Content Overview for Lesson

Lesson 1: Text Features

Content Overview for Lesson

These lessons are designed to strengthen the students’ awareness of how these features help the reader comprehend informational text.

Teacher Preparation and Materials Needed

The teacher will gather a variety of examples of informational text. There needs to be enough examples that each partnership can study 3 or more text. (See materials list for suggestions). Also, the teacher needs to provide sticky notes and chart paper for anchor charts.

The teacher needs to have clear understanding of the definition of informational text and to be familiar with the characteristics of a variety of examples. (See resource list)

Key Vocabulary and Concepts

Print features- guide readers through the patterns of organization (table of contents, index, glossary, preface, pronunciation guide, and appendix)

Illustrations- expand the meaning of the text (photos, drawings, magnification)

Organizational aids- help readers find important information (font features, titles, headings, subheadings, captions, labels)

Graphic aids- represent information in some specific way (diagrams, maps, flow charts, cross-sections, overlays, time-lines)

Materials Needed

Big Book, chart paper for anchor chart, sticky notes, informational text (See resource list at the beginning of module) Text Feature Scavenger Hunt sheet

Suggested Resources

Suggested forms of informational text:

· Magazines for kids: National Geographic Explorer, Time for Kids, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Scholastic News, Weekly Reader, etc.

· Newspapers, feature articles, editorials, ads, graphs, pictures and captions, etc.

· Non-fiction informational books to include textbooks

· Picture books by authors like Gail Gibbons, Seymour Simons,

· Big Books published by companies such as Scholastic, Newbridge and Lakeshore

· Menus, labels, book reviews (from magazines/newspapers and the back covers of books), advertisements, etc.

· Internet sites using the SmartBoard and projector

Teaching Lesson Introduction to the lesson

Shared Reading: The teacher will have the students come close so that she can share an informational big book that exhibits text features. (See the materials/resource list for examples).

She will read a couple of pages aloud and demonstrate through think aloud how print features, guide readers through the patterns of organization.(See key vocabulary for definitions)

Note to teacher: The print features (table of contents, index, glossary, preface, pronunciation guide, and appendix) help students infer and draw conclusions about what they will be reading about in the text.

Example: The teacher will locate the table of contents. She will show students how looking at the table of contents helps identify key topics and the order they are presented in the book. She will question the students about what they can predict or infer the text will be a bout. Then, she may model how she can draw conclusions based on the Print Features in the text. The teacher needs to explain that that is how good readers pre-read for understanding. The teacher will display the anchor chart with features of print.

She will give each student a copy of the Text Feature Scavenger Hunt and explain the directions. (See appendix)Also, each partnership will be given 3-5 sticky notes to mark examples in informational text to share later with the class.

The teacher will divide the class into partners. The students will locate examples of print features mark them with a sticky note to share with the class and record them on the scavenger Hunt sheet.

Class Sharing: The students will gather in the meeting place and share examples of Print features that they found. The teacher will assess the students understanding of the print features and how they help the reader.
During the Scavenger Hunt, the teacher should observe and note any misconceptions as she moves from partnership to partnership. She may use this information as needed to plan the next mini-lesson to clarify for students any misconceptions. This may be called a clarifying mini-lesson.

Assessing the Lesson Formative Assessment and Summative Assessment

The text Feature Scavenger Hunt Sheet will be used throughout this module for on-going assessment after each lesson. The students will record daily examples of text features taught.

No Summative Assessment is recommended at this point.

Extending the Learning

The students that may need further assistance, the teacher can meet with them during small group/guided reading to read and study the features together.

Enrichment: Students that are ready for enrichment ask students to bring in examples of all kinds of text features to create an Informational Text Museum

Lesson 2: Text and Graphic Aides/Features

Content Overview for Lesson

Teachers will expand on what students already know about Text Features and reading informational text.

Teacher Preparation and Materials Needed

The teacher needs to have clear understanding of the definition of informational text and to be familiar with the characteristics of a variety of examples. (See resource list)

Key Vocabulary and Concepts

Teacher Vocabulary

picture walk-looking through a text studying and discussing only the illustrations or graphic aids

Graphic aids-text features that represent information in some specific way, (ex. Diagrams, graphs, maps, charts, overlays, timelines)

Student Vocabulary

Graphic aids-text features that represent information in some specific way, (ex. Diagrams, graphs, maps, charts, overlays, timelines)

Suggested Resources: See lesson 1

Suggested forms of informational text:

Teaching Lesson Introduction to the lesson

The teacher will model a picture walk through an informational picture book for students. During the picture walk, the teacher will think aloud about the information gained from illustrations, charts, graphs and other physical features that are present. She will make inferences and draw conclusions about the text she is about to read. This strategy will strengthen a student’s comprehension of any text they may be asked to read. Then, the teacher will share the anchor chart that lists the text features of illustrations and graphic aids. (see vocabulary).

Students will work with their partner from the previous day. They will revisit the examples of informational text provided by the teacher. The partners will look for examples of illustrations and graphic aids. They will mark the examples with sticky notes and add them to their Text Scavenger Hunt Sheet to be shared with the class during sharing time.

