Examining Complexity of Text

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5/30/2018 MBS Direct: Close Reading of lnformational Texts

Understanding the Features of a Text

fJnke the situation a generation ago, informational text for children and young adolescents nowadays is redolent with features that rnay include maps, boxed commentary or highlights, diagrams, photographs or iilustrations with captions, timelines, and much more. The features of informational text are the elements that help the reader navigate the text like a table of contents, titles, and subtitles as well as the elements of a text that provide additional content to support and develop the ideas in the running text like maps, diagrams, photographs, illustrations, and captions. Together, the features and the running text are "the text," meaning that one cannot serve to convey the author's central ideas without the other. So it is essential that students pay attention to the content in both the text and the features. While many students can practically close their eyes and locate the table of contents or photographs with captions, they cannot always clearly articulate what they have just leamed after examining a particular feature closely. Many students tend to treat the feafures as purely supplemental to the text, perusing them quickly and often solely for their aesthetic appeal. They might say to you that the pictures in a text are "really cool," but they cannot necessarily explain how they helped them understand the running text better. What is lacking is students' fulIrealization that a text's features contribute a great deal to the meaning of the text and support the readers in many ways as they read a new or unfamiliar text.

CONSIDER YOUR STUDENTS' STRENGTHS AND NEEDS

What have your observations or formative assessments revealed about your students' use of the features accompanying informational text? What have you observed that indicates they need to focus more closely on the specif,rc information contained in the features of a text?

. When students confer with you: ', Do they talk about the content of the text but not any of the features? , Do they talk about the appeal of a particular feature ("That's a cool picture!") but not about what they

learned from the feature? . Do they share what they learned from a feature but not necessarily how that helped them understand the

main text or the author's central ideas? , Do they integrate what they have learned from the features and the main text into a discussion about the

author's central ideas? . When students write about the features in a text:

: Do they write solely about the content expressed in the running text, or prose? , Do they write about any features at only a surface level of understanding? ,, Do they write about one part of a particular feature in a way that reveals a misunderstanding of the

author's ideas (e.g., writing about the illustration or photograph but not about the caption)?

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5l3Ol2A18 MBS Direct: Close Reading of lnformational Texts , Do they write fluently about the author's ideas, drawing from the content in both the accompanying

features andthe main text?

If our objective is to teach students how to properly understand the features included in an informational text, it is imperative that we show them how to demonstrate independence in:

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Noticing and being able to identifu the various features. Comprehending and paraphrasing the actual content of the features. Making connections between the content of the features and the ideas in the text in order to better synthesize the two. Assessing the author's use of features and evaluating how they may convey other perspectives.

WHERE TO START? EXPLICIT THINK.ALOUD AND MODELED NOTE TAKING

Two lessons are described in this chapter, each of which could easily have been expanded into a series of lessons based on the needs of your students. The first lesson focuses on having students develop an awareness of particular features as well as be able to articulate what they leam from those features. The second lesson provides an example of how you can begin teaching students to synthesize both the information gathered from features and from the main or running text. This lesson is important because, when we ask students to write their responso to an infonnational text, they do not always readily integrate what they have learned from the text's accompanying features into their response. The students need to understand that feafures contribute a great deal to the meaning of the text and support the reader in highly significant ways in making sense of the text as a whole.

My suggestion would be to incorporate these two lessons into a 3-day cycle of lessons that would occur at least once during each content-area unit of study. The cycle would likely be:

. Lesson 1: Introduction or review of the purpose of one or two particular feafures.

. Lesson 2: Guided practice in strategically reading a two-page spread of text, including the same features discussed in the preceding lesson.

. Lesson 3 (optional): Additional guided practice and then independent practice with the same or related features.

'fabie ,1. I highlights the purposes of the features most commonly found in short texts like magazine articles or selected sections in a textbook (it deliberately omits features found only in longer texts, such as the table of contents, glossary, and index). Essential to effective instruction in reading is our ability to clearly articulate to students the specific purposes of the features that accompany text. Because many of these features are complex, however, we must always be able to explain to students the potential pitfalls in trying to understand them. I have tried to highlight both as in the table.

