If you're looking for some problem and solution texts, here is a link to a short article that explains problems with honeybees and possible solutions:
Natives in the Garden
Showing posts with label text_structure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label text_structure. Show all posts
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Text Structure: Description
The text structure of description can go by various names. Some resources call it description; others call it statement and support; still others call it main idea/detail. Whatever it is called, this text structure is based on making a statement, and then supporting it with details.
Example:
The buttonbush is a plant that can be found along many rivers and streams. Although it can reach 15 feet tall, it usually only grows a few feet. Its flowers, about the size of a ping-pong ball, bloom through the summer. The flowers are replaced by brown, ball-like fruits in the autumn.
In the past, I've found description to be the easiest text structure to find,whether in textbooks, trade books, or magazines. One especially nice series is published by Peachtree. The latest one is About Raptors.
About Raptors
written by Cathryn Sill
illustrated by John Sill
Peachtree Publishing
All of the books in this series are written in a simple style. Each page contains only one sentence. There are about three main ideas in each book, supported by details. This book is an easy read, but the pictures and specific information make it worthwhile for read alouds even up through sixth grade. If you're looking for a place to start with description, these books would be a strong choice.
Example:
The buttonbush is a plant that can be found along many rivers and streams. Although it can reach 15 feet tall, it usually only grows a few feet. Its flowers, about the size of a ping-pong ball, bloom through the summer. The flowers are replaced by brown, ball-like fruits in the autumn.
In the past, I've found description to be the easiest text structure to find,whether in textbooks, trade books, or magazines. One especially nice series is published by Peachtree. The latest one is About Raptors.
About Raptors
written by Cathryn Sill
illustrated by John Sill
Peachtree Publishing
All of the books in this series are written in a simple style. Each page contains only one sentence. There are about three main ideas in each book, supported by details. This book is an easy read, but the pictures and specific information make it worthwhile for read alouds even up through sixth grade. If you're looking for a place to start with description, these books would be a strong choice.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Assessing Text Structure
At some point, teachers need to know: What do students know? What can they do independently? What do they still need support to do?
There are several ways to assess student use of text structures. Each of them can help a teacher to figure out where students area and what the next steps for instruction should be.
Graphic organizers: As students read expository text, you can learn a great deal by observing how they interact with text. Can they complete a graphic organizer to represent the ideas in the text? If not, the student might be struggling with the thinking that underlies the structure. You may want to see if students can do the kind of thinking outside of text. For example, if the student is having trouble with completing a graphic organizer that goes along with a cause and effect text, you may want to try some work with cause and effect in pictures.
Given a choice of organizers, can they choose the one that best fits the text structure? This shows a deeper understanding of how main ideas and details work together in a text. Hint: If a student chooses an incorrect graphic organizer (for example, trying to represent details from a text that is description with a chronological order graphic organizer), resist the urge to correct the student immediately. Often the problem will become obvious after a few sentences, and the student will be able to figure out how to fix the problem. What a great lesson this becomes!
Individual paragraphs: Observe students as they read paragraphs and try to identify the text structure of each. Are they able to do this? While this is not really authentic reading, it can tell you about what students are thinking as they read.
Longer texts: Assessing student use of text structure in longer texts doesn't have to mean a long, drawn-out assessment. Try putting questions about a longer text on the overhead and having students go back to the text to find the evidence to support their answers. Then watch them carefully as they start to look! For example, if the question about a problem and solution text is, "How can you try to solve the problem of invasive plants?", a student with a strong knowledge of text structure will know that solutions are probably found later in a text than problems. A student who starts at the beginning to reread the entire text, on the other hand, probably has a weaker understanding of text structure.
Open-ended questions related to the text structure can also help you to see how students are able to integrate the details and the text structure. Here are some questions for each text structure:
Chronological Order
Which event do you think is most important? Why? (Students will need to be able to pick out an event and explain its importance)
Cause and Effect
What were some effects of _______? (Students will need to isolate the effects in the text)
What caused ___________?
Problem and Solution
Why is ___________ a problem?
How was the problem of __________solved?
Compare and Contrast
How is _______ like ___________?
Authentic Reading
Probably the best way to see how kids are understanding text structure is to watch them in their authentic reading. Readers rarely stop to consider the text structure as they work through a text. However, students who understand text structure can use the structure to find the information they want.
Last week, several of my students worked their way through a tricky compare and contrast paragraph in a field guide as they tried to figure out if a pond bug was a backswimmer or a water boatman. "They both look so much the same," one student complained.
