Next Generation Content Area Reading – Professional Development (NGCAR-PD)

Text Structure Instruction

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Welcome! Find your nametag at your new content table. You will get a chance to introduce yourself very soon.

We react to text structures dailyWhen a book gets boring, I skip to the

dialogue.I can tell if it’s really “fruit” juice by

reading the first ingredient on the label.Unlike most text, the main idea (question

or task) of a math word problem is usually at the end.

A quick glance at a graph should look at the axes and any extreme peaks or drops.

I can get almost all the basics from the first paragraph of a news article.

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Round RobinThink Time:

What text structures did you encounter when studying your content in college?

What text structures do you encounter when preparing your lessons?

Are there any shortcuts or tricks to reading those particular types of texts?

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Round RobinShare Time (About 1 Minute Each): Introduce yourself.Talk about 1 text structure and a trick/short cut.

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1 Minute Each

•Introduction

•Text Structure

•Tip/Shortcut

What Strategies Should Be Taught?

In its review of more than 200 such studies, the National Reading Panel (2000) concluded that of the 16 categories of strategy instruction surveyed, seven appeared to have a firm scientific basis “for concluding that they improve comprehension in normal readers” (p. 4-42).

Among these strategies are comprehensionmonitoring, using graphic and semantic organizers, using the structure of stories/texts, answering questions, generating questions, and summarizing.

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Research suggests that:Teaching generic reading comprehension

strategies does have meritHowever, sole emphasis on generic

comprehension strategies may lead students to believe that all academic texts are more or less the same

Not all literacy skills can be transferred easily from one content area to another

What Strategies Should Be Taught?

Heller, R. & Greenleaf, C. (2007). Literacy Instruction in the Content Areas 7

Elements of Instruction

Building Reader Understandings

Students’ knowledge & skill in text structure is a foundation forother strategies.

Handout 1

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Text StructureHow text is organized

Expository (organizational patterns)Narrative (story grammar)

Understanding text structure facilitates: Form expectations Organize incoming information Judge relative importance Improve comprehension Enhance recall 9

Handout 2

Nonfiction Text FeaturesTablesGraphsDiagramsMapsCartoonsPhotographs & captions

Tables of contents Graphic captions Glossaries Indexes

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Text Structure

Different types of informational text:

ExpositoryArgumentationPersuasiveProcedural

Narrative text: Literary

Common expository organizational patterns: Compare/contrastSequence DescriptionCause/effectProblem-solution

Literary: story grammar Characters Setting Plot

major events problem solution

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Signal Words and PhrasesSignal Words and Phrases

Description Sequence Compare/Contrast Cause/Effect Problem/SolutionComparison Contrast

to begin withan examplefor instanceto illustrate such ascharacteristics arespecificallylooks likeappears to be

position words ssuch as between,across, behind

description words such as beautiful,interesting

firstsecondthird thenalwaysnowinitiallybeforeprecedingwhennextafterafterwardsnot long aftersoonsoon afterearlierlaterduringmeanwhile

alikesame as similarlysimilar tolikewiseadditionallyin addition tolikeneither/nor comparisonas well asbothin common

in contrastby contrastdifferent fromdifferenceunlikehoweverrather than insteadinstead ofyetbutneverthelessas opposed toalthoughas opposed tocompared toeven thougheither/orstillotherwise

sincesoso thatso due tobecausewhythenwhen …thenif...thenthis led toimpactaccordinglythereforethusreasons whyfor this reasonin order toeffects ofis caused byconsequently

the problem is . . the dilemma is …one answer is…one reason for … one ideaquestionthe solution is …to solve this..the resultresolvedresolution

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Handout 3

What type of text structure?DescriptionSequenceCompare and/or

ContrastCause/EffectProblem/Solution

SAMPLE TEXT

Charles commenced his reign in 1625. He continued to reign about twenty-four years. It will assist the reader to receive and retain in mind a clear idea of the course of events during his reign, if we regard it as divided into three periods. During the first, which continued about four years, Charles and the Parliament were both upon the stage, contending with each other, but just at open war. Each party intrigued, and maneuvered, and struggled to gain its own ends, the disagreement widening and deepening continually, till it ended in an open rupture, when Charles abandoned the plan of having Parliaments at all, and attempted to govern alone. This attempt to manage the empire without a legislature lasted for ten years, and is the second period. After this a Parliament was called, and it soon made itself independent of the king, and became hostile to him, the two powers being at open war. This constitutes the third period. Thus we have four years spent in getting into the quarrel between the king and Parliament, ten years in an attempt by the king to govern alone, and, finally, ten years of war, more or less open, the king on one side, and the Parliament on the other.