TABLf, 4.l.F.utr@nd in Shorter T"*tr urd Th.ir Porp* F"rt"."r Titt". Discussion of purpose The title usually indicates the topic or subject of the text, but it may occasionally just allude to the topic. Readers use the title to begin making predictions about what they will be reading.

Feature: Deck Discussion of purpose Many short nonfiction texts include a "deck," or brief introduction to the article or chapter. Typically set in a different font or colot the deck is positioned between the title and the beginning of the main text or the first section heading. The purpose of the deck is to give the reader

5l3Ol2O18 MBS Direct: Close Reading of lnformational Texts more information than the title and also to attract additional interest. Frequently the deck's wording speaks directly to the reader. posing a question or providing just enough information to tantalize the reader and to make him or her want to explore the text further. Here's an example of a deck from an article titled "Storm Warning" (Brooks, 2010): Supersized thunderstorms rumble. Lightning slashes the skt. Hurricane-force winds blow. Deadly tomadoes spin. I{elcome to the central United States. the stormiest place on Earth.

Feature: Headings and subheadings Discussion of purpose Running text is typically broken up into sections, each with its own heading. There may be a single level or multiple levels of headings, some of which may be designated as "subheadings." Regardless of the format used. headings clue in the reader as to what the author will be addressing next in the text. Sometimes the heading may seem crystal-clear, such as with "First Battle with the British." At other times the heading may seem less clear to students and perhaps only allude to the content. Sometimes authors use idioms in headings, which can be highly confusing to certain students, especially English learners. It is important that readers notice whether headings are providing useful hints of the information being imparted to readers in the text's respective sections.

Feature: Photographs and illustrations Discussion of purpose Photographs and illushations provide visual information to the reader. The information provided by these visual aids normally supports the ideas presented in the running text. Sometimes this information extends these ideas by presenting additional or multiple examples. Your students should always be able to distinguish between a photograph and an illustration. In certain texts, illuskations may be sketches, drawings, or paintings rather than photographs, particularly when (as in hrstory texts) tho period being covered predated cameras. Sometimes younger students may not realize that the drawings are depicting the distant past, leading to a temporary confusion on their part.

Feature: Captions and labels Discussion of purpose Captions describe the photographs or illustrations, providing readers with more information than they could have assimilated solely from the figures alone. For example, a iaption might include the name of the species of the deer featured in the photograph. Labels included within figures, diagrams, and the like serve a similar purpose (e.g., naming the specific organs featured in an illustration of the digestive system). Of course, since a picture "is worth a thousand words," it is crucial that readers consider both illustrations and their accompanying captions and labels as key sources of potentially valuable information.

Feature: Diagrams Discussion of purpose Diagrams are simplified drawings of a construct or concept described in the text. Their purpose is to help the reader visualize what the author is describing in the running text by illustrating the appearance, structure, or workings of a particular construct or concept.

Feature: Charts and graphs Discussion of purpose Charts are usually two-dimensional representations of information, and graphs are used to help convey mathematical information. The differences distinguishing diagrams, charts, and graphs from one another are sometimes hard to explain or fathom. Encourage your students to stay focused on what the author's specific purpose is for each feature employed and how that feafure helps readers visualize or understand what the author is describing in the running text.

Feature: Tables Discussion of purpose Tables provide a different way of viewing information presented in the running text. Tables are usually constructed in matrices with rows and columns, and so the reader needs to be aware of how to read the information from top to bottom and left to right, as needed.

Feature: Boxes and sidebars Discussion of purpose Boxes are boxed-in commentary highlights, examples (e.g., vignettes, anecdotes, sampies). or "asides" related in some way to the running text. Sidebars are usually separate vertical sections of additional text rypically set off near the margins of a page. The information in the sidebar may provide additional details supporting the ideas rn the running text, or the infonnation may be wholly supplementary and unrelated,

Feature: Maps Discussion of purpose The maps in texts serve diverse purposes. Most sfudents can readily identify a "map", the greater diffrculty is in identifoing the purpose of the map. The map may be a visual depiction of climates in a certain region, or the map may be a representation of the boundaries of states or countries in a region. In one social studies textbook, a map indicated three locations (numbered as 1, 2, 3) where three major events occurred. The events were described briefly with other events in a timeline on the same page and then in more detail in sidebars, each with a number that corresponded to the same number on the map.

