Reading
Informational Text - Illustrations aide in understanding, Author's point and reasons, compare and contrast
This next unit in reading we will be working with informational or non-fiction text. We will be working on the skills of how images contribute (help) and clarify (make clearer) the text, authors point and reasons and comparing and contrasting.
When you first hear the word images, the first thing that comes to your mind is pictures/photographs, but images can be so much more. Images can include photographs, but also illustrations, maps, diagrams, graphs, timelines and infographics. How can these images help us? I'm glad you asked, please see below:
When looking at images in informational texts, we are asking questions that determine if it's going to contribute or clarify the text. To determine if it contributes to the text, we might ask questions like does the image give the reader more information to better understand something? Or how can we connect what we see in the image to what the text is saying. To determine if the image clarify's the text we might ask questions like how does the image make the information visual and easier to understand for the reader? or is a question about the text answered because of the image?
Author's point and reasons is all about what the author is trying to prove in the text. It is usually how the author feels or what the author believes. They prove their point by supporting it with reasons in the text. We will talk about how the author usually tells their point towards the beginning of the text and reasons tend to be at the beginning of paragraphs.
This goes right along with our comparing and contrasting. With informational text we are comparing and contrasting the point and reasons that the author is making on the same topic.
When you first hear the word images, the first thing that comes to your mind is pictures/photographs, but images can be so much more. Images can include photographs, but also illustrations, maps, diagrams, graphs, timelines and infographics. How can these images help us? I'm glad you asked, please see below:
- Photographs - this type of image allows reader to see a real picture of the topic
- illustrations - this type of image shows the reader a cartoon or drawn image of the topic
- Maps - this type of image allows for readers to see where something might be located in the world
- diagrams - this type of image labels items that are in a picture, to help us know when we are looking at and the different parts
- chart or graphs - this type of image shows data on different things that people like
- timelines - this type of image shows the chronological order of something happening or someone's life
When looking at images in informational texts, we are asking questions that determine if it's going to contribute or clarify the text. To determine if it contributes to the text, we might ask questions like does the image give the reader more information to better understand something? Or how can we connect what we see in the image to what the text is saying. To determine if the image clarify's the text we might ask questions like how does the image make the information visual and easier to understand for the reader? or is a question about the text answered because of the image?
Author's point and reasons is all about what the author is trying to prove in the text. It is usually how the author feels or what the author believes. They prove their point by supporting it with reasons in the text. We will talk about how the author usually tells their point towards the beginning of the text and reasons tend to be at the beginning of paragraphs.
This goes right along with our comparing and contrasting. With informational text we are comparing and contrasting the point and reasons that the author is making on the same topic.
Illustrations aide in understanding, Compare and Contrast
The next few weeks we will be focusing on using both illustrations and the text in books to help us understand more about the characters, setting and events of a story. We will first be learning how to pay attention to the details an illustrator includes in their drawings that can help us better understand the characters, setting and events of a story. Next we will be learning what it means to compare and contrast. One of the most important things to remember when comparing and contrasting something is that you are comparing and contrasting the same thing. What does this mean, for example, let's say you were comparing two versions of Cinderella. You might say in the original version, Cinderella has two mean stepsisters and in a different version, you might say that Cinderella has two mean brothers. In this case you are contrasting the same thing siblings. During this unit students will learn how to create and use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast two different stories. See some of our anchor charts below.
Context Clues, Author's Purpose and Text Features
The next few weeks in reading, we will be focusing on informational text. First we will be working on context clues. Context clues means using the clues in the text to figure out what a word means. There are 5 different ways that an author can use clues to help us figure out what the word means. To help remember the 5 different ways, there is an acronym we can use to jog our memory. The acronym is IDEAS which stands for inference, definition, examples, antonyms, and synonyms. Please see the anchor chart below. We will spend one day on each of the different strategies helping students to see how that particular strategy works and what to look for. Then we will test (not graded) students knowledge by presenting them with a passage and asking them to figure out the meaning of several words within that passage. They will be able to call on several of the different strategies in order to figure out what the word means.
