The Rock Stars of
Santa Rosa County
Berryhill
Central
Elementary
School
Dixon
East
Milton
Intermediate
Elementary
Gulf
Breeze
Elementary
Pea Ridge
Rhodes
Russell
Elementary
Elementary
Elementary
Today’s Playlist
• Informational ITunes
Participants will understand the importance of
informational text and its unique features and
structures
• Soulful Strategies
Participants will gain knowledge of strategies
that will assist students in comprehending
informational text
• History Hip Hop
Participants will gain ideas for Deepening
Content knowledge and integrating studies
weekly into the literacy block
Why Informational text?
According to research, informational
text…
• Is the key to success in school
• Surrounds us as adult readers
informational text Is All
Around us
Informational
Text
Pillowcase Activity
Informational
Text
Newspapersports
section
Cookbook
Purpose for
Reading
To read the
write up about
the game
Look up
recipe for
supper
Strategies
Used
Used index to find
sports section;
skimmed to find the
headline (heading)
Title pages and
skimmed to find
name of dish
Why Informational text?
According to research, informational
text…
• Is the key to success in school
• Surrounds us as adult readers
• Is the favorite reading material for
some children
Why Informational text?
According to research, informational
text…
• Is the key to success in school
• Surrounds us as adult readers
• Is the favorite reading material for
some children
• Builds background knowledge about
the world
Why Informational text?
According to research, informational
text…
• Is the key to success in school
• Surrounds us as adult readers
• Is the favorite reading material for
some children
• Builds background knowledge about
the world
• Builds vocabulary and literacy skills
Informational Text
How is it different?
Text Features
Print
Features
titles, subtitles, captions, bullet
points, sidebars, headings, bold and
italic print, pronunciation guides
Graphic
Features
photographs, charts, graphs, maps,
timelines, diagrams, labels, insets,
cutaways, cross-sections, tables
Organizational
Features
table of contents, glossary, index
Using Text Features
as we read
Make
Predictions/
Ask
Questions
Find the
Main Idea
We can use
text
features
to…
Organize
the Text
Summarize
the Text
Text structure
• Text structure refers to how a specific
piece of text is “built” or organized.
• Writers use different structures to
build their ideas and each structure
communicates the ideas in a unique way.
Compare
and
Contrast
Problem/
Solution
Cause and
Effect
Descriptive
Chronology
Why is text structure
important?
• When students can identify the text
structure it Helps them set a
purpose or plan for reading
• When students can identify the text
structure, they can comprehend the
text more easily and retain the
information longer
• According to the standards,
students must be able to compare the
structure between 2 or more texts
Putting the pieces together
Determine
overall focus
Bring in
additional
texts about
the same
topic
Set purpose for
reading
Informational
Texts
Respond to the
text in writing
to deepen
comprehension
Read and discuss by
asking questions that
lead students to the
overall meaning and
structure of passage or
text
Determine
structure/overall goal
Set purpose for reading
Ask questions that lead
to overall purpose
Written response to
text
Bring in multiple texts
Stages of a Hurricane:
Simple Storms Grow Into Giants
A storm progresses through four different stages
before it is actually considered a hurricane. First is a
tropical disturbance, which has thunderstorms and
rotating winds, or what scientists call cyclonic
circulation. Next is a tropical depression, which is
similar to a tropical disturbance, but has winds
between 23 and 39 miles per hour. A tropical storm
is the next level, which has stronger wind speeds
between 40 and 73 miles per hour. Once winds
reach 74 miles per hour, the storm is officially
classified as a hurricane. The winds pick up energy
from the warm surface ocean water.
Excerpt from Hurricanes: Nature’s Wildest Storms
by Erin Ryan superteacherworksheets.com
Effects of Hurricane Ivan
Hurricane Safety Tips
There is no way to stop a hurricane or make it change direction, so if you ever
find yourself in the path of a hurricane, be sure to follow any emergency
procedures that your community has in place. Here are some other hurricane
safety tips.
• Be sure you have a battery-powered radio, batteries, fresh drinking water,
and a supply of food. Also, if anyone in your family needs special medication,
be sure you have a full supply.
• Tell neighbors, friends, and family members your emergency plans. Tell them
where you'll go if you need to leave your home.
• If you live near the ocean, in low-lying area, or in a mobile home, leave your
home and travel inland to a safe place. You could stay with a friend or family
member, in an inland hotel/motel, or in an emergency shelter area.
• Keep listening to the radio if a hurricane is approaching. If local authorities
instruct you to evacuate, do it immediately.
• Before a hurricane arrives, be sure your family's car is filled with fuel. If the
electricity goes out, the fuel pumps at gas stations will not work.
• Stay inside during the storm. You could be seriously injured if you go outside.
Taking it Back to the
Classroom
• Discuss in groups or as a
school- how will this
impact our planning for
informational text?
What can we take back
to the classroom?