5t3012018 MBS Direcl Close Reading of lnformational Texts

Features are more easily taught when encountered in use rather than in isolation. As the ]'a'iric 4.1 discussion of maps makes clear, the information imparted by these features sometimes supports the content of other features as well as the ideas presented in the main text. As explained below in Lesson 2, I recommend that students be introduced to multiple features in a short section of text before being asked to deal with them in entire chapters or articles.

LESSON 1: NOTICING AND LEARI{II{G FROM FEATURES

Suggestions for Lesson Preparation and Text Study

Choose a feature (like headings) or combrnation of features (like photographs and captions) to focus on in this lesson; depending on the needs of the students, you may be able to start with a more complex feature or more than one feature. Locate texts with examples of the feature(s) that you will use during a think-aloud at the beginning of the lesson.

Study the examples you have chosen, and plan a think-aloud for at least one. You also need to choose at least one other example for a shared think-aloud with the students. When you plan yoilr own think-aloud, consider what you will say to your students about how one must carefully read the information conveyed in the feature. (See li*x ,,t i for an example of a think-aloud.)

Create an accessible image of the sample features you will use during your own think-aloud and the shared think-aloud. Some options include scanning the feature in a book and dropping the image into SMART Board Notebook software, using a document camera to project the original image, or copying the image onto a transparency for use with an overhead projector. If you are meeting with a small group, you can also just use the original text.

Regardless of how you do this, it is important that students be able to see the feafure you are using as an example and that they also be able to see the notes you are writing during your think-aloud.

Locate additional texts. This lesson could occur as part of a content-area unit of study, and you could use a large set of texts on the topic of study during this lesson. I visit the public library and look through numerous books on the topic, checking to see if the books have appropriate features. Then I check out a bunch of these books to use in the lesson. I want the students to have access to at least one book each. I have also used magazines published for children and young adolescents like National Geographic Explorer during lessons.

Collect materials, including the following: chart paper, markers, and a few sticky notes for each student.

BOX 4.1. Sample Teacher Think-Aloud about Features and Guided Practice

''RE,AI)ING A FEATURE CLOSELY''

This think-aloud was part of a lesson with a class of students who were studying their state's geography. My objective in this lesson was to have students notice and identifr by name two particular features, illustrations and captions, as well as to articutate the purposes ofthese features while reading content-area trade books. An additional objective was for the students to describe what they leamed when they read or examined a feature closely; the engagement described below begins at this point in the lesson. I had planned to discuss two examples with the students, but you'll notice that I followed the lead of the sfudents' enthusiasm and engaged in thinking aloud and guided practice with the same example.

5/30/2018 MBS Direct: Close Reading of lnformational Texts

IMPLEMENTING THE THINK.ALOUD

I started by projecting via SMART Notebook an example of a photograph and caption tiom one of the books the students were perusing (Mattern, 2009, p. 9). The photograph w'as of two white-tailed deer in the woods, and the caption read: "lllinois's woods are home to a variety of animals, both large and small. These white-tailed deer are among the largest animals in the state and live throughout the area." I demonstrated how to think carefully about the illustration and caption by saying the following as I marked on the SMART Board with one of the pens, circling and underlining as I went:

When I looked at this picture, I noticed two deer in the woods. [I then circied the images of the deer; next I focused on the caption, reading it aloud.] The words in the caption give me information about the picfure and even more information about Illinois. These are not just any deer. These are white-tailed deer. I underlined the words white-tailed deer.]

SHARf,D THINK.ALOUD AND GUIDED PRACTICE

At this point the students were eager to join the think-aloud, so I asked. "What eise do you thiDk I rnight have leamed? One student stated enthusiastically, "The white-tailed deer are one of the biggest mammals in lllinois!" When she shared this, I asked, "What words in the caption tell you that?" She read aloud a phrase directly from the caption-"among the largest animals in the 5f41ert-4nd { underlined those words directly on the image on the SMART Board. I also added, "Wow! If I look back at the picture, I can tell these are white-tailed deer because of the white color on their tails." Another student shouted, "And they have white rings around their noses, tool" I marked a circle around both ofthese details.

