This document provides examples of using informational and narrative texts across different content areas like social studies, science, and math. It includes activities for using texts to teach standards and engage students. Examples discussed include using maps in social studies, writing about running for president, and explaining animal adaptations in science. The document also lists online resources for finding texts, like Get Epic, Raz Kids, and Flocabulary. It emphasizes using culturally relevant materials to reach all students.

1. INFORMATIONAL AND NARRATIVE TEXTS IN
CONTENT AREAS
BY KATELYN TSCHIDA

2. AGENDA
 Informational and narrative text examples for
 Social Studies
 Science
 Math
 Online resources for teaching across content areas
 References

3. INFORMATIONAL VS. NARRATIVE TEXTS
 Making connections through stories
 Reaching all students
 Teaching to different interests and
learning styles
 Covering more standards
 More opportunity for culturally
relevant and engaging material
(Linde, 2003)
(Free Clip Art Library, 2016-2019)

4. PHYSICAL MAPS
SOCIAL STUDIES-INFORMATIONAL TEXT
(Creations Inc., 2020)
Social Studies Standard:
People use geographic representations and geospatial technologies to
acquire, process, report information with a special context.
ELA Standard
Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the
words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when,
and how key events occur).
Activities:
• Make maps of your neighborhood using google
map on the iPad
• Look up a place you’d like to visit and draw a
map with a legend.
• Go on https://www.flocabulary.com/unit/map-
skills/video/ and explore the map activities (Educational Hip Hop,
2020)
(Academic Standards K-12, 2010)

5. IF I RAN FOR PRESIDENT
SOCIAL STUDIES- NARRATIVE TEXT
Social Studies Standard 3.1.1.1.1: Democratic government depends on
informed and engaged citizens who exhibit civic skills and values, practice
civic discourse, vote and participate in elections, apply inquiry and analysis
skills and take action to solve problems and shape public policy.
ELA Standard 3.6.1.1 : Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a
point of view with reasons
Activity:
• Students write a persuasive paragraph explaining
why they should be president of the class. Let
students present their paragraphs in speech form
in front of the class. Then have students vote for
class president and determine the responsible of
the class president in the classroom.
(Academic Standards K-12, 2010)

6. ZEBRAS AND OSTRICHES
SCIENCE- INFORMATION TEXT
Activities:
• Introduce animal adaptions with “Zebras and Ostriches”, then assign a few
dozen books on getepic.com about animal adaptions and let students pick what
they want to read. Students choice improves engagement and cultural
relevance.
• Have students create an information paragraph about their animal’s adaptions
and present it in a video on their distance learning platform.
ELA Standard 3.6.2.2:Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey
ideas and information clearly.
Science Standard 3.4.1.1.2: Living things are diverse with many different characteristics
that enable them to grow, reproduce and survive.
(Academic Standards K-12, 2010)
(Raz-Kids, 2020)

7. CHANDRA’S MAGIC LIGHT
SCIENCE- NARRATIVE TEXT
(Creations Inc., 2020)
Activities:
• Students will write about why solar energy is
important
• Students could try creating a solar oven with a
pizza box!
• Students could record themselves teaching what
solar energy is to a sibling or parent
ELA Standard 3.6.1.1 : Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a
point of view with reasons
Science Standard 3.2.3.1.1: Energy appears in different forms, including
sound and light.
(Academic Standards K-12, 2010)

8. WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE
MATH-INFORMATIONAL TEXT
ELA Standard 3.10.4.4. :
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning word and
phrases based on grade 3 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range
of strategies.
Math Standard 3.1.2.2.: Use addition and subtraction to solve real-world and
mathematical problems involving whole numbers. Use various strategies,
including the relationship between addition and subtraction, the use of
technology, and the context of the problem to assess the reasonableness of
results.
Activities:
• Raz-kids provides reading activities and quizzes that
correspond with the book “What’s the Difference?”
• Have students create posters to explain the vocabulary
from the book and put them around the room.
(Raz-Kids, 2020)
(Academic Standards K-12, 2010)

9. JENNY FOUND A PENNY
MATH-NARRATIVE TEXT
Activities:
 Challenge students to find as many coins as they can around the house, take a picture of them and write
the total.
 Tell me 5 ways to make a dollar, show it in pictures or using real coins.
 Writing prompt: What would you do if you found a million pennies?
ELA Standard 3.8.4.4. :
Report on a topic or text and avoid plagiarism by identifying
sources, tell a story, or recount an experience with
appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking
clearly at an understandable pace.
Math Standard 3.3.3.3.: Use time, money and temperature
to solve real-world and mathematical problems.
(Academic Standards K-12, 2010)

10. ONLINE RESOURCES FOR TEACHING LITERACY ACROSS CONTENT
AREAS
 Getepic.com
 Raz-kids.com
 Flocabulary.com
 Online libraries often exceed classroom variety
and cultural relevance- use them often and with
purpose!

11. REFERENCES
Academic Standards K-12. (2011). Retrieved from https://education.mn.gov/mde/index.html
Creations Inc. (2020). Instantly access 40,000 high-quality books for kids. Retrieved from
https://www.getepic.com/
Educational Hip-Hop. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.flocabulary.com/
Free Clip Art Library. (2019). Retrieved from http://clipart-library.com/
Linde, S. (2003). Teaching Children with Narrative & Expository Texts. Study.com. Retrieved from
https://study.com/academy/lesson/teaching-children-with-narrative-expository-texts.htm
Raz-Kids. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.raz-kids.com/