Informational Text:
What’s It All About?
Rita Maddox
Language Arts Consultant
April 15, 2005
Remember these?
Seven Best Practice Structures
Reading-As-Thinking
Representing-to-Learn
Small Group Activities
Classroom workshop
Authentic Expression
Reflective Assessment
Integrative Units
2
•Reading-As-Thinking
Making Connections
Questioning
Making Inferences
Visualizing
Determining Importance in Text
Synthesizing Information
from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis, 2000
3
Reading-As-Thinking:
Making Connections



Between text and past experience or
background knowledge
Between text and another text
Between text and events and experiences in
world
from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis, 2000
4
Reading-As-Thinking:
Questioning
Proficient readers continually ask questions
Before reading
During reading
After reading
Gives a purpose for reading
Monitors understanding of material
from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis, 2000
5
Reading-As-Thinking:
Inferring
Use background knowledge and experience
 Pay attention to detail

from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis, 2000
6
Reading-As-Thinking:
Visualizing

Create pictures in your mind



Use author’s words
Use background experience
Make comparisons
Note words that appeal to senses

from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis, 2000
7
Reading-As-Thinking:
Determining Importance
Activate prior knowledge
Note characteristics of text
Skim text
Read bold print, illustrations, graphs and tables
Read first and last line of each paragraph
carefully
Take notes or highlight text
from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis, 2000
8
Reading-As-Thinking:
Synthesizing
Retell information
Add personal response
Make comparisons and contrasts
Attempt to answer “I wonder” questions
Make application of reading to real world
from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis, 2000
9
Which of these do you think are most
effectively used with informational text?
Making Connections
Questioning
Making Inferences
Visualizing
Determining Importance in Text
Synthesizing Information
Why?
10
Strategies that Work-more. . .
Chapter 9, Determining Importance in Text: The
Non-Fiction Connection
 Chapter 3, Strategy Instruction and Practice
 Chapter 4, Teaching with Short Text
 Chapter 10, Synthesizing Information: The
Evolution of Thought
 Appendix D: Magazines and Newspapers for
Kids and Young Adults
 Appendix F: Response Options for Each
Strategy

11
Informational Readingsome thoughts. . .
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Reading for Information
NAEP (National Assessment of
Educational Progress)-2005

Involves the engagement of the reader with
aspects of the real world

Reading for information is most commonly
associated with textbooks, primary and
secondary sources, newspaper and magazine
articles, essays, and speeches.
13
Reading for Information
NAEP

Some features that distinguish informational text from literary text
are organization and the way information is presented.

Informational text is organized by topic and supporting details,
whereas literary text is organized by the structure of a story, poem,
or drama. Informational texts may have boldface headings, graphics,
illustrations, and captions that signal importance in the text.
However, some commonalities exist between literary and
informational text and the skills and strategies required for reading
each. Both require people to analyze critically the text, reflect on it,
and draw conclusions.
Why is this information important?
14
NAEP-Informational Text

When reading for information, readers need to know the specific text
patterns, or forms of organization (e.g., cause and effect, sequential
order, comparison/contrast, opinion and supporting arguments), to
develop understanding.

People frequently have different purposes for reading text of this
nature (e.g., to find specific pieces of information, answer a
question, or get some general information when glancing through a
magazine article). Reading informational text calls for orientations to
the text that differ from those used in reading for literary experience
because readers are specifically focused on acquiring information.
When people read for information, they may select parts of the text
they need, rather than reading from beginning to end.
What are the instructional implications?
15
The Work of Nell Duke
Nell K. Duke is an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at Michigan
State University and a researcher with the Center for the Improvement of
Early Reading Achievement. Duke has worked with children in early
childhood, elementary and secondary settings, most recently as a
Primary Grades Literacy Specialist and Director of the Literacy Institute
at the Neighborhood House Charter School in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Duke earned her masters and doctorate in Language and Literacy at the
Harvard Graduate School of Education and, for two years, served as a
Supervisor at the Harvard Literacy Laboratory. Duke's research focuses
on early literacy development, particularly among children living in urban
poverty. Her specific areas of expertise include addressing the needs of
struggling reader-writers and the development of informational literacy.
• Please read the next five slides. . .
16
Duke-2005
• Studies have long shown that the majority of the
reading and writing adults do is nonfiction
(Venezky, 1982).
• Approximately 96% of sites on the World Wide
Web contain nonfiction, informational text (Kamil
and Lane, 1998).
17
Duke-2005
• Academic achievement in a range of school
subjects and academic fields relies heavily on
informational reading and writing.
• Informational literacy is so crucial to success in
American higher education, citizenship, and
work that our current era is widely known as the
"information age."
18
Duke-2005
Nearly 44 million American adults cannot extract
even a single piece of information from a written
text if any inference or background knowledge is
required (Levy, 1993).
 Large proportions of American students have
weak informational reading and writing skills
(e.g., Applebee, Langer, Mullis, Latham, and
Gentile, 1994; Daniels, 1990; Langer, Applebee,
Mullis, and Foertsch, 1990).