When I asked the students to continue thinking about the information in the caption, one of them shared the text, "The woods are home to a variety of animals." I underlined these words and then said, "How can we say that in our own words?" Several children contributed suggestions, and we decided that "different kinds of animals live in the woods in lllinois" might be one way to paraphrase what we had just learned.

Then I engaged the students in shared writing of a sentence describing the knowledge we had developed by paying close attention to the picture and its caption. This is the sentence they composed (as I wrote on the SMART Board):

I learned that Illinois has woods with many different animals, and these include white-tailed deer.

Suggestions for Implementation of the Lesson

Establish the purpose of the lesson. These are the language objectives of the lesson that can be posted for students to view andlor stated in student-friendly terms: . Notice and identiff by name the various features that are found in this informational text. . Read or examine each feature closely, and describe in writing and to a peer what you learned from the

feature, especially as it relates to the content-area unit of study.

In addition, you might list specific content-learning objectives and spend a few minutes reviewing the background knowledge that the students have already developed in the content-area unit to date.

Introduce the text, and activate the students' prior knowledge related to feafures. . Introduce the set of texts (books, magazines, etc.) you have chosen, and describe how these texts are related

to the content-area unit of study (if that is the case). Hand a text or several texts to each student or group. . Allow the students time to bro**se through the texts and enjoy them. ' Engage the students in a feature hwnt. Most likely the students are already familiar with the various

features that accompany informational text, to some extent. Here is a quick suggestion for helping the students review what they already know about features: for each feature listed below (or that you think is important to include), ask them to hold up their text turned to a page with that particular feature: , Book or magazine article title , Chapter title

1.

2.

5/30/2018 MBS Direct: Close Reading of lnformational Texts

, Chapter subtitle ' Photograph with caption ' Map , Diaglam , Sidebar with additional information : Bold-faced type , Illustration with caption A modified introduction may be more appropriate based on the needs of your students. Some options include:

, Ask the sfudents to locate a particular feafure of your choice. , Write the name of each feafure encountered on a piece of chart paper as you go. , Share an example of a feature in a text you are holding for them to view before asking the students to

seek out that particular feature. , Stand near English learners and point carefully to the features, saying the name of each feature aloud

clearly and asking individual students to repeat the name of the feature.

3. Explain the importance of paylng close attention to each feature found in informational text, and demonstrate this with a teacher think-aloud. . Introduce the name.of the feature and its purpose. Explain that an author takes special care to pick just the

right features to help him or her explain the topic or ideas in the text. . Wsually praject the example af the feature for the whole group to view; be prepared to mark on the

projected text as you think aloud. . Think aloud about the information in the feature. Mark on the text as you think aloud. (Refer again to lli;:<

,t.l for an example of a teacher think-aloud and guided practice.) Make clear to the students how you determine what is important to notice when examining a feature, and affrrm this by marking on the text, underlining, circling, and jotting short notes as you explain what you as a reader do to learn from a feature. Remember to use "I" statements when talking so that students fully appreciate that you, too, are a strategic reader.

. Engage in modeled writing of one or two sentences about what you learned about the information imparted by the feature. Remember to think aloud, too, about how you decide to compose the sentences. How did you decide which information to include? You should do this on a piece of chart paper or on a dry erase board for all stduents to view. I like to write these sentences on chart paper or on the SMART Board so that I can use them during the following lesson to review what we did in the first lesson.

4. Engage the students in guided practice with the teacher as coach. . Wsually project a second example of the focus feature, and engage the sfudents in a shared think-aloud.

Use such prompts as the fcrllowing:

What feature did the author decide to use here?

What do you notice in this feature? What does this feature tell you?

What are we leaming from this feature?

How did we figure that out?

, Engage in shared writing of what was learned (iust a few sentences).

5. Encourage independent practice or practice with a partner, and continue to coach. . Ask the students to locate the focus feature it one of the texts they were perusing earlier. They may choose

to do this independently or with a partner.

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5BOI2A18 MBS Direct: Close Reading of lnformational Texts

' Dircct the students to read or examine the feature carefully and write a response, just as you did earlier together. Hand each student a sticky note to record what he or she learaed. (You may decide to give students more than one sticky note if you know they can handle writing about more than one feature during this lesson.)

