EngEd 370 – Week 8 part 2 – Chapter 10 – Nicole Kavajecz
A text which explains a subject area and provides facts about that subject is known as an informational text (Vacca, Vacca, Gove, Burkey, Lenhart, & McKoen, 2010, p 270). There are many subcategories of informational texts, including technical texts, textbooks, “how to” books, manuals, and reports. The meaningful and authentic information provided in informational texts are important and require specialized vocabulary terms in each area. Students learn to read academic language through these types of texts, meaning they comprehend the special ways in which terms are used for that subject area outside of regular conversations. Text complexity determines the readability for each student. It is characterized by word and sentence length, clarity of language used, and reader ability, as well as commercialized scoring formulas like Lexile levels.
Informational texts can be a challenge to work through, but using familiar strategies for students can help (Vacca, Vacca, Gove, Burkey, Lenhart, & McKoen, 2010, p 284). Informational text circles utilize small groups, and jobs for each student, to process through all the information. The responsibilities for each job are familiar to students who have used literature circles in the past, including text master, summarizer, and vocabulary expert. Jigsaw is a “cooperative learning strategy in which students assume roles as they read and share their understanding of content in small groups” (p 285). Students of mixed ability levels are given appropriately challenging tasks to be responsible for to create meaning from the informational text. With idea sketches, students graphically organize the information in small groups as they read. Another strategy is sticky-note folders, where children jot down anecdotal notes and refer back to them as they progress for deeper comprehension.
Trade books are used in elementary and middle school classrooms to extend and enrich the material for the imaginative comprehension of children (Vacca, Vacca, Gove, Burkey, Lenhart, & McKoen, 2010, p 289). Trade books can be included in text sets, or groups of similar subject but different formatted books. There are three general categories of informational/nonfiction texts: narrative, expository, and mixed-text. Narrative informational texts have the author telling a fictional story with factual information. Teachers use this type for read alouds and to give students motivation to read further on the subject. Expository informational texts do not contain a story line, and may be read in any order one chooses, or piece by piece. They contain a glossary and lists of the charts/graphs/illustrations. Mixed-text informational books contain both stories and pieces of factual information. Selection of informational texts to show students should be selected using authority of the author, appropriateness, artistry, and appearance of the book itself.
Small, peer-led groups for discussions about different books on the same information are referred to as idea circles (Vacca, Vacca, Gove, Burkey, Lenhart, & McKoen, 2010, p 302). This strategy can be used with printed sources or internet sources. Students could also communicate via a shared document or email if virtual schooling is taking place. Each member of the group is given a chart to help organize the information, which guides the collaborative discussion. Another component could be curriculum based reader’s theater, which has been shown to increase overall fluency, enhanced understanding of content, and increased motivation to read.
Resources
Vacca, J., Vacca, R., Gove, M., Burkey, L., Lenhart, L., & McKoen. (2010). Reading and learning to read. (Tenth Edition). Pearson.