• next steps…
Intermission
Getting the most out of
studies weekly
• To understand how studies weekly can
be implemented effectively during the
literacy block
• To understand different ways that
students can interact with the text to
increase understanding
Overcoming obstacles
On the road to success with
studies weekly
Integrate
Into
Reading
Studies weekly in the
literacy block
Monday
Introduce and read the main
article from the Studies Weekly
(the main focus for the week) –
approximately 20 minutes
Tuesday-Friday
Students can complete several
activities that relate to the SS
Weekly during independent
work time- you can assign
specific activities or give them a
choice out of the activities
you’ve introduced and modeled
On the road to success with
studies weekly
Integrate
Into
Reading
Chunking
the text
Jigsaw
jigsaw
• Divide students into groups of 3-5 people
• Assign each group or each student a specific
article or section of the studies weekly to read
• The group or student becomes an “expert” on
their particular article and decides how they
want to present the information to the class
(poster, chart, etc…)
• Each group presents information on their article
to the class/group
If You Have the…
Ace: “New Country with New
Problems”
King: “Horrors and Hungers”
Queen: “Victory or Death”
Jack: “Cross and Double-Cross”
On the road to success with
studies weekly
Response
Logs
Build
Background
Bring in
multiple
passages
Integrate
Into
Reading
Chunking
the text
Jigsaw
Response logs/journals
Students Can…
• Respond to an Essential question
for each issue.
• Write sentences using key terms
for the week.
• Write a summary about the main
story or a specific section of the
issue.
On the road to success with
studies weekly
Extension
activities to
reinforce
content
Build
Background
Response
Logs
Bring in
multiple
passages
Integrate
Into
Reading
Chunking
the text
Jigsaw
Graphic organizers
Timeline
Event
Maps
5 W’s
Main
Idea/
Details
Living Venn Diagram
Divisions
The Revolutionary War was a time of great
division. Americans were split into two groups: Patriots and
Loyalists. Patriots were Americans who supported the
struggle for independence. They believed that Americans
should be free from the control of an English king. They
fought against the English to establish a new government in
America. Loyalists were Americans who remained loyal to
the crown. Some of them were happy under English
rule. Others believed that they might be rewarded after the
Americans lost the war. Though both Patriots and Loyalists
lived in America, a deep division ran between them.
From: http://www.ereadingworksheets.com/text-structure/
Viewing With a Purpose
• As you watch the video clip, I want
you to identify the Differences
Between the Continental Army And
the British Army
The Most Important Book
Details that
Support
Main Idea
Topic Sentence
(Main Idea)
Restate Topic
Sentence
(Main Idea)
The Most Important Book Planning Sheet
The most important thing about maps
is that they serve a specific purpose.
Political maps are used to show the
boundaries between different countries
and
states.map shows the physical
A
physical
features of a place such as landforms or
bodies
of water.
A map can
be used to locate a specific
place or landmark or even show you the
best route to your destination.
But…The most important thing
about maps is that they serve a
specific purpose.
The Most Important Book Planning Sheet
The most important thing about George
Washington is that he was a strategic
leader.
Detail from Text:
Detail from Text:
Detail from Text:
But…The most important thing about
George Washington is that he was a
strategic leader.
If I Were/How to Be Poems
If I Were a House During the Dust Bowl Years
By Melanie Lopez
If I were a house during the Dust Bowl years,
I would live in the middle of nowhere on the Texas
Panhandle prairie.
I would eat electricity while my owner had it.
I would work hard to protect my family from the dust.
For fun I would love to be cleaned with a straw broom
once every week.
My happiest time would be to get a fresh new coat of
paint outside.
My greatest fear would be that my family would leave me
to move west looking for work.
I would love to be invincible so the wind would never
topple me over,
And I would always be able to protect my family.
If I Were a Patriot During the
American Revolution
I would fight for independence.
I would light the lanterns warning others of the British
soldiers’ arrival.
I would conceal my weapons so they wouldn’t be
confiscated by the British soldiers.
I would fight courageously.
I would attend the Second Continental Congress in
1775.
I would feel a sense of relief when the Declaration of
Independence was adopted in 1776.
Word splash
independence
Concept/definition sort
Before Reading:
Students match the word/concept with the
definition they feel best matches
After Reading:
Students discuss correct meaning of concepts and
write a summary using the words correctly
Can be used in conjunction with the Word Splash
Concept
Loyalists
Patriots
minutemen
Revolutionary
War
compromise
independence
Definition
Colonist soldiers who supported King
George and were loyal to Great Britain
Colonists who fought against the British
rule
Patriots who could be ready to fight in
60 seconds or less
War fought in America from 1775-1781
to gain independence from Britain
When each side gives up something to
reach an agreement
Freedom
Taking It Back
to the Classroom…
• What is one thing I want to
take back and implement in
my classroom?
• What changes will I make
in the area of Social
Studies this year?
Wrapping Up
Inside/Outside Circle