Group items tagged

This pack of text samples is designed to help children learn the essence of each text type. Please note that these texts have been specially written so that they do conform to the same rules. They should be seen simply as a basis. Once children have assimilated these and are regularly using them in their writing, they should be encouraged to look at variations and more sophisticated models. It is assumed that the order of teaching is as follows: * Teacher reads texts and encourages the class to suggest what the framework is (shared reading) * Teacher shows more texts and encourages children to see if their framework still applies (shared reading) * Teacher uses framework to model their own writing (modelled writing) * Teacher and children write a text between them using the framework (shared writing) * Groups of children write texts with teacher support (guided writing) * Children write texts independently (independent work/extended writing)

Reading and Writing in the Content Areas eWorkshop: Identifying Text Structure in Informational Writing

Text structure refers to the ways that authors organize information in text. For example, some texts are organized as a chronological sequence of events, while others compare two or more things. Teaching students to recognize the underlying structure of content-area texts can help students focus attention on key concepts and relationships, anticipate what's to come, and monitor their comprehension as they read.

Types of Text

Teaching Students Feature Article Writing and Informational Reading

Retelling Rubric for Informational Text

Unit 1 (6 weeks) Reading Informational Texts

Mentor Text: USA today article and lesson plan

"This lesson helps students understand copyright, fair use, and plagiarism by focusing on why students should avoid plagiarism and exploring strategies that respect copyright and fair use. The lesson includes three parts, each framed by a KWL chart. In the first part, focusing on plagiarism, students discuss plagiarism and look at examples to determine whether the passages are plagiarized. Part two introduces copyright and fair use. Students use a Think-Pair-Share strategy to explore questions about fair use, then read several scenarios and determine if the uses described are fair use. In the third part, students develop paraphrasing skills through direct practice with paraphrasing text book passages using an online notetaking tool."

"Welcome to the official Web site for the 2001 American-Canadian Mt. Everest Expedition, brought to you by Touchstone Energy. This educational Web site is designed for teachers and students in elementary and middle school grades. Although Ed Hommer's goal of being the first double amputee to reach the summit of the world's tallest mountain was not achieved, you can read his and other team members' journal entries from Mt. Everest in the Reading Trail section. The expedition was forced to end its quest in October after running out of time and into bad weather. To learn more about this expedition, click on Expedition Basecamp. Included in this site are over 30 lesson plans that address core learning objectives in reading, math, science and social studies. Each lesson plan includes: * A motivating introduction including student directions and learning objectives * Resources students use to complete the lesson (expedition journals and related data, bibliographies, Web site links, etc.) * A student worksheet that can be printed * Assessment strategies and formats "

"Have your students conduct research and write original works of nonfiction on topics of their choice. Students may wish to work collaboratively on this project as coauthors or author-illustrator teams. "

Great examples of non-chronological reports for students including a checklist for self-assessment

Another great resource for online info texts

Great resource for age appropriate non-fiction informational texts