' Confer with individuals or small groups. You may choose to move around and confer with individual students, or you may prefer to call a small group of students together to work closely with you. -l'abli: 4'l includes descriptions of likely scenarios you may experience during a conference with students while they read and write about features; I have included the language I use when conferring to prompt further thinking. Notice that I am prompting for learning related to being a sffategic reader-and1o developing knowledge related to the content-area unit of study.

6. Close with paired conversations between the students. . Regroup. ' Ask the students to think-pair-share about what they have written anti learned with a peer. After a few

minutes of observing these shared conversations, ask the students to raise their hands if they learned something new about the content area topic. (You do not need to call on students individually to share because you have already observed them by sharing with a peer.)

' Close by restating the objectives of the lesson. For example, you might say; Today we focused on the features of informational text. One particular feature we discusse d, was (name the feature studied). An author will use this feature to (cite the purpose of the -feature). When you read independently, you need to pay careful attention to this type of feature because this feahre will help you understand the ideas in the text better.

7. Assess and plan your next lesson. ' Read your students' sticky notes. What do you notice that you might need to address better in the next

lesson? -l'aL:ic

1.,1, "Stages of Development in Students'Responses to Features," includes descriptions of what to notice in students'written responses to features and suggestions for follow-up instruction. These suggestions may well apply to more than one developmental level. Keep in mind that students are always at different levels of understanding, depending on what feature is being considered, and they are constantiy in the midst of moving from one level of understanding to the next in respect to many features.

' See T';rbie 4.:l (on pages 92-94), "Three Samples of Students' Responses with Teacher Assessment Notes," for examples of student work products, with my notes about what I believe the student is doing well and what he or she needs to focus on learning next.

' Depending on how your students perform during this lesson, you may wish to continue giving similar lessons focused on features not addressed in the first lesson. However, if your students have a grasp of how to deal with features thoughtfully or are making steady progress in that direction, you may now wish to undertake the second lesson. This instruction focuses on teaching students how to determine what is important and how to synthesize the content of the features with the main text.

TABI-E 4.2. Corf"rriog l..r".igl rT:---'------:---- Scenario: The student has not written anything (after being given adequate time to do so). Coaching language and actions Prompt: "Tell me a little bit about what you have noticed in this feature.', If the student does not share anything, say "Why don't we look at this together?" and then move on to reading aloud and thinking aloud about what you learned. You might say, "When I looked at this part of the feature, I noticed . ." or "I asked myself . . ." or "I thought about what I already knew about . . ." If the student does share information, say: "So, I hear you saying that you leamed frevert to what he or she saidl,right? Please write that on your sticky note to share with others."

Scenario: The student has written about the feafure-but using a pronoun (e.g., ir) or a common noun (e.g., deer) to refer to the content of the feature or to the feature itself. Coaching language and actions Prompt: "When someone else reads your thoughts on this sticky note, what words might you change to make sure they know what you are taiking about here?"

5t3U2418 MBS Direct: Close Reading of lnformational Texts

Scenario: The student has copied the text or simply restated what is in the text component of the feafure. Coaching language and actions Prompt: Gently cover the text and what the student has written. Then ask, "Tell me about what you just leamed-in 7,ol4r own words." Coach the student in using his or her own words, and then state: "When you put this in your olvn words, this is paraphrasing. When we paraphrase, we usually understand the text better than when we just copy the text."

_ Scenario: A, student has written a low-quality response, Iike "This is a map of Illinois." Coaching language and actions Prompt: "Tell me more about what you noticed." If the student has no response or only responds minimally, say "Let's look at this together." After some conversation, say "Share with me what you have leamed from this feature now that we have thought about it together."

TABLE 4.3. Stages of Development in Studentst Responses to Features Stage of development: Attempting Description of the student's responses (oral and written) The student writes or shares aloud information that is not conveyed in the feature, or he or she copies directly from the text. The student may just be resorting to prior knowledge or may actually misunderstand the strategic reading practices being taught. Suggestions for follow-up instruction

. Meet one-on-one (3-5 minutes), and as the student shares his or her thinking aloud write notes for the student's later use. This will reduce the cognitive overload the student may be experiencing.