When we talk about text features, it's easy to become overwhelmed because there are a lot of different text features that can be found in non-fiction or informational books. This time around we are mainly going to be focusing on 10 of them. These 10 include headings, sub-headings, table of contents, index, glossary, photograph, illustration, caption, diagram and labels. To help us learn about text features, we worked with a text called "How is it Made: Chocolate" we worked with this text all week, we first identified the text features within the book by labeling the book. Then we read it again and discussed how the text features added to our learning. For example, the photographs allowed us to see what the chocolate process really looked like (i.e. fermenting the beans, the conch machine, the molds and the ingredients.). We also talked about the headings could help us find information faster, because we could see what the section was going to be about without reading every word. The headings in this text were At the Grower, At the Maker and Final steps. When I asked students where cocoa beans come from, they knew that they could look under the heading "At the Grower" to see. We also looked at a diagram of how chocolate is made, which gave a quick overview of the steps without having to go back and re-read the book. See below for some examples of text features and a few video's that also explains text features.
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The last part of this unit is all about author's purpose. When we work with informational text, we also discuss the authors purpose. Last year, in first grade, students learned about P.I.E. or the reasons that an author writes a text. P.I.E. stands for persuade, inform or entertain. In second grade we focus in more on the I in P.I.E which is inform. There are three reasons that an author writes to inform, these include: Answer a question, Describe something or Explain how to do something. There's of course an acronym that we use to help us and that is LemonADE. When reading informational text students are going to try to figure out the reason why an author wrote that piece of text. Sometimes it is easy to identify because it's a short passage, but in longer informational texts, there can be several reasons as to why an author wrote the book and this purpose can change from text to text. Now, before you get too overwhelmed, lets look at each of the three reasons a little closer and talk about some clues that an author might give you to help you know what their purpose was for writing.
First lets look at Answer. If an author's purpose is answer, then that means it's answering a question that someone has asked. One clue we can use to figure this out is by looking at the headings or titles of the passage or text, does it have a question mark in it? If it does, that's a huge clue that the author is writing this to answer a question. Sometimes though, you won't see a question mark in the heading or title so you must look for other clues, such as question words like "who, what, when, where, and how" when you see these words in the title or headings, it can give you a clue that the author is answering a question.
The next reason is to describe something. If an author is writing to describe something, the biggest clue that they are going to give you, is that they are going to use a lot of details to give you more information about a topic.
Last, but not least is explain. When an author is writing to explain something, it is going to be giving us the different steps in how to do something. The biggest clue we can get that an author is trying to explain to us how to do something is to look for transition words. Transition words are words like first, next, then, last, also, finally, as well etc..
See below for some anchor charts that can give you additional information.
First lets look at Answer. If an author's purpose is answer, then that means it's answering a question that someone has asked. One clue we can use to figure this out is by looking at the headings or titles of the passage or text, does it have a question mark in it? If it does, that's a huge clue that the author is writing this to answer a question. Sometimes though, you won't see a question mark in the heading or title so you must look for other clues, such as question words like "who, what, when, where, and how" when you see these words in the title or headings, it can give you a clue that the author is answering a question.
The next reason is to describe something. If an author is writing to describe something, the biggest clue that they are going to give you, is that they are going to use a lot of details to give you more information about a topic.
Last, but not least is explain. When an author is writing to explain something, it is going to be giving us the different steps in how to do something. The biggest clue we can get that an author is trying to explain to us how to do something is to look for transition words. Transition words are words like first, next, then, last, also, finally, as well etc..
See below for some anchor charts that can give you additional information.
Story Structure, Point of View and Poetry Elements
Our next three weeks in reading we will be focusing on using literature and fiction texts. This first week we will be focusing on story structure. For story structure we will be focusing on how stories are organized into a beginning, a middle and an end and what each of those parts contain. For example, in the beginning characters and setting are introduced, and a conflict or problem is sometimes introduce. In the middle is when the events of a story happen and usually the conflict or problem is trying to be solved. The end of the story is where the solution is found for the problem and in some stories the character usually changes from the beginning of the story. During this week we will be doing a close read of the story "Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type" that is in our Journey's textbook. We will be reading this story several times throughout the week to determine where the beginning, middle and end of the story is. Once we identify the beginning, middle and end, we will be taking a closer look at each section to look for the elements found in each section (i.e. character and setting being introduced in the beginning). We will also be discussing how the story would be different if one of the parts were missing such as the beginning, middle or end.
Next, we will be focusing on character point of view. Character point of view is new to students this year. It's not about first and third person, but we will be focusing more on how characters think and feel about what is happening in the story. We will also be finding text evidence that show what the character is thinking and feeling. We will also be discussing how two characters can have different opinion about the same event. To help us understand this story, we will be reading Diary of A Spider. We will read to examine the book and determine who's point of view the story is told from and notice with the illustrations the points of view of other characters in the story.
