Informational Text North Carolina DPI Regional Training

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…?•Only 3 percent of eighth-grade English

learners score at or above proficient on the NAEP reading assessment; 73 percent score below basic.

(NAEP, 2008)

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…?•Multiple indicators…

▫NAEP assessments▫Standards-based assessments▫Complaints from employers▫Scores on standardized tests

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?

• What brought you to the training today?

Training Objectives• Review the key literacy components

and identify ways to help struggling students in each area

• Examine Informational Text and how it can be used to strengthen instruction

• Analyze 9 informational text strategies

• Understand the foundations of The Common Core

• Evaluate the importance of text complexity

• Learn how student motivation and reading achievement are linked

• Synthesize new ideas into classroom practice

Training format

Review the key literacy components and identify ways to help struggling students in each area

Key Literacy Components•Discover…

Decoding page 2Morphology page 4Fluency page 8Vocabulary page 10

Pages 2-13Pages 2-13

• Discuss…• What it is.• When it is taught.• Challenges students may

face.• Solutions • Reflect (Share)…

• 3-5 minute summary• Highlight important

information in reading• Questions you may still

have

Phonem

ic Aw

areness A

lphabetic Principle  

Decoding w

ords

letter by letter  

Recognizing larger

orthographic units

Reading w

hole words

automatically by sight

Reading text

with fluency

Makin

g sense o

f textPage 13Page 13

Reflect on Activity•Group learning/sharing

▫Foundation connection▫Choice▫Reflection▫What does it let the teacher know?

Examine Informational Text and how it can be used to strengthen instruction

Learn About Informational Text• Read the key component information

about comprehension

Pages 13-20Pages 13-20

• Read Learn About Information Text • As you read, discover…

• 3 things that were new to you • 2 things that you knew but the

reading jogged your memory and you thought, “I need to share!”

• 1 question you still have•As a table team, discuss/reflect…

• Were there common “discoveries” or items of interest noted?

• Were questions varied or similar?

Reflect on Activity•Group learning/sharing

▫Foundation connection▫Choice▫Reflection▫What does it let the teacher know?

4 Square

Page 21Page 21

Analyze 9 informational text strategies

Share a Strategy•In table groups, assign 1-2 strategies from

pages 22-48 per person•Each person reads and understands their

strategy•Each person can consult with others at

neighboring tables with the same strategy to learn and discuss more

•When the timer rings, table groups return together and begin sharing what they have learned.

Strategy 1•Generate. Ask. Answer. Questions

▫Students are taught to ask questions of the text/author

▫Learning to frame questions allows students to gather all the information, even that which can’t be taught

▫Using questions requires a shift in the classroom from the teacher preparing all the questions to the students doing the work

Page 22Page 22

Strategy 2•Think Alouds

▫Teaching and modeling cognitive strategies allow students to monitor their comprehension

▫Think Alouds allow teachers to monitor the reading strategies that students use

Page 23-24Page 23-24

Strategy 3•Text Structure

▫Learning to use knowledge of the text structure help students comprehend the more complex texts that they encounter in science, social studies, math, and literature

▫Graphic organizers should differ based on the category of expository text

Page 25-42Page 25-42

Strategy 4•Develop Critical Analysis (Inquiry Charts)

▫To be fully literate students must be able to analyze critically the ideas and information they obtain from texts

▫“I Charts” help students compile, compare, and analyze information from several sources

Page 43Page 43

Strategy 5•Previewing

▫Brainstorming▫Making Predictions

Page 44Page 44

Strategy 6•Vocabulary

▫Context▫Parts of Words▫Resource: Dictionary

Page 45Page 45

Strategy 7•WIN

▫Who/What▫Important Information▫Number of words

Page 46Page 46

Strategy 8•Summary

▫Previewing▫Vocabulary Words▫Main Idea▫Summarizing

Page 47Page 47

Strategy 9•Before, During, After

▫For Teachers▫For Students

Page 48Page 48

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)