Sharing Time: Students will meet together in the meeting place. They will take turns sharing some examples of illustrations and graphic aids that they found and marked with sticky notes during the scavenger hunt. The teacher needs to allow 1/3 of the class to share today that did not share during the previous lesson. By the end of the module each student should have at least one feature from the scavenger hunt. The teacher may want to add examples or information to the anchor chart. Then, the students can add examples from magazines, newspaper and textbooks to the features listed on the chart.

Assessing the Lesson Formative Assessment and Summative Assessment

The text Feature Scavenger Hunt Sheet will be used throughout this module for on-going assessment after each lesson. The students will record daily examples of text features taught.

Extending the Learning

Students can search through the newspaper for examples of illustrations and graphic aids. The teacher may want them to cut out the examples and glue them on the anchor chart. The anchor chart will be on display to help students in the future.

Students that are struggling with reading or understanding the importance of graphic aids or needing more practice with picture walks as a way to pre-read a text will meet with the teacher for small group/ guided reading instruction.

Lesson 3: Using Text Features

Content Overview for Lesson

Teachers will expand on what students already know about Text Features and reading informational text.

Teacher Preparation and Materials Needed

Science or social studies textbooks, enough pictures or illustrations for each student to have 2 or more for practice,(see resource list) Chart paper, sticky notes, smart board, LCD projector

Key Vocabulary and Concepts

Teacher Vocabulary

Picture walk-looking through a text studying and discussing only the illustrations or graphic aids

Organizational aids-text features that helps readers fin important information

(ex. Bold print, colored text, italics, titles, headings, captions, labels)

Student Vocabulary

Organizational aids-text features that helps readers find important information

(ex. Bold print, colored text, italics, titles, headings, captions, labels)

Suggested Resources: See lesson 1

Suggested forms of informational text:

Technology Connections

The internet has great sites that teachers can visit to get current photographs for the writing lesson.

Teaching Lesson Introduction to the lesson

The teacher will explain that reading a textbook can be very different than reading a picture book or other types of informational text. The teacher will ask the students to get out their social studies textbook. Then, she will model how to scan the text, pointing out that first you should read the headings, subheadings or titles. Then, she will once again model a picture walk looking for illustrations and graphic aids from lesson B. During the picture walk, the teacher will think aloud about the information gained from illustrations, charts, graphs and other physical features that are present. She will make inferences and draw conclusions about the text she is about to read. This strategy will strengthen a student’s comprehension of any text they may be asked to read. Then, the teacher will share the anchor chart that lists the text features of organizational aids. (see vocabulary).

Practice: Students will work with their partner from the previous day. They will use their science textbook to locate organizational aids. They will mark the examples with sticky notes and add them to their Text Scavenger Hunt Sheet to be shared with the class during sharing time.

Sharing Time: Students will take turns sharing some of the examples of organizational aids that they found and marked with sticky notes in their science textbook, during the scavenger hunt. The teacher needs to allow 1/3 of the class to share today that did not share during the previous lesson. By the end of the module each student should have at least one feature from the scavenger hunt. The teacher may want to add examples of organizational aids to the anchor chart. Then, the students can add examples from magazines, newspaper and textbooks to the features listed on the chart.

Writing Workshop- Teacher Preparation: Collect materials

Materials/ Resources: Teacher’s writing journal, Smart Board or LCD Projector, sentence strips

Each day, the teacher will choose an informational text feature from that day’s lesson to model. She may use a smart board or LCD projector or the white board in the classroom to model so that all students can see.

For example: The teacher might say: “Let’s look back at the an illustration from this book. Let’s notice how it is written. What does it help the reader do? Now, I’ve got an illustration. Help me write a caption that will help the reader gain an understanding about this text.”

Together, the teacher and the students create a precise sentence that will be the caption for the picture. The teacher needs to point out that word choice and sentence structure is very important.

She tells the students to choose a picture from a collection of photographs or pictures she has collected. Each student will write a caption for their picture. The teacher should encourage the students to assist each other if needed.

Mini-lessons during writing workshop can be conducted to ensure that students understand different print features. The mini-lessons can follow the format of the table of contents lesson.

Assessing the Lesson Formative Assessment and Summative Assessment

The teacher will listen and take note during Class Sharing. The teacher will assess the students understanding of the organizational aids and how they help the reader during class sharing time.
During the Scavenger Hunt, the teacher should observe and note any misconceptions as she moves from partnership to partnership. She may use this information as needed to plan the next mini-lesson to clarify for students any misconceptions. This may be called a clarifying mini-lesson.

The text Feature Scavenger Hunt Sheet will be used throughout this module for on-going assessment after each lesson. The students will record daily examples of text features taught.

Also, the teacher can assess the students’ knowledge of writing captions or other print features during writing workshop by conferencing with students.

Extending the Learning

S3 Curriculum Unedited Draft

07/31/09

Informational Text Features

Scavenger Hunt

Name______Partner______

Informational Text / Page # / Text Feature / How does it help the reader?

S3 Curriculum Unedited Draft

07/31/09