Last we will be focusing on poetry elements. During our poetry week, each day we will be focusing on a different poetry element such as rhyming words, alliteration, repetition and rhythm and how each give meaning to poems. First, we will be working with rhyming words, both identifying them within a poem and generating rhyming words. We will also be focusing on alliteration, which is the same sound being repeated within a sentence (see a short video below on it). Students will be able to both generate their own alliteration sentences and then they will be able to sort sentences on whether they have alliteration or not. Next they will be learning about repetition by reading one of the "There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A...." and we will be discussing how the repetitive lines help give meaning to the story. Then we will be working on rhythm. We will listen to a song first to hear the repetitive beat, then we will be reading a limerick and decoding how many beats per line there is and how the beats help to give the poem meaning
Next, we will be focusing on character point of view. Character point of view is new to students this year. It's not about first and third person, but we will be focusing more on how characters think and feel about what is happening in the story. We will also be finding text evidence that show what the character is thinking and feeling. We will also be discussing how two characters can have different opinion about the same event. To help us understand this story, we will be reading Diary of A Spider. We will read to examine the book and determine who's point of view the story is told from and notice with the illustrations the points of view of other characters in the story.
Last we will be focusing on poetry elements. During our poetry week, each day we will be focusing on a different poetry element such as rhyming words, alliteration, repetition and rhythm and how each give meaning to poems. First, we will be working with rhyming words, both identifying them within a poem and generating rhyming words. We will also be focusing on alliteration, which is the same sound being repeated within a sentence (see a short video below on it). Students will be able to both generate their own alliteration sentences and then they will be able to sort sentences on whether they have alliteration or not. Next they will be learning about repetition by reading one of the "There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A...." and we will be discussing how the repetitive lines help give meaning to the story. Then we will be working on rhythm. We will listen to a song first to hear the repetitive beat, then we will be reading a limerick and decoding how many beats per line there is and how the beats help to give the poem meaning
5 W's, Main Topic and Connections
In this unit, we will be working on 3 different standards. We will also be working with informational text, which means we are working with non-fiction text. We are first starting by reviewing the 5 W's again. This is a skill that many students are struggling with. They are great at asking questions, as I'm sure you know, but this skill requires students to look at a text and ask a question about the text that can be answered using evidence from the text. Just a reminder the 5 W's are who, what, when, where, why and how. To help students practice this skill we have been looking at the text we are reading and going paragraph by paragraph practicing asking questions and determining whether that question can be answered by only looking at that paragraph. You can practice this at home by reading any informational text book and going paragraph by paragraph and having your child ask a question about that paragraph and then answering their own question by telling you what sentence in the book answers their question.
We are also working on main topic. The main topic is what the text is mostly about. It can usually be found by looking at words that repeat throughout the text. The main topic is usually only 2-3 words at the most. Also included in this standard is looking at the focus of individual paragraphs. Usually an author has one overall main topic for the text or book but within each paragraph(s) the author will have a specific focus or point that they want you to focus on. When we were reading about Helen Keller, we were focusing on paragraphs that described how she would get upset and angry and cry for hours and the author wanted us to know that she was doing this because she was upset and frustrated that she couldn't communicate with those around her. We also read another paragraph that had us focusing on how she learned sign language by her teacher Annie Sullivan repeatedly signing letters into her hand and then presenting her with the object and she learned that things had names and how to ask for them. This past week we read "A Little History of A Big Seed" which talked about how seeds were spread from one place to another.
Another standard we are focusing on is connections. For this standard we are looking at how two things are connected or related. It could be two people, a person and an event, two events or two ideas. In non-fiction texts, connections occur between historical events, scientific ideas or steps in a technical procedure. This week with our text "A Little History of A Big Seed" we were looking at the connection between seeds and how they are spread to different locations. First, we looked at how dandelion spreads could be spread to far places. We learned that dandelion seeds could be spread to far places because the seeds are so small that they can be carried in the wind. For fruit trees we learned that they are spread thanks to animals. The seeds are located inside the fruit so they can't be carried in the wind like dandelion seeds, instead, animals eat the whole fruit and are unable to digest the seeds, so they are carried out of the animal in their poop and new fruit trees start to grow where animals have left their poop.
