Text Structure: Reading Texts and Reading on the Web

1. Text Structure: Reading Texts and Reading on the Web October 27 SanLee Literacy/Technology PD Danita Russell Instructional Technology Facilitator Dr. Lynn Warren 6-8 LA Instructional Coach

2. Previous Literacy/Technology Strategies • Everybody Read To…ERT • Setting a Purpose for Reading • Choral Reading • Jigsaw • Reciprocal Teaching • Read Aloud • Quick Write • Summarization (exposition and using Cornell notes)

3. Verbal Visual Word Association • Self Selected Reading and Silent Sustained Reading • Authentic Repeated Reading • WORDLE • Audacity

4. Today’s New Strategies • Text structure for print text and Internet reading • Webquest • Jog the Web

5. What Is Text Structure? • It is how the author has organized the essential information/ideas in the text. • Text patterns are structured hierarchically to establish main ideas and details—what is important and less important.

6. Text patterns of organization bind together the complex system of paragraphs and are called macrostructures. (Relationships that bind together individual sentences into a coherent structure are microstructures.)

7. Narrative Text Structure • Story---Setting, main character(s), problem, goal, action, resolution This familiar text structure makes it relatively easy for the reader to predict story events.

8. Expository Text Structures Main Idea and Detail • Listing • Sequence • Description • Cause/Effect* • Comparison/Contrast* • Problem/Solution • We will look at the internet and how it is structured for students to find the main ideas and details in reading. *Tend to be harder

9. Research Support for Teaching Text Structure • Readers who are sensitive to the organization of the text are likely to differentiate between main ideas and details. • Students benefit from direct instruction in text structure. • Almost any approach to teaching text structure improves both comprehension and recall of key text information . • Knowledge of content text structure promotes writing in that domain.

10. Research (continued) • Several studies point out that many students, especially low-income students, may be low users of technology—interacting only in basic ways at home and at school. • Technological literacy should be taught explicitly and integrated into the content areas in meaningful ways.

11. Teaching Text Structures • Graphic representations—concept maps • Series of events chain • Venn Diagram (compare-contrast) • Semantic map • Flowchart • Problem-Solution Outline • And others like free-form mapping—student designed • Reading Guides (Set up the guide like the structure of the text. Ex. Here are the causes. Please match to the effects.) • Outlines

12. Teaching Text Structures • Writing increases knowledge of text structures and causes students to think like writers. • Teacher modeling and think alouds while reading/writing • Use One-Sentence Summary Frames for Common Text Structures (from Project CRISS) Description: 1. A ______ is a kind of _______that … Compare/Contrast 2. __X____ and __y__ are similar in that they both …., but __x__, while __y__ …

13. Sequence 3. _____ begins with…, continues with…, and ends with … • Problem/Solution 4. _____wanted…,but…, so… • Cause/Effect 5. _____ happens because….

14. Content and Text Structure Examples • Science—description, cause-effect, scientific method • Social Studies—time sequence, problem-solution, compare-contrast • Math—Sequence, compare-contrast, problem-solution • Literature-story grammar • Computer skills—sequence, problem-solution • Authors rarely used these patterns exclusively, but they will be predominant in sections of text

15. Text Structure and the Internet • Internet reading differs from content text reading in important ways • Amount and type of information can yield no overall text structure or multiple dominant structures • Distinguishing important from less important info more of a challenge with multiple texts, multiple authors • Not linear • Topic or main idea may differ as you search—judge relevancy • Can take you to a higher or lower reading level • Judging validity of information critical