Module 2: Content-Area Literacy

1. Module 2:Content-Area Literacy Adolescent Literacy – Professional Development Unit 3, Session 2

2. Text Considerations, Part 1 Exploring Text Structure

3. Essential Questions • Module 2 Question • What role can content-area teachers play in helping adolescents acquire general and discipline-specific literacy skills? • Unit 3, Session 2 Questions • What are some of the most common text structures in expository texts? • How might explicit instruction of text structures help increase students’ understanding of content-area material? Module 2: Unit 3, Session 2

4. Warm Up: What Should We Consider? • Vocabulary • Sentence Structure • Length • Elaboration • Coherence and Unity • Text Structure • Familiarity of Content and Background Knowledge Required • Audience Appropriateness • Quality and Verve of the Writing • Interestingness Graves, M., & Graves, B. (2003). Chapter 9: Assessing text difficulty and accessibility. These components are discussed in greater detail in other sessions

5. Warm Up: What Should We Consider? • Vocabulary • Sentence Structure • Length • Elaboration • Coherence and Unity • Text Structure • Familiarity of Content and Background Knowledge Required • Audience Appropriateness • Quality and Verve of the Writing • Interestingness Graves, M., & Graves, B. (2003). Chapter 9: Assessing text difficulty and accessibility. In pairs, or trios, take a few min. to review what Graves & Graves had to say about these elements – be prepared to report back to the group!

6. Signal Words and Text Structure • The following categories represent a few major text structures (organizing principles) found in content-area texts: • Description • Cause and Effect • Comparison and Contrast • Ordering and Sequencing • Problem and Solution • What words would you expect to see in a text that might signal the presence of one or more of these structures? Module 2: Unit 3, Session 2

7. Signal Words • Words that often reveal the presence of a particular text structure • Helping students identify signal words/structures may reveal the overall purpose of the text they are reading • What words did you suggest for each category? Module 2: Unit 3, Session 2

8. Description or Concept Definition Position Words • Above • Across • Behind • Below • In front of • Outside • Under Adjectives • Acidic • Fluffy • Rough • Shiny • Spherical • Oblong • Yellow Sensory Phrases • Appears to be • Feels like • Looks like • Sounds like • Tastes like Question Words: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How? For additional signal words, see: http://www.somers.k12.ny.us/intranet/reading/signalwords.html Module 2: Unit 3, Session 2

9. Cause and Effect • accordingly • as a result of • because • begins with • consequently • effects of • finally • first • for this reason • how to • how • if...then • in order to • is caused by • leads/led to • may be due to • next • so that • steps involved • therefore • thus • when...then For additional signal words, see: http://www.somers.k12.ny.us/intranet/reading/signalwords.html Module 2: Unit 3, Session 2

10. Comparison and Contrast • although • as well as • as opposed to • both • but • compared with • different from • either...or • even though • however • instead of • in common • on the other hand • otherwise • similar to • similarly • still • yet For additional signal words, see: http://www.somers.k12.ny.us/intranet/reading/signalwords.html Module 2: Unit 3, Session 2

11. Ordering/Sequencing • after • afterward • as soon as • before • during • finally • first • following • immediately • initially • later • meanwhile • next • not long after • now • on (date) • preceding • second • soon • then • third • today • until • when For additional signal words, see: http://www.somers.k12.ny.us/intranet/reading/signalwords.html Module 2: Unit 3, Session 2

12. Problem/Solution or Process/Cause • accordingly • as a result of • because • begins with • by…(action) • concerned • consequently • cost • could be • despite • effects of • fault • finally • first • for this reason • how to • how • if...then • In fact • in order to • is caused by • leads/led to • may be due to • next • prior • problem • so that • steps involved • therefore • thus • when...then For additional signal words, see: http://www.somers.k12.ny.us/intranet/reading/signalwords.html Module 2: Unit 3, Session 2