. Teach this student in a.small group of students with similar needs. As part of a guided reading iesson (15-20 minutes), engage in examining a feature together, thinking aloud about whal is being leamed, shared writing of what was learned, and conferring with individuals as they practice what you have just done as a small group.

Stage of development: Approaching Description of the student?s responses (oral and written) The shrdent is making some sense of the content of the feature(s), but may not yet be synthesizing the key ideas or useful information being imparted. He or she has attempted to write content that is conveyed explicitly in the feature but may be using language he or she has appropriated from the text and does not fully understand or cannot paraphrase properly. Suggestions for follow-up instruction

. Before students engage in writing about another feature, share examples of model sfudenl entries, or responses. Visually project the examples so that all students can view them, and mark on the examples where the student specifically used words or images that reinforced the lesson's objectives.

. Invite students who fall into this caiegory to stay near you-perhaps at a designated table or on the meeting rug-during independent practice so that you can provide additional support nrore easily.

Stage of development: Meeting Description ofthe student's responses (oral and written)

. The student has written content that is explicitly conveyed in the feature and is beginning to include additional meaning that is implicit.

. The sfudent is beginning to make connections to useful prior knowledge related to the content of the feature and to draw valid conclusions about the author's specific use ofthe feature.

Suggestions for follow-up instruction . Using the lesson framework, introduce a new feature to this student*--or the same feafure, but with an example that requires even closer

reading for the student to fully comprehend the text. . Engage the student in making a "Feafures of Nonfiction" handbook with entries that include the following: : Purpose ofthe feature :. Example of the feature (cut and paste or sketch the feature) : Response about what the student learned from the erampie feature.

. Engage the student in planning to teach younger students about the features found in informational text, using his or her handbook as a model. This might include an initial presentation to a whole ciass and then partnering with a student to explain the content in the handbook and perhaps to read aloud an informational text with features.

Stage of development: Exceeding Description of the student's responses (oral and written)

. The student writes and speaks with ease about the implicit ideas (including how features communicate someone else's perspective) and explicit information conveyed in the fearure.

. The student is beginning to draw conclusions about the value ofusing features in nonfiction text, and there has been some transfer of this understanding to work completed at other trmes dunng the school day.

5t30t2018 MBS Direct: Close Reading of lnformational Texts

Suggestions for follow-up instruction ' Develop an opporhrnify lbr the student to wdte an expository text, and include appropriate features in that assignment. ' Develop an opportunity for the sfudent to add features to an already published text that may not employ feafirres, such as books by

TABLE 4"4. Three Samples of Students' Responses, with Teacher Assessment Notes

Student RespsnSe-l

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Student's written response.

Fire helps maintain and nourish prairies.

Illustration and caption in Prairies (Patent, 1996). Photograph copyright 1996 by William Mufloz. Reprinted by permission.

Assessment Notes for Student Respqlg_t

Attempting'. This student has made an assumption that is not stated or conveyed in the combination of features-namely. that there are "lots of fires" (this was not stated in the running text either). It is not unusual for a student to overgeneralize or use language that is not specific. She also copied the caption verbatim as a response.

Follotv-up instraction: During a one-on-one conference, use a prompt such as "When you look at this pictureicaption, what do you notice?" Wait patiently and then say "Tell me more," if necessary. Once the sfudent begins to share, rsstate what she has said ("I think I hear you saying that . . .") offering to write this down for her. Finally, review what the student did as a reader, and help her choose the next feature to respond to on her own.

Student Resppnse 2

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Student's written response.

Illustration and caption rn lllinctis (Burgan, 2008). Photograph 2008 by Peter Arnold.

Assessment Notes for Student Respr$e 2

Approaching stage of development: This student has thought about the photograph carefully, noting the physical characteristics of the carp conveyed in the photo. She has also paid some attention to the information in the caption-naming this fish and noticing that a location, "Great Lake," is named. She has not grasped the main idea in the caption, however. The Asian carp does not yet live in the Great Lakes, and the fish might not seem so appealing if the reader understood that this fish could cause problems for other fish in the Great Lakes. Follou,-ttp instruction'. During a whole-class mini-lesson, think aloud about this sample caption that does more than describe the photo, offering additional information not conveyed in the photo.

