Teaching Nonfiction Reading Strategies

Teaching for Understanding in Nonfiction

N on F iction… the Good the Bad the Ugly

©Angela Maiers, 2007 The G ood

©Angela Maiers, 2007 Girls, Too !!!!

©Angela Maiers, 2007 The Bad

The Ugly

73% 3F/P levels below fiction

15% 3 GRADE LEVELS below fiction

6% Struggled with decoding

(Boys = Girls)

Stead, 2007

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©Angela Maiers, 2007 ?

We can sooo change that!

Thinking about Fiction

“ Life” Story “ Book” Story (THEME) Fiction = Stories of Life

The Orange

BIG IDEA (Whole text) Main Idea ( Section Level)

M ain Idea vs . B ig Idea

©Maiers, 2008

©Angela Maiers, 2007

©Maiers, 2008

BIG IDEAS in Nonfiction

Purpose

Intention

Motivation

Bias

Viewpoint

Credibility

Reliability

Craft

©Angela Maiers, 2006 Bears 1. 2.

P E N G U I N F R A N L A N T I N G

©Angela Maiers, 2006 Convention Purpose How it Helps Caption Information directly relating to a photo or illustration Tells the reader what to focus on in the picture that is important Comparison Show size relationship between two or more objects of ideas Helps the readers take something familiar to show how it relates or compares with something new Close-Up A smaller more detailed section of the larger photo or illustration It allows the reader to see inside or a smaller part of a large area so we can understand it in a more detailed way Table of Contents Located in the front of the book to share a list of key topics or chapter in which the book addresses in the order in which they appear in the text It allows me to see the chapters and topics and know exactly what pages they are on so I can get to the information I need in the quickest way. Glossary Index Cutaways Print Size

Captions Labels Graphics Images Font Color Layout TOC Glossary Headings

Reading “Blindly”

The icy ghost appeared to him from out of the dark as he surveyed from his position atop the graceful lady of steal. “Yet eyes deceive, Captain Smith thought and failed to stop her momentum. Moments later the festive celebration of the two thousand was smashed to bits. Carpathia, 58 miles away, caught the SOS and race to the rescue of the fortunate seven hundred and five, one of whom remarked, years later, when turned her deck away from us as though to hide from our sight the awful spectacle.”

Steve Moline’s Website

K-8visual.info./

Home | What is visual literacy? | Examples of visual texts | Using visual literacy | Assessing visual literacy | Books for children | Books for teachers | Free materials for teachers | Seminars & workshops | About us | Contact us | Copyright |

Examples of visual texts

View an example of:

Block diagram with cutaways <NEW>

Cutaway diagram with detail

Diagram with color coding

Exploded diagram

Flow charts

Special: What are maps for?

Storyboard

Table

Tree diagram

We usually add a new Visual Literacy Example to this page each month.

Other examples of visual texts on this site:

Bar graph or "bar chart"

Block diagram

Calendar

Cartogram

"Chart" (see table or graph)

Column graph

"Concept map " (see web)

Visual Text: Cross Section ©Angela Maiers, 2006

Text Structures Following the Road to Meaning

Description

Compare/Contrast

Cause and Effect

Chronology/Sequence

Procedural

Persuasive

Question/Answer

Problem/Solution

The fire was started by sparks from a campfire left by a careless camper. Thousands of acres of important watershed burned before the fire was brought under control. As a result of the fire, trees and the grasslands on the

slopes of the valley were gone. Smoking black stumps were all that remained of

tall pine trees.

Words for Comparison-4 th Grade Holt Mathematics Text

Similarity

Same

compare

Alike

Match

Equal

Together

Similar

Equivalent

Synonym

Comparative

Analogy

Equality

Even

Regular

©Angela Maiers, 2006 Difference Different Contrast Not Alike Mismatch Does not Match Unequal Separate Opposite Dissimilar Antonym Contrastable Inequality Uneven Irregular

Signal Words Point the Way… © Maiers, 2008 Text Structure & Signal Words Description/ Hierarchical List Cause & Effect Compare / Contrast Problem/ Solution Question & Answer Sequence For instance For example Furthermore Such as Also To begin with Most important Also In fact In addition And to illustrate Since Because This led to On account of Due to As a result of For this reason Consequentially Then…so… Therefore thus In like manner Likewise Similar to The difference between As opposed to After all However And yet But Nevertheless On the other hand One reason for the… A solution A problem Where The question is One answer is Recommendations include How When What Next Why Who How many The best estimate It could be that One may conclude Until Before After Finally Lastly First…last… Now…then On (date) At (time) First, second Meanwhile Not long after initially ©Maiers, 2008

Text-Wiseness

Teaching students how to

recognize and represent the

organizational patterns commonly

used by authors can significantly

influence students’ learning and

comprehension.

Palinstar, Ogle, Carr, 97

©Maiers, 2008 Grades 2-4 Grades 4-8

BIG IDEAS in Nonfiction

©Angela Maiers, 2006 THE WRITERS’ BLUEPRINT VISION: THE BIG IDEA Nonfiction Text Organization

Text Features

Fonts and Effects

Graphics

Text organizers

Illustrations and Photographs

Text Structures

Description

Compare/contrast

Cause & effect

Problem/solution

Question & answer

Sequence

Author’s Purpose:

Why did the author write about this topic?

What did they want to accomplish?

Why do you think that?

Organization/Text Features

After previewing the text, what features did the

author emphasize and why?

How is the text organized?

How does these support the author’s goal?

Text Critic Observations

Did the author make their point clearly?

Do you agree/disagree?

Was the author’s opinion about the topic evident?

Did you detect bias in the tone or language used?

Content Specific Strategies

Careful reading or skimming

Scanning

Assessing the text through the index

Using heading ,captions, pictures,…

Determining what to read, order of reading

Noting organizational pattern

Deterring what to pay attention to

Determining what to ignore

What information fits with schema, what is new: how to sort it

Content Bibliography

I See What You Mean by Steve Moline

Nonfiction in the Primary Years by Nell Duke

Teaching Non-Fiction 2-4 and 4-8 Scholastic Prof. Books

Nonfiction Matters by Stephanie Harvey

Nonfiction in Focus by Kristo and Bamford

Text Forms and Features by Margaret Mooney

Make It Real by Linda Hoyt

Informational Text by Margaret Mooney and Linda Hoyt

Reading and Writing in Multiple Genre by Byers

Picture Story Books to Teach Literary Devices by Susan Hill

Teaching Nonfiction Reading Strategies

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