Text Structures and Features

When I was growing up, there was little thought to the type of text we were reading. I followed assignments, read the stories in the primer, and answered questions. It did not occur to me that we should read differently for different types of text. To be honest, this thought did not occur to me until I became a teacher, and more specifically, when I first taught third grade. I remember doing a STAR practice test the week before doomsday (the actual STAR test), and my students performed horribly on an informational passage. The questions seemed really difficult unless you read the passage for the structure of expository text. Once you pulled out the supporting details each paragraph detailed about the topic, the answers were clear. This required the reader to identify the type of text, understand how the text was organized, examine the relationships within and among the paragraphs, and then relate them to the questions being asked. From then on out, I made understanding genres part of my reading instruction along with learning to distinguish among them, and determining what types of organizers would help the reader unpack the text. Common Core has clearly identified the need for students to understand diverse genres and their elements. This emphasis seems very appropriate to me given my experiences with working with students. While the fact that we have two separate categories of standards to elucidate the importance of explicitly teaching types of text, today I want to look at standard 5.

Craft and Structure: College and Career Readiness Anchor Standard 5:

Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole. (CCSS)

Students are expected to know how different types of texts are organized, distinguish among types of genres, and determine how the separate parts relate to the whole. When examining standard 5 for grades K-5 for literature, the types of texts mentioned include stories, poems, dramas, and prose. Traditionally, these categories were easily distinguished by stories/prose being in paragraph format, poems being written in stanzas, and dramas including a speaker before the sentence. Modern writers certainly blur these lines and can make classifying text more challenging. However, for the elementary classroom, teachers can easily select text that keeps these categories clear to build basic building blocks. The venn diagram  examines some of the basic features that distinguish poetry and narratives. Dramas are similar to narratives except that the organization is related to the speaker rather than paragraph format and that white space may be used to signify the change in characters.

Standard five for informational texts specifically examines text features and structures. Students are expected to differentiate among the different types of texts as early as kindergarten. Throughout the grade levels, students increasingly become more responsible for understanding the structure of texts, the significance of their impact on the development of the text, and the dissection of the relationships between parts, wholes, and the text progression. The set of differentiated task cards to the left support instruction and independent practice of expository text features for primary grades. These skills are essential building blocks since students in fourth and fifth grades need to be able to identify the type of text organization or structure– i.e. cause and effect, problem/solution, comparison, etc). Although some literature standards do not examine the relationship between narratives to expository text, this distinction is later made in the informational texts standards. Therefore, it is critical that students understand the features and structures that distinguish different types of texts from a basic to more complex level throughout the grades.

So how does standard 5 impact our instruction in the classroom? Students need to analyze texts from an early age, identify features that genres have in common. Primary teachers may begin the year by having students sort books as they read them aloud, then delve into the library and examine how the books can be sorted by genre. Text identification should become part of every story that is read. Perhaps instead of scaffolding the story before reading, the class can examine the text structures and features to determine what they are reading for. What type of organizer would work to keep track of our thinking about a text? What can we expect to find in the text? Thinking about comprehension strategy instruction, this relates to predictions. Rather than just predicting events, readers can predict the type of text they will be reading. Readers of all grade levels will benefit from examining texts closely to understand and determine the features and structures to improve comprehension. And, as with all vocabulary, the language of the discipline needs to be part of their every day discussions so that it becomes how they articulate their ideas.

Vocabulary and Multiple Meanings…Not So Uncommon

The Common Core Standards have a renewed focus on vocabulary development across the grade levels. While this is not a new concept, there is certainly more clarity and dissection in approaching the variety in the type of words students should learn, as well as the skills students should develop to become proficient at their grade level. Certainly one of the prevailing  themes within the Language Acquisition and Use standard 4 for grades K-5 is that students should be able to determine the meaning of unknown and multiple meaning words. Clearly this should reflect an increase in the complexity of language students encounter as texts become more complex, but students of all levels should be grappling with these concepts.

The College and Career Readiness (CCR) Standard 4 for Language is as follows:

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.

CCR 4 examines the role of the reader in actively making meaning while reading. Readers need a variety of skills to support them in attaining this standard, such as knowledge of multiple meanings, affixes, context clues, and how to use resources. Students must become attuned to when they don’t know the meaning of words, and actively apply strategies to determine meaning.  Therefore, teachers must teach the strategy of inferring for word meaning across the grade levels, focusing both on using clues both within the word and within the context to gain insight into meaning.

It is evident that for this standard, students will need to grapple with complex text that allows them to explore the nuances of language beyond the literal.  For example, the word “interesting” can mean a variety of messages as the word alone does not necessarily convey the writer’s or speaker’s intention. It could mean fascinating, it could mean boring, it could mean different. Without further explanation, the word by itself is nondescript. If someone tells a story and the listener nods his head, rubs his chin, and replies, “Interesting,” the word could mean something worth contemplating. If the speaker comments on a how a meal was prepared as, “The meal was…interesting,” he or she may be communicating that it was different, but not necessarily tasty. The pause within the sentence sets a tone, as well as the word choice of interesting. If the meal was delicious, then interesting wouldn’t be an appropriate choice. It is possible the meal was not good at all, but the speaker was looking for a descriptive word that would not be offensive. (This would especially be true if the context included that the chef or host of the meal was someone of respect.) Sometimes the absence of stronger word choice sends a message as well as the selection of powerful words. Therefore, readers must examine words that are selected (and at times, omitted) for their basic meaning, but also analyze the context and tone to determine the essence of the message behind the words.Students need to engage with multiple meanings during reading, but it is also helpful to examine common words students know that have multiple meanings and focus the classroom discussion on how words get their meaning. Sometimes we take for granted that a concept as simple as a “word” can really be quite a loaded discussion. What is a word? Why do we have words? How do words gain their meaning? We have a tendency to talk about words all the time, but not really examine the very essence of its meaning and purpose. Perhaps this can help students refocus their attention on the marvel of words and how finding new words is like opening a treasure chest.