4 Square

Page 21Page 21

Understand the foundations of The Common Core

Common Core State Standards

The new standards define the knowledge and skills students should have throughout their K-12 education careers so that they will graduate high school fully prepared for college and careers. The standards:◦ are aligned with college and work expectations;◦ are clear, understandable and consistent;◦ include rigorous content and application of knowledge through

high-order skills;◦ build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards;◦ are informed by other top-performing countries, so that all

students are prepared to succeed in a global economy and society; and

◦ are evidence- and research-based

From the Public Schools of North Carolina website Page 50-63Page 50-63

Key Points in English Language Arts Standards •Turn and talk with a partner to

brainstorm how informational text might be used to address the Common Core standards for Language Arts

Available for download at…•www.corestandards.org

http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_ELA%20Standards.pdf

Snowball!•To test what we learned about the Common

Core, each person will turn three things they learned into three questions

•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

Reflect on Activity•Group learning/sharing

▫Foundation connection▫Choice▫Reflection▫What does it let the teacher know?

Specific Standards by Grade Level•Key Ideas and Details•Craft and Structure•Integration of Knowledge and Ideas•Range of Reading and Level of Text

Complexity

Evaluate the importance of text complexity

Text Complexity• Why is text complexity an important topic for

classrooms today?• What is the difference in skills between students

who score benchmark on the ACT and those that do not?

• What is the evidence that shows declining text complexity in the classroom?

• How does the lack of text complexity impact student achievement?

• What are the four measures of text complexity?• What is the Lexile Framework? Page 64-71

Delete page 66

Page 64-71Delete page

66

Pass the Envelope•As you read pages 64-71, write 1-2 ah-ha’s or main

ideas (one per index card)•As you complete your cards, place them in the

envelope at your table•When everyone has placed their cards in the

envelope, the team leader takes the cards out of the envelope.

•Work as a group to arrange the cards, such as:▫Are there repeats?▫Rank them in order of importance

•Upon completion come up with a short summary to write on the envelope.

Reflect on Activity•Group learning/sharing

▫Foundation connection▫Choice▫Reflection▫What does it let the teacher know?

What do we know about Lexile Measures? •The Simple Idea •Find books and articles •Measure growth•Targeted reading experience•Sweet Spot•Scaffold and Support

•Lexile Video

Learn how student motivation and reading achievement are linked

Student Motivation•Discover…

Creating a Culture of Motivation page 74

Six Instructional Principles page 76 • Discuss…

• Where you agree/disagree• Ways you can change the culture• How you can incorporate the principles

• Reflect (Share)…• Each group will share one

idea or instructional practice that they have identified to use immediately

Synthesize new ideas into classroom practice

Evaluate Your Program “Kids’ thinking matters! And when our students begin to

understand that their thinking matters, reading changes. The refrain of “What time is recess? When’s lunch?” becomes an anthem of “Can we please go read now?” As teachers, we take kids’ thoughts, ideas, opinions, and learning seriously. We design instruction that engages kids and guides them as they grapple with the information and concepts they encounter in school, particularly as they read informational text.”

“. . . 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

Create…a plan to use Informational Text

Grade Level Plan•Re-examine the North Carolina Standards

and information on Common Core•Brainstorm ways to integrate the content

and informational text across the standards

•Create a brief plan for teaching comprehension of informational text

Take It Home “We know what to do, but will we

demonstrate the discipline to do it? Will we close the knowing-doing gap by taking purposeful action because, at long last, we acknowledge that “to know and not to do is really not to know.” Stephen Covey quoted in Learning by Doing by Rick Dufour

Those Who Would Be Leaders in EducationMust be Leaders in Learning

We can rationalize the failures of the past,Or we can learn from them.We can complain about the troubling inadequacies of the

present, Or we can face them.We can talk and dream about the glorious schools of the future,Or we can create them.If we want children to learn to think and read,We must show them thoughtful people,Eager to take in new information.If we want them to be brave and resourceful,Let them see us risking a new idea or finding a new way.If we want them to be loyal, patriotic, and responsible,Let us show them that we can be true to our deepest principles.If we want new and better schools,We will have to be new and better people.

Marilyn Ferguson in Quantum Mind