Directions:•Read text•Highlight significant words as you read to contrast:•signal words that connect ideas across text.•description words that are significant to the topic of the text.

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Handout 3

What type of text structure?DescriptionSequenceCompare and/or

ContrastCause/EffectProblem/Solution

SAMPLE TEXTIt seemed clear to the educated, upper-class colonists

that something needed to be done to persuade the lower class to join the revolutionary cause, to direct their anger against England. The solution was to find language inspiring to all classes, specific enough in its listing of grievances to fill people with anger against the British, vague enough to avoid class conflict, and stirring enough to build patriotic feelings.

Everything the Declaration of Independence was about – popular control over governments, the right of rebellion and revolution, fury at political tyranny, economic burdens, and military attacks – was well suited to unite large numbers of colonists and persuade even those who had grievances against one another to turn against England.

Directions:•Read text•Highlight significant words as you read to contrast:•signal words that connect ideas across text.•description words that are significant to the topic of the text.

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Variation in Text Complexity

Level of Text Complexity

Text Feature Easy More Challenging Complex

Text StructureHow the text is

organized & how it progresses

Simple More involved Elaborate

Very Conventional Somewhat conventional Unconventional

Reading passages increase in complexity when they:• have a second text structure within a primary text structure.• switch across multiple text structures throughout.

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Text Structure ComplexityPassage with Complex Text Structure

About fifty miles northwest of Cusco, Peru, is one of the seven wonders of the world -- Machu Picchu. This ancient city of the Incan Empire with its Temple of the Sun towers high above the Urubamba River Valley, the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The Intihuatana stone pointing toward the sun and the surrounding dry-stone buildings made of ashlars block attest to their masonry skill.

In March of 2011, I was on my way to see this relic of wonder. The train’s initial ascent whisked us past Spanish conquests through the foothills of the Andes. Then, as we climbed to higher elevations, numerous Inca fortresses could be seen, peeking out from rugged mountains cliffs. By the time the tracks came to a faltering halt, I soon experienced the first challenge of my journey – breathing.

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•Would you consider this text easy, moderate, or complex? • How many text structures are in this text sample?• What are the text structures?

Sequence Instruction – Explicit Delivery• Enlarge the passage for all students to see. • Read the passage aloud and highlight significant/relevant signal words/phrases while reading.• During instruction, conduct a think-aloud to show the thinking

process behind identifying signal words.• Next, use highlighted signal words /phrases to model how to organize text information using a graphic organizer• Draft a passage summary using information from the graphic

organizer. • Generate questions that match the text structure. • Post everything as a set for future reference:

• Enlarged passage with highlighted signal words/phrases• Completed graphic organizer• Summary statement• Questions

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Practice Recognizing Text Structures

Text Structure Graphic Organizer Activity

Purpose of text structure graphic organizers

Explanation of classroom lesson

Discussion of possible lesson extensions and modifications

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http://www.cleanvideosearch.com/media/action/yt/watch?v=7DQ2JSpj9aM

Text Structure Writing Frames

Compare and Contrast Paragraph

There are several differences between ______________ and They

. In contrast to , has . Unlike _____, does not

. On the other hand, .

Problem/Solution Paragraph

______________present(s) a dilemma that is___________. The problem is . This has occurred because

A resolution is/was possible. To solve it/this, it will be/has been necessary to _____________________________ ________________________________________________ The solution(s) include(s)__________________________________.

Writing Frames

•Writing frames are instructional support tools• Guide the writer toward constructing a paragraph with a specific text structure.• Write relevant content-area information in the blanks. • Refer to a list of signal words and phrases for the target text structure for more writing options

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Articles Organized by Text Structure

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http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/12/compare-contrast-cause-effect-problem-solution-common-text-types-in-the-times/

Summarizing using Text Structure

If your group has more than three, double up on section(s).

Read and summarize your sections.When EVERYONE is finished, share your

summary with your group.Discuss the “DQ”s!

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