Students in upper levels are now required to read informational texts as part of state and national standards, yet many have never been taught the foundational standards for understanding those resources. With the new semester just beginning, start with a mini-lesson on addressing these foundations.
- Define key terms and organizational structures/terms for reading informational texts:
- Preface/introduction
- Table of contents
- Glossary
- Index
- Appendix
- Explain informational text features:
- Titles, headings, subheadings
- Sidebars
- Captions
- Font changes (bold, italics, highlighting)
- Author notes
- Discuss graphic features and their uses/significance:
- Charts, graphs, diagrams
- Illustrations or photographs
- Labels, Insets
- Timelines
- Maps
- Introduce the ideas of bias and perspective:
- Identification of bias
- Value of multiple perspectives
- Influence/Impact of perspective or bias
Helping students master these basics will help them to not only excel in school, but also in other ventures outside of the academic setting where informational text is standard.
Need a great activity to review Geography basics and address informational text skills? Take a look at my Geography Skills Review from my TpT Store!
Happy Teaching!