Critical Reading and Informational Text

Virginia Arrington, MMSKim Payne, CCMS

Did you Know…? Young adolescents aged 10-14 go through a

period of brain development second only to the 1st three years of life in terms of the magnitude of change. The frontal lobe of the brain which is the locus of problem solving, planning, memory, critical thinking and mood modulation develops during this stage. This area of the brain is not mature until about the age of 18.

(Zehnder-Merrell, 2008)

Did you Know…? Although students in grade four score

among the best in the world, by grade ten US students place close to the bottom. According to the NAEP, 70 percent of middle and high school students score below the “proficient” level in reading achievement.

(All4ed.org, 2010)

Did you Know…? Roughly one third of high school graduates

are not ready to succeed in an introductory level college writing course. At the nation’s four-year colleges, nearly 8 percent of all entering students are required to take at least one remedial reading course. Only about one third of them are likely to graduate within eight years.

(ACT, 2006)

Did you Know…? 17 million youth between the ages of

12-17 use the internet. Close to 13 million use Instant

Messaging every day. While a consistent pattern of

increased television and computer use is seen between 6th and 8th grade, a significant drop occurs in leisure reading.

Did you Know…? About 40 percent of employers

indicate they are dissatisfied with high school graduates’ ability to read and understand complicated materials, think analytically, and solve real-world problems.

(Hart Research Associates, 2005)

So What…? The literacy demands that adolescents

face in the 21st Century as workers and citizens will far exceed what has been required in the past.

So What…? For secondary students, the social and

economic consequences will be cumulative and profound: Failure to attain a High School diploma Barrier to higher education Underemployed or unemployed Difficulty managing personnel lives

So What…? All indicators suggest that all

adolescent learners do not have the reading and writing skills necessary to maximize content area learning nor to successfully negotiate the Information Age.

The Information Age “We are surrounded by text whose primary

purpose is to convey information about the natural or social world. Success in schooling, the workplace, and society depends on our ability to comprehend this material. Yet many children and adults struggle to comprehend informational text”

(Duke, 2004)

Think About What challenges do your students face in regards to

literacy? What are the five big ideas of reading and how are

they each relevant to the adolescent classroom? Why is the use of non-fiction text important in the

Information Age? What are some struggles students face when

reading non-fiction text? What are comprehension strategies that can be

taught with informational text? How many minutes do you teach comprehension vs.

asking students questions? What brought you to the training today?

Objectives Evaluate the importance of text complexity

Learn how student motivation and reading achievement are linked

Synthesize new ideas into classroom practice

Think About What are 3 factors that affect a

students’ ability to comprehend a written text in your content area?

What is Needed for Success? Background knowledge Language Vocabulary Fluency Motivation Strategies/Tools

4-Square

A wealth of evidence shows that intensive, high-quality instruction can help struggling readers to catch up to grade level and build the skills they need to succeed in high school and beyond.

(Alliance for Excellent Education, 2006)

Snowball! To test what we learned about the Common Core,

each person will create 2 questions (one explicit and one implicit)

Write the questions on a piece of paper Wad the paper up into a snowball Throw your snowball into the center of the room When all snowballs have landed, stand up, pick up a

snowball Find one or two others (not from your table) and share

your questions and work together to answer them

Evaluate Your Program “. . . When we walk into a nonfiction room, we know it.

Nonfiction reading is messy and noisy. The classroom echoes with the “oooos,” “ahhhs,” and “oh-my-goshes,” which may come from viewing a photograph of a spewing volcano or the jaws of a great white shark.

Nonfiction is the information genre, and information begs to be shared. So we need to keep in mind that independent reading of nonfiction can be a bit wild and wooly.”

Stephanie Harvey, The Comprehension Toolkit

The Plan “. . . When we walk into a nonfiction room, we know it.

Nonfiction reading is messy and noisy. The classroom echoes with the “oooos,” “ahhhs,” and “oh-my-goshes,” which may come from viewing a photograph of a spewing volcano or the jaws of a great white shark.

Nonfiction is the information genre, and information begs to be shared. So we need to keep in mind that independent reading of nonfiction can be a bit wild and wooly.”

Stephanie Harvey, The Comprehension Toolkit