Ask this student to sit near you during independent work, and check in with her for a conlerence whenever needed.

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Student's written response.

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5/30/2018 MBS Direct: Close Reading of lnformational Texts

Photograph and caption inAll Around lllinois: Regions and Resources(Santella, 2002). Photograph copyright 2A02 by Bob and Ira Spring. Reprinted by permission.

Assessment Notes for Sfudent Response 3

Meeting (expectations) stage of develapment: The student paraphrases information that is stated directly in the caption in his statement "glaeiers formed Illinois land." He includes information implied in the caption, writing "glaciers move vary slow" most likely in respoflse ro the information stated in the caption "only move about a foot . . . a day." The student includes information that is irnplied by the picture

-"glaciers are huge compared to a man." The student has either activated prior knowledge (we had read an article about the strength of

giaciers in a previous lesson) or is using the information in the caption somehow to develop the statement "glaciers are so havey they crush stuff."

Follow-up instruction: Use this student's written response as a modei for his peers during a mini-lesson. Affirm what the student is doing well.

Meet with him one-on-one, and begin coaching for reading the running text to see if he learns more than what he derived from the caption and photograph.

Offer a gentle reminder to him and the class as a whole to capitalize letters at the beginning of sentences (as they finish their independent practice and are preparing to share their leaming with one another).

LESSON 2: THINK-ALOUD AND GUIDED PRACTICE ON SYNTHESIZING INFORMATION IN THE RUNNING TEXT AND FEATT]RES

Prior to the Lesson

I spent 3 days with a group of seventh-grade students studying global warming. Their teacher had noticed that the students were oot considering the content of the accompanying features in conjuaction with the information in the running text. \ile decided to undertake the 3day cycle of lessons described earlier. On the first day, we browsed through library books ou global warming and paid close attention to what we could learn from the photographs and captions. On the second day, I wanted the students to think about how the cortent of the features and the maitr text combined to couvey the author's cetrtal ideas. I planned to demonstate strategic reading of a two-page section of toxt from the baokGlobal Warming(Johnson, 2004) and to model taking rote$ as I learned. Figure 4.1 (on page 95) shows the specific text I projected for the students to view.

5/3012018 MBS Direct: Close Reading of lnformational Texts

FI(;yRE 4.1. Two-page text from Global Wanning (Johnson,2004) visually projected for thiok-aloud. Reprinted by permission of

Hampton-Brown andNational Geog aphic Leaming, a part of cengage Leaming. copyright by National Geographic Leaming. Reprinted by

permission. All rights reserved.

Implementing the Think-Aloud and Guided Practice

I began the lesson by reviewing the work we had done in the first lesson on examining and understanding features and captions. Then I stated the following:

When we read informational texts, we need to pay attention to more than just the features in order to determine what is

important and how to synthesize the information. What we have to do is think about how the information in the feafirres

and the main text work together to help us understand the author's central ideas.

Next, I shared a cake baking analogy to help the students better understand. I asked them to list ingredients

for a cake, and as they did I drew a rough skeich of each listed ingredient on the board and put a plus sign between each ingredi"nt. t fioirhed the equation by drawing an equal sign at the end of the list and then sketched

the completed cake. I said:

What we have to do to read strategically is think about all of the ingredients or elements the author has included, like the

headings and subheadings, the captioni and photographs, and the main text. As we think about the ingredients, we can

begin to determine the aruthor's central idea. when *i do that, it's like stirring together and baking the ingredients for a cake. The finished cake then represents our understanding of the author's central idea. Let me show you what I mean'

I then projected the image of the text on global warming. I started my think-aloud by drawing separate circles around the heading "How Well Are We Doing?" and the subheadings "Good News" and "Bad News'" I

read these aloud as I drew the circles and then thought aloud by saying the foltrowing:

Well, I know this book is about global warming. So, I'm thinking the author is going to tell me about what we know is

happening. Because he has writtin "good newi" and "bad news," I'm thinking there must be sorne positive effects of

5/3012018 MBS Direct: Close Reading of lnformational Texts

global warming as well as negative effects. I have never thought of there being positive ef[ects, so I definitely want to read more.

