Strategies for Nonfiction Reading

The new VA SOL (2010) assessments reflect an increased emphasis on nonfiction text.  The percentage of questions reflecting nonfiction SOL are slightly below 50% in 3rd and 4th grade, and greater than 50% beginning in 5th grade.

Reading informational text requires different reading behavior.  Students must understand that all text does not reflect the plot structure that they are so familiar with from narrative text.  This page will include suggestions, links and materials to support effective instructional strategies for nonfiction.

NONFICTION TEXT FEATURES

Text Features Flip Book  This free download on Teachers Pay Teachers is a good anchor lesson to introduce features of nonfiction text.

BEFORE READING

Anticipation Guides are an effective strategy to prepare students to read informational text.  Anticipation guides set a purpose for reading and increase student engagement with the text.  They focus students' attention on the main ideas and key details in a piece of text.  Most importantly, they emphasize that good readers notice when they learn new things and change their thinking based on new information.

Examples and templates are linked below.


Pond Animals AG for use in a primary read-aloud lesson using the text, Animals in Their Habitats: Pond Animals, by Francine Galko
Dogs at Work AG for use with the mulit-level text Dogs at Work (www.readinga-z.com)
Dive Into a Coral Reef AG for use with the text Dive Into a Coral Reef! (www.readworks.org)
Extreme Animals AG for use with the text Extreme Animals! (www.readworks.org)

DURING READING

Check out these sources for printable and online nonfiction text.

Text Project  This site includes printable emergent and beginning readers, elementary level articles, and upper elementary text presenting multiple points of view on issues relevant to students.

Read Works  This site has an extensive collection of printable fiction and nonfiction text leveled by Lexile.  It is recommended that you review supporting materials carefully, as they may not be well-aligned to VA SOL.

Tween Tribune  This site includes current events articles for students to read online presented at three different text levels.

National Geographic Kids Animal Profiles  This site presents great information and photos of a variety of interesting animals.

National Geographic Explorer  Paper subscriptions must be purchased, but a projectable version of the current issue is available by clicking on More to Explore and then selecting Projectable Edition.  You can also view two levels of this text by using the Pioneer and Pathfinder tabs.

TEXT STRUCTURE

Understanding Text Structure  This free download on Teachers Pay Teachers is a great presentation of nonfiction text structures that upper elementary students need to recognize and understand.

AFTER READING



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