Strategies that Work Teaching for Understanding and Engagement

1. Strategies that WorkTeaching for Understanding and Engagement Workshop 8: Non-fiction Comprehension Strategies Debbie Draper, Julie Fullgrabe & Sue Eden

2. Agenda for the day 9:00 – Introduction / Reflection 9:30 – Fiction and non-fiction differences Non-fiction text features Non-fiction text types / genre Non-fiction text structures Signal words Graphic Organisers 12:30 Lunch 1:15 – Comprehension Strategies Determining Importance in texts Summarising Synthesising Feedback process / Exit Slips 3:45 Close 10:30 – 11:00 Morning Tea

3. What evidence is there that comprehension is a focus at your site?

4. Time for Non-Fiction Part 1 1:40

5. Learning Environment – School & Classroom What can you see in classrooms and the staffroom? What plans, resources etc? Environmental Print Anchor Charts Resources Libraries $ People Staff Meeting Agendas / PD timetable Environmental Print Word Walls Improvement Plan Data Walls

6. Time for Non-Fiction Part 4 1:22

7. Process - how you learn & teach Using data to inform Gradual Release of Responsibility Professional Learning Communities Differentiation practices Observation / Walk Throughs

8. Time for Non-Fiction Part 2 1:09

9. Content - what you learn & teach Professional development for staff What strategies (students)? Lessons? What texts & resources for staff?

10. Products What evidence is there of staff and student learning? Assessment practices Teacher developed resources Teacher programmes Performance Development processes

11. Module 1: Effective Professional Learning and Comprehension • Module 2:Monitoring Comprehension • Module 3:Making Connections • Module 4: Maths & Comprehension • Module 5:Questioning Strategies • Module 6:Inferencing • Module 7: Visualising and Visual Texts • Module 8:Non-fiction reading strategies • Module 9:Fluency and Automaticity • Module 10:Vocabulary

12. How are fiction and non-fiction texts different? The kapok tree, Ceibapentandra, is a large, deciduous, tropical tree that is native to tropical America, Africa, and the East Indies. The flowers are pollinated and the seeds are spread by fruit bats. Anatomy: This fast-growing tree is generally from 45 to over 100 feet (14-30 m) tall; the kapok is the tallest tree in Africa. It has pink, white, or yellow night-blooming flowers borne in clusters. The green leaves are lanceolate (lance shaped) and palmately compound (with 5 to 9 leaflets). Uses: The light-weight silky down from the seed pods (sometimes called Java cotton) is used as pillow stuffing, sleeping bag stuffing, life jacket stuffing, furniture upholstery, insulation, and for other uses. The yellow-green oil from the seeds is used in foods and to manufacture soap. Young leaves are also cooked and eaten; the wood from this tree is also used. Classification: Division Magnoliophyta, Class Magnoliopsida, Subclass Dilleniidae, Order Malvales, Family Bombacaceae. Sometimes referred to as narrativevsexpository text

14. Teaching about it • Read two texts – one fiction and the other non-fiction on the same topic to students each day for a week or so. • Ask students to brainstorm similarities and differences. • Create an anchor chart with students.

17. Blurring of the lines

18. http://www.youtube.com/user/groenbrothers#p/u/23/TYIOIM6hHBk

19. Challenges of Non-Fiction Text Content challenges - read to learn new information outside of their own world Vocabulary challenges - unique to subject matter, requires a high level of word analysis Text structure challenges - lack of experience with text type Text feature challenges - formatting—diagrams, captions, charts, maps, graphs...

20. Terminology • Text Types • Genre • Text Form • Text Features • Text Structures

21. Text Types / Genre / Text Form letter poster blog debate advertisement

22. Non-fiction Text Features • Revisit the differences between fiction an non-fiction texts • What special features of non-fiction texts have you noticed? • NB: This process could be used for non-fiction digital texts as well

23. Non-fiction Text Features Match

24. Teaching about it • Revisit the non-fiction books (or look at others, use IWB etc) • Locate with students some of the features they notice • Create a list with students – introducing the correct vocabulary for each feature • Talk about the purpose of each text feature

25. Block Diagram with cut-aways http://k-8visual.info/

26. Cut away diagram with detail http://k-8visual.info/

27. Diagram with colour coding head body abdomen leg mandible antenna http://k-8visual.info/ eye

29. Exploded diagram http://k-8visual.info/

30. Numbered Diagram http://k-8visual.info/

31. Scale Diagram http://k-8visual.info/

32. Flow Chart http://k-8visual.info/

33. Maps http://k-8visual.info/

34. Tree Diagram http://k-8visual.info/

35. Storyboard http://k-8visual.info/

36. Table http://k-8visual.info/

37. Picture Glossary http://k-8visual.info/

39. Teaching about it Text Feature Purpose Example

43. http://www.teachingcomprehension.org/ Brainstorm a list of text features. Create a space on the wall. Ask your students how much space should be dedicated to each text feature (usually pictures and captions take up the most space and italicised words take up very little.) Draw dividing lines and label each box with the name of a feature. Provide stacks of resources for students to cut out. Have students cut out text features and glue them on the mural.

44. Interactive Whiteboard Resources