In order to help support teachers, I have created this set of differentiated task cards that focus on the guided or independent practice of multiple meanings. New words give children (and adults!) better access to clear communication, and clarity in expressing ideas. When students understand new vocabulary, and engage with it in meaningful ways, they become empowered. I have often seen kids try out their new words on family and friends, and wear them with a sense of pride. Even my three year old son likes to bring up new words, and through repeated rereading, is able to tell me the meaning of words such as ajar and eider. I hope that as you explore new language with your students, they become entrenched in the excitement and power of vocabulary, as I do with my  son.

Discourse and Debate

As a teacher, I have spent many years developing my understanding of children in the 7-9 year old range. Now that I have my own child, I find it infinitely fascinating to watch him grow from the ground up. I suppose that was the great interest of Piaget, and in watching my son, I realize he is a unique individual with unique experiences like all children. However, watching him make mathematical sense of our world is both delightful and entertaining at times. He was a late bloomer when it comes to speaking. It wasn’t until shortly after age two that he began really expressing himself verbally, and that we could gain some insight into how he processed his world. We had spent much time counting, especially the 13 stairsteps in our house. Counting to 13 seem to come easily to him, learning three numbers at a time. What was especially interesting was when he first began speaking in 2-3 word phrases and he noticed that both of his grandmas were in the kitchen with him. He looked back and forth out them, and said with delight, “Two gras!” Since then, he has shown how he explores our world mathematically by choosing to count different objects and people. Although he may not really understand the concepts, it is fascinating to hear him use mathematical terms in his daily conversation. He has expressed numbers such as 20 1/2, 100, and 1000, and looked at objects and said, “I’m trying to find how many inches,” as he demonstrates his own form of measuring. His learning is certainly not linear, and he is absorbing far more than what I intentionally work on with him.

So how does this relate to my topic? It is through conversation that I gain insights into my son’t thinking. As a toddler, these discussions are rather short, however, questioning still plays a role. How many do you see? Which is more? How much do you want? The importance of dialogue does not change as children get older. Unfortunately, we don’t have the leisure of much one-on-one time with a classroom full of students, and it is easy to fall into the pattern of teacher talking and students “listening.” However, learning is not a passive role, and without discourse, we don’t really know what students are thinking. Conversations play a central role to eliciting student misconceptions, conjectures, and big ideas. Conversations can allow for us to probe student thinking, scratch away the surface, and develop enduring understanding. Conversations will tell us more than any test alone.

So how do we give students more time to talk? Put them in the driver’s seat. Instead of leading the lesson, pose problem situations that students can grapple with and debate. Be the facilitator, rather than the leader of the classroom conversation. And when kids really don’t agree, then organize a debate. Students love this opportunity to defend their thinking, and it forces them to analyze the nuances of the problem to develop a greater understanding. It is also memorable, which has a lasting effect.

Other tools for giving students more talk time include pair-share thinking frequently throughout a lesson, conferring with students one-on-one, in pairs, or small groups during independent work time, and strategic student share outs. When students are ready to support each other in their learning, I put them in collaborative groups to discuss their strategies and efficiency with concepts. I call these small group  activities “Math Chats.” They are differentiated cards that groups of 3-4 work with to discuss their thinking behind a concept. Students are encouraged to offer different perspectives and analyze how their strategies make the problem friendlier.

Unpacking Common Core

I have spent countless hours unpacking the old standards, and in beginning to unpack the literature standards for common core, I am finding it a bit challenging. Of course, I think I could have started with a simpler standard, but as it is, I decided to kickstart my differentiated task cards for common core with reading literature standard 6, which is essentially examining point of view. To get a better understanding, I examined the standard from Kindergarten through Grade 3. I looked at what ideas kids need to know, skills kids need to be able to do, and bigger ideas they need to understand. In my research, I came across a book by Lucy Calkins, Pathway to the Common Core, Accelerating Acheivement. Her first two chapters are posted online, and one of the major changes she defines between the common core standards and old standards is the focus on textual analysis. There is much depth in the area of comprehension in common core, however, there is little in relation to personal response. That “ah-ha” for me really helped illustrate why it was so challenging to unpack and differentiate this standard. This focus on text structure is very different than what I am accustomed to. I searched a variety of places to get better acquainted with the essence of point of view. Most of what I found was the goal for upper grade and beyond, which really helped me examine how the primary grades build to that point. Therefore, point of view in the primary grades is pieces of point of view, which build towards a larger meaning. For a quick tutorial on what point of view really is, check out this video on youtube.

 You can find the results of my efforts in unpacking this standard for grades K-3, lesson ideas for grades K-3, an overview of point of view, and 8 differentiated task cards on point of view for 2nd grade by clicking on the button to the left and downloading the free packet on teacherspayteachers.com. Also , please visit my literacy tab to see examples of how this standard would look across the grade levels K-5. Please give me feedback on what you think. I would love to hear from you.

To learn more about how the differentiated task cards were developed, check out the differentiated literacy centers tab underneath the  literacy tab above.

When does “One size fits all” really work?

Have you ever bought a piece of clothing that says “One size fits all?” I have, and you know what? It didn’t fit. If one item could truly match the needs of all, it would need to be flexible, dynamic, and perhaps, miraculous! The same is true in learning. Students have different needs, even if they are in the same grade level, same class, same reading group etc. Students can’t fit into “one size fits all.” Teachers need to anticipate, plan, and differentiate to match the needs of the learners. Differentiated Literacy Centers was designed with this in mind.