student input for the remainder of the sections. You may also give students this sample mark-up for one section of the article.
2. Underline important ideas and topic sentences. This should be the information which explains to the reader what the main ideas of the paragraph or section.
3. Write question marks next to information that you do not understand. You should also write specific questions about material in the margins.
4. Write "No" in the margin next to ideas with which you disagree. Note in the margin why you disagree.
5. Draw arrows from one section of the text to another to connect related ideas or evidence which supports the author's claims.
6. Add comments or your own perspective as notes in the margins.
7. After the last paragraph, summarize the article using the main ideas which were underlined throughout the text.
- After completing the close read, help students use textual clues from the article (e.g., underlined main ideas, evidence connected with arrows, etc.) to answer the following questions:
2. What is the author's intent? Is it to inform or to persuade? What kinds of clues in the text can be used to determine this?
Guided Practice
Once a complete iteration of close-reading is completed through instructor modeling and full-class discussion, students should practice the skills using the article, "Schools Use Celebrity Wake-Up Calls to Battle Truancy," from the New York Times. Using the "jigsaw" method in which students become "experts" on one small piece of the material and teach their piece to others, students can work together to apply close reading skills to a new piece of text.
- Print the article for students and ask them to read it first by themselves for basic understanding, without trying to "close read."
- Break students into small groups and assign each group two paragraphs to close read together. List the steps to close reading on the board or a flip chart, or print a copy of the steps for each group.
- Students should read their paragraphs together and work through each of the close reading steps together. These students should become "experts" on their section of the texts.
- After all groups have completed their close read, create new groups with at least one "expert" on each part of the article in each of the new groups. In these groups, have students work sequentially through the article, asking each "expert" to report back to the group about their section of the article. Encourage students to question each other and add their own questions or comments to their margin notes.
- Students will now have close reading notes for the entire article. In groups, they can work through answering the other questions from direct instruction.
- After the full class has re-assembled, ask students to report back on their experience. Also, ask students to report on their answers to questions about the main idea, author view, intent, etc. Discuss answers as a class.
Independent Practice
After students have practiced close reading skills with the two news articles in this module, they should be ready to apply the skills to reading the China Odyssey reports.
During the week following the in-class exercises for close reading, give each student a printed copy of the week's first China Odyssey report. For homework, ask them to independently apply close reading skills when reading the report, including answering the same questions presented during direct instruction:
When students comment on this week's China Odyssey reports, encourage them to clearly restate the main idea of the report and then responds to this main idea, referencing one piece of evidence the report's author uses.
During the week following the in-class exercises for close reading, give each student a printed copy of the week's first China Odyssey report. For homework, ask them to independently apply close reading skills when reading the report, including answering the same questions presented during direct instruction:
- Make a list of words from the report you did not know. Look up their definitions and write them next to the words.
- Write a summary of the report.
- What is the author's main idea or message from the report? Why did the author write this report?
- What do you think the author's intent was behind writing this report?
- What are the conclusions the author draws about the main idea of the report? What types of evidence do they provide?
When students comment on this week's China Odyssey reports, encourage them to clearly restate the main idea of the report and then responds to this main idea, referencing one piece of evidence the report's author uses.
Follow-up: Analyzing Informational Texts
Once students have masters the skills necessary for reading information skills, they may move on to deeper questioning and analysis. See the second lesson on this site, "Analyzing Informational Texts" for ideas on how two incorporate this into the China Odyssey experience.
Additional Resources
Want to read more about teaching students "close reading" skills? Here are the sources which were used to create this module.
- Reading strategies for "Informational Texts" - A resource from the New York Times with recommendations for how teachers can incorporate the Times into the "informational texts" requirements from the Common Core Standards.
- Reading Informational Texts Using the 3-2-1 Strategy - This site provides a complete instructional plan using a "3-2-1" method for teaching K-2 students to read informational texts.
- How to do a Close Reading - From the Harvard University Writing Center, this page presents a basic three-step method for close reading. The examples apply the method to literature and creative writing, however much of the information may also be applied to informational texts.