At this point, the students were eager to conhibute, so I followed their lead and we engaged in a shared think-aloud-with me stepping in and stepping back as needed. I started by saying, "If I am going to take in all of the information on these two pages, what do I need to do now?" One of the students responded, "Read the captions and look at the pictures." As we read and discussed each of these features,I drew arrows directed at the feature. Doing this helps the students keep track of what we are discussing and how we are being strategic. Through our conversation the students revealed to themselves how one picture and caption showed a positlve effect of global warming-two people in Colorado farming during a longer growing season-and the other picture and caption showed a negative effect-sea lions possibly having to struggle to survive in Alaska if there are waflner temperatures.

When we started to read the two columns of bulleted text, I stepped in and thought aloud by saying the following:

When I look at these lists, I am thinking there is a lot of information.

While I was not expecting the students to determine what was important specifically in this lesson, I did want to model this careful reading for them. I continued by saying:

So as I read each bullet, I am going to think carefully about what content I want to remember.

I read aloud the text by the first bullet:

Global warming may.lead to shorter, wanner winters.

And then I said:

I already know I'm reading about global warming. What I want to remember is the effects of global warming. I'm going to underline the phrase "shorter, warrner winters" to help me remember this particular effect.

We continued by engaging in a shared think-aloud about the rest of the bulleted points under "Good News."

Scaffolding for Independent Practice

I wanted the students to try reading strategically on their own, but I wanted to make sure they understood the steps they needed to take. So, I asked the students to share aloud with me what we had just done as strategic readers to "tackle" the text. On a piece of chart paper, I wrote as we generated a list of steps for strategic readiig:

. Read the title and subheadings. Make a prediction about r.hat I will be reading.

. Read the pictures and captions, and take notes about what I learned. ' Read the text and think about what is important to remember. Take notes. ' Compare what I learned in the text to what I learned in the features, and write about what I think is the author,s central

idea.

Then I asked the students to strategically read this same two-page section of text again, but on their own. They read and jotted down notes. In the example in Figrr"ire -1.2, you can see how the student placed the sticky notes (as I directed the students to) in a way intended to convey what she understood about strategic reading. Her notes include identification of the central idea in the main text and two supporting examples und u ru**ury of the content in each of the pictures and captions. Her final note, written insiae a drawn image of a decorated cake, states the author's central idea.

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F'IGURE 4.2. Exampie of a student's notes.

Follow-{"Ip Lesson for More practice

On the following day, I met with these students again for a third lesson. I projected examples of their responses from the second lesson, and together we identified what the students had done well. Then I asked the studints to write their own strategic plans for reading on a large sticky note. See l--iclu'* i.i for an example of one student,s plan. lji:ur-e'i.-l presents a photograph of how one sfudent used his notes from close reading to write an extended response.

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FIGIJRE 4.3. Example of a student's strategic reading plan.

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MBS Direct: Close Reading of lnformational Texts

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5t30t2018 MBS Direct: Close Reading of lnformational Texts

I followed by asking them to tackle another two-page section in the same book on global warming. As in the previous lesson, they took their notes on stieky notes. As the students finished, I met with individuals or small groups and asked them to write a longer rosponse using their notes. I made clear the steps in this process (which I had posted on a piece of chart paper at the front of the room) and then asked them to "give it a bJr."

If your students have been *riting in respoase to texts you have read aloud or that they have read independently, they should move into this task fairly easily. This particular group of seventh graders was not familiar with writing iu resporse to infomrational texts. To scaffold the process of moving from taking notes to writing respoases, I posted clearly written directions for comple?qg thit task ou the froat board. Depending on the needs of your students, you might have to wait until the next l$on to proceed further. In a follow-up lesson, you might consider projecting the image of one student's notes and then engage the group in shared writing of a response, using that particular student's notes as a common reference point.

WHAT'S NEXT?

As a result of these lessons, your students may be ready to attempt strategic reading of longer texts. As will be seen in Chapter' 5, the next instructional task is to teach the students how to use what they know about synthesis as well as what they know about how texts are developed (with diverse features that support and extend the main text) to preview a text strategically and to set forth a shared purpose for reading.