13. A Few Examples • Understanding Text Structures • A slideshow of sample paragraphs, structures, and signal words • By Emily Kissner • http://www.slideshare.net/elkissn/understanding-text-structures Module 2: Unit 3, Session 2

14. Are These the Only Text Structures? • Certainly not … In fact, more complex texts, within discipline-specific purposes, may have more complicated structures. • Advanced Structure: Propositions/Supports • Signal words such as: opinion, belief, idea, hypothesis, theory, proof, evidence • How might this structure operate in advanced Math, Science, and History texts? Module 2: Unit 3, Session 2

15. So, Why Does this Matter? • Researchers have found: • “Text structure and student awareness of text structure are highly related to reading comprehension”. • “Explicit instruction in the physical presentation of text and/or text structure facilitates reading comprehension”. Dickson, Simmons, & Kame’enui (1995). Text organization and its relation to reading comprehension: A synthesis of research. Module 2: Unit 3, Session 2

16. So, How Do We Teach Structure? • Provide Explicit Instruction • Introduce categories of text structures • Provide model paragraphs • Ask students to write model paragraphs • Ask students to find “signal words” • Ask students to determine the major purpose of text • Provide graphic organizers related to structure For more ideas, see: http://www.adlit.org/strategies/23336 Module 2: Unit 3, Session 2

17. So, How Do We Teach Structure? • Model Different Text Structures • Overheads/PPT/smart board/handouts • Read-alouds of sample paragraphs • “Think Aloud” about signal words • “Think Aloud” about particular purposes • Model highlighting of words/note-taking • Model the use of graphic organizers For more ideas, see: http://www.adlit.org/strategies/23336 Module 2: Unit 3, Session 2

18. So, How Do We Teach Structure? • Examining Samples and Creating Our Own • Presenting students with sample paragraphs for each structure you teach (to be put in a folder) • Examining topic sentences for clues to structure • Modeling the writing of particular structures, including key signal words • Asking students to write their own sample paragraphs (different structures) for the same content-area material From the National Education Association: http://www.nea.org/tools/18412.htm Module 2: Unit 3, Session 2

19. So, How Do We Teach Structure? • Create and Use Graphic Organizers • Which organizers might best suit particular readings, purposes, text-structures? • Web: Description/Concept-definition • Flowchart: Ordering/Sequencing • Venn Diagram: Comparison/Contrast For sample structures/graphic organizers, see: http://www.adlit.org/strategies/23336 Module 2: Unit 3, Session 2

20. Examples of Graphic Organizers Problem-Solution Module 2: Unit 3, Session 2

21. Examples of Graphic Organizers Module 2: Unit 3, Session 2

22. Examples of Graphic Organizers Comparison / Contrast Module 2: Unit 3, Session 2

23. Text Analysis • Consider the Texts You Brought to this Session • What major text structures do you notice? • What signal words would you want to highlight? • Which graphic organizer might help students? • Using a content-area text brought to the session, how might you highlight the structure of the text to help students better understand the concepts/content? Module 2: Unit 3, Session 2

24. Wrap-Up • Things to Remember: • Explicitly highlighting/teaching text structure in content-area classes may improve students’ understanding of discipline-specific texts. • Teaching text structure is just one of many strategies for helping students understand content-area materials Module 2: Unit 3, Session 2

25. Further Study • Try introducing text structure/signal words/ structure-oriented graphic organizers in your classes. Then note the following: • What happened? What worked well? What challenges did you encounter? • Which text structures are most common in your discipline? • What discipline-specific structures might you identify and teach? Module 2: Unit 3, Session 2

26. References Dickson, S. V., Simmons, D. C., & Kameenui, E. J. (1995). Text organization and its relation to reading comprehension: A synthesis of research. Eugene, OR: National Center to Improve the Tools of Educators. Piccolo, J.A. (1987). Expository text structure: Teaching and learning strategies. The Reading Teacher, 40, 838–847. Adlit.org — Text Structure National Education Association – Text Structure Module 2: Unit 3, Session 2