Another student took the field guide. At the bottom of the page was a lengthy discussion of how water boatmen and backswimmers are similar and different. "Yeah, but look at what it says," she said. "The water boatman swims upright, but the backswimmer looks like it's upside down. We definitely have a water boatman."
This is what we want for my students--to be able to use text structures to help them understand the world.
There are several ways to assess student use of text structures. Each of them can help a teacher to figure out where students area and what the next steps for instruction should be.
Graphic organizers: As students read expository text, you can learn a great deal by observing how they interact with text. Can they complete a graphic organizer to represent the ideas in the text? If not, the student might be struggling with the thinking that underlies the structure. You may want to see if students can do the kind of thinking outside of text. For example, if the student is having trouble with completing a graphic organizer that goes along with a cause and effect text, you may want to try some work with cause and effect in pictures.
Given a choice of organizers, can they choose the one that best fits the text structure? This shows a deeper understanding of how main ideas and details work together in a text. Hint: If a student chooses an incorrect graphic organizer (for example, trying to represent details from a text that is description with a chronological order graphic organizer), resist the urge to correct the student immediately. Often the problem will become obvious after a few sentences, and the student will be able to figure out how to fix the problem. What a great lesson this becomes!
Individual paragraphs: Observe students as they read paragraphs and try to identify the text structure of each. Are they able to do this? While this is not really authentic reading, it can tell you about what students are thinking as they read.
Longer texts: Assessing student use of text structure in longer texts doesn't have to mean a long, drawn-out assessment. Try putting questions about a longer text on the overhead and having students go back to the text to find the evidence to support their answers. Then watch them carefully as they start to look! For example, if the question about a problem and solution text is, "How can you try to solve the problem of invasive plants?", a student with a strong knowledge of text structure will know that solutions are probably found later in a text than problems. A student who starts at the beginning to reread the entire text, on the other hand, probably has a weaker understanding of text structure.
Open-ended questions related to the text structure can also help you to see how students are able to integrate the details and the text structure. Here are some questions for each text structure:
Chronological Order
Which event do you think is most important? Why? (Students will need to be able to pick out an event and explain its importance)
Cause and Effect
What were some effects of _______? (Students will need to isolate the effects in the text)
What caused ___________?
Problem and Solution
Why is ___________ a problem?
How was the problem of __________solved?
Compare and Contrast
How is _______ like ___________?
Authentic Reading
Probably the best way to see how kids are understanding text structure is to watch them in their authentic reading. Readers rarely stop to consider the text structure as they work through a text. However, students who understand text structure can use the structure to find the information they want.
Last week, several of my students worked their way through a tricky compare and contrast paragraph in a field guide as they tried to figure out if a pond bug was a backswimmer or a water boatman. "They both look so much the same," one student complained.
Another student took the field guide. At the bottom of the page was a lengthy discussion of how water boatmen and backswimmers are similar and different. "Yeah, but look at what it says," she said. "The water boatman swims upright, but the backswimmer looks like it's upside down. We definitely have a water boatman."
This is what we want for my students--to be able to use text structures to help them understand the world.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Text Structure, Text Structure, Text Structure
Here is a compendium of resources related to text structure. If you are having trouble downloading Slideshare presentations, it may be because your school district server is blocking Slideshare. Try downloading at home. Alternatively, most items are also posted at TeachersPayTeachers.com--search "emily kissner". (All of my items are free. I can't upload directly to Blogger, so I've been experimenting with other sites.)
Also, I'm working on the formatting for several other little books--if you are interested in receiving these, send me a message and I'll get them out to you.
-A blog post with a list of text structure picture books
-A Powerpoint presentation to introduce text structure to students
-A Powerpoint presentation to introduce younger students to comparing
-A Powerpoint presentation to introduce younger students to cause and effect
-A blog post with a link to a projectable book about cause and effect
-An assortment of paragraphs for teaching text structures
-An activity to help students understand causes and effects
-A Powerpoint presentation to help students understand the word structure (this is very important to understanding text structure!)
-A very simple projectable book using compare and contrast (written for kindergarten)
Enjoy! Leave a comment if you found something useful!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Cause and Effect with Frogs
Here is a projectable book that introduces the text structure of cause and effect. Eventually, I'll format it for use as a regular book as well.
I'm getting better with the projectable books...of course, it's helpful that the frogs at Kings Gap are so cooperative! This is just an introduction to cause and effect, of course, and isn't meant to be the literature that you teach. It would work well as a shared reading with a cause and effect graphic organizer.
Any comments?
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