This week we will be continuing to practice all three standards with different texts.
We are also working on main topic. The main topic is what the text is mostly about. It can usually be found by looking at words that repeat throughout the text. The main topic is usually only 2-3 words at the most. Also included in this standard is looking at the focus of individual paragraphs. Usually an author has one overall main topic for the text or book but within each paragraph(s) the author will have a specific focus or point that they want you to focus on. When we were reading about Helen Keller, we were focusing on paragraphs that described how she would get upset and angry and cry for hours and the author wanted us to know that she was doing this because she was upset and frustrated that she couldn't communicate with those around her. We also read another paragraph that had us focusing on how she learned sign language by her teacher Annie Sullivan repeatedly signing letters into her hand and then presenting her with the object and she learned that things had names and how to ask for them. This past week we read "A Little History of A Big Seed" which talked about how seeds were spread from one place to another.
Another standard we are focusing on is connections. For this standard we are looking at how two things are connected or related. It could be two people, a person and an event, two events or two ideas. In non-fiction texts, connections occur between historical events, scientific ideas or steps in a technical procedure. This week with our text "A Little History of A Big Seed" we were looking at the connection between seeds and how they are spread to different locations. First, we looked at how dandelion spreads could be spread to far places. We learned that dandelion seeds could be spread to far places because the seeds are so small that they can be carried in the wind. For fruit trees we learned that they are spread thanks to animals. The seeds are located inside the fruit so they can't be carried in the wind like dandelion seeds, instead, animals eat the whole fruit and are unable to digest the seeds, so they are carried out of the animal in their poop and new fruit trees start to grow where animals have left their poop.
This week we will be continuing to practice all three standards with different texts.
5 W's, Fables and Folktales, Characters Response
These last two weeks in reading and next week, we will be working on three different skills.
The first is the 5 W's, what are the 5 W's you might ask, they are who, what, when, where, why and how. We've been learning how to use these 5 W's to ask and answer questions about what we are reading. We've also been working on asking questions that can be answered using evidence from the text. We've also discussed the difference between thick and thin questions. Thin questions are questions that can be easily answered and there's usually only one right answer. Questions like who are the characters? Where does the story take place? When does it take place (i.e. day/night, what season, a long time ago or now)? How many characters were there? Thick questions are harder questions to answer, they usually have more than one right answer and they require students to use what they already know AND evidence from the text. Examples of these types of questions are things like "What if the character had made a different choice, how would the story have changed? or "Why do you think they responded to the problem like they did."
The first is the 5 W's, what are the 5 W's you might ask, they are who, what, when, where, why and how. We've been learning how to use these 5 W's to ask and answer questions about what we are reading. We've also been working on asking questions that can be answered using evidence from the text. We've also discussed the difference between thick and thin questions. Thin questions are questions that can be easily answered and there's usually only one right answer. Questions like who are the characters? Where does the story take place? When does it take place (i.e. day/night, what season, a long time ago or now)? How many characters were there? Thick questions are harder questions to answer, they usually have more than one right answer and they require students to use what they already know AND evidence from the text. Examples of these types of questions are things like "What if the character had made a different choice, how would the story have changed? or "Why do you think they responded to the problem like they did."
The next skill we've been working on is how characters respond to events. For this skill, we first started be retelling the story using terms like characters, setting, problem, beginning, middle and end. We then focused in on the problem of the story and the main characters. We looked at the characters and how they responded to the problem that they faced, did they get mad, did they get sad, what steps did they take to try and solve their problem. For example in our story last week "Henry and Mudge," Henry was lonely because he didn't have any brothers or sisters and there were no kids that lived on his street. He first asked his parents for a brother, they said no. Then he asked to move to a different neighborhood, and they again said sorry, no. Last he asked for a dog and they agreed. He kept asking for different things to help him solve his loneliness.
The last skill that we are working on is examining fables and folktales and determining their central message or moral. This means we are looking to see what the characters in the story are learning (what lesson they learned) and then seeing if we could apply this lesson to our own lives. For example, last week we read the story "Henry and Mudge" in that story the main character learns that he shouldn't give up and he should keep trying. When he does, he ends up getting a dog. He also learns that dogs can make a really great friend. This week we are reading the folktale "How Chipmunk Got His Stripes" in this story, there are several different lessons to be learned, first that it's okay to be right, but not okay to tease others and second that nobody can do everything.