Rationale: Many students struggle to understand information in their non-fiction texts. Students need to pay attention to text features as a way to monitor their understanding as they read and determine important information.
Learning Goal:
Today we are learning how to identify text features in order to help us navigate through nonfiction texts by using an informational text.
Materials:
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream Speech in Translation, What It Really Means
by Leslie Holland (a class set is optimal), sticky notes, reading journal, anchor chart paper, marker.
Procedure:
1) Begin by brainstorming with the students, which text-features they already know and use.
2) Display an anchor chart, which clearly defines the purpose of each of the non-fiction text features: table of contents, headings, sub-headings, captions, photographs, time-lines, index, glossary, bold-faced words, etc.
3) Pass out the copies of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream Speech in Translation, What It Really Means
and preview the text with the class, asking individual students to share which text features they notice.
4) Model a think-aloud through a close study of the title page and table of contents making sure to highlight the skill of asking one-self questions about the text as you read. For example, "I am wondering what this speech will mean to me?" or "How did this speech come to be written?" or, when looking at the photograph on the first page of chapter one, "I am wondering what all of these people are thinking or feeling when they hear King's voice?" etc.
5) Read aloud chapter one, pausing to take note of the photographs, bold-faced words (civil rights and riot), the glossary and captions. Ask the students to turn and talk to discuss how one or more of the text-features help them understand and appreciate the information.
6) Pair students up and have them read chapter two aloud so that they can hear how the speech sounds coming out of their mouths. Instruct the children to pause after each page to reflect on how the text-features direct their attention, organize the ideas within the speech and cause them to reflect on what the speech means to them today.
7) As an exit slip, have children use a sticky note to write down one text-feature that helped them the most in understanding the text today.
8) Have children share out their sticky notes.
9) Send the book home to read chapter 3 independently and continue their reflection on how the text-features assisted them using a graphic organizer like this:
10) Correct and write meaningful feedback on the student work and display those examples which might prove instructive to others.
Evaluation/Assessment:
We will know we've got it when we can identify text-features in our independent reading books and articulate how those text features help us comprehend what we are reading.