19
Duke-2005
Low income and minority children are
particularly likely to struggle with informational
literacy tasks (Applebee, Langer, Mullis, Latham,
and Gentile, 1994; Langer, Applebee, Mullis, and
Foertsch, 1990).
 Some education researchers have attributed the
"fourth grade slump" in overall literacy
achievement in large part to problems with
informational literacy (Chall, Jacobs, and
Baldwin, 1990).

20
Duke-2005

Students' difficulties in science may be related to
their difficulties with informational text because
science achievement is associated with the
ability to read informational text but not with the
ability to read narrative text (Bernhardt, Destino,
Kamil, and Rodriguez-Munoz, 1995).
21
Reflections
What did you notice?
 What surprised you?

22
Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005





To understand informational text, readers need to
identify the major concepts in the selection and the
important details that support each major concept.
The manner in which these major and supporting ideas
are organized can vary.
An author writes an informational selection to provide
information for the reader.
The nature of that information and the author's specific
purpose determine how the writer organizes concepts
and ideas.
Unlike narrative text that has one predominant structural
pattern, informational text has several possible
organizational structures
23
Duke-2005
Five ways to improve comprehension of informational text:
1. Increase access to informational text
2. Increase instructional time with informational text
3. Increase explicit teaching of comprehension strategies, along
with lots of opportunities for guided and independent practice
4. Increase attention to the unique and the especially challenging
characteristics of informational text
5. Ensure that informational text is used for authentic purposes as
much as possible
24
Duke-2005
Some Comprehension Strategies Worth Teaching-discuss
•Monitoring and adjusting as needed
•Activating relevant prior knowledge
•Generating questions or thinking aloud
•Attending to and uncovering text structure
•Drawing inferences
•Constructing visual representations
•Summarizing
25
Text features that signal importance
Fonts and Effects
 Cue Words and Phrases
 Illustrations and Photographs
 Graphics
 Text Organizers
 Text Structures

from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis, 2000
26
Fonts and Effects

Titles, headings, boldface print, color print,
italics, bullets, captions, labels
from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis, 2000
27
Cue Words and Phrases
28
Illustrations and photographs
29
Graphics

Diagrams, cross-sections, overlays, distribution
maps, word bubbles, tables, graphs, charts
from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis, 2000
30
Text organizers

Index, preface, table of contents, glossary,
appendix
from Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis, 2000
31
Text feature considerations






How familiar are the students with this type of text
feature?
How familiar are the students with the information
presented by the feature?
What is the author's purpose for using the feature?
How important is the aid to the overall meaning of the
feature?
What is the most appropriate way to use this text feature
to help readers understand the selection?
When is the best time to focus students' attention on the
text feature: before, during or after reading?
Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
32
Text feature considerations
What is the author's purpose for using this
specialized text feature?
 What are the main ideas represented?
 Why did the author choose this type of feature to
convey the meaning?
 Can you think of another way of conveying the
same meaning?

Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
33
Text structure




Because of the possible complexity of informational
writing, teachers may elect to use the following
guidelines for creating an informational map as
suggested by Vacca and Vacca (1996):
Look for the most important idea in the selection. Note
any signal words that indicate an overall organizational
pattern.
Locate additional important ideas. Identify their
relationships to the most important one.
Outline or diagram these ideas, visually representing in
some way the superordinate and subordinate concepts.
Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
34
For your thinking and planning. . .








Why did the author write this article?
What was the author trying to prove in writing this?
What is the most important idea in this selection?
What are the three main points made by the author?
Are there other ideas the author could have included?
What statements support the author's main idea?
How does the author prove his/her main point?
Can you think of additional ideas that would support this
point?
Do you agree with the author? Why? Why not?

Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
35
Text structure




Chronological/Sequential Order: A main idea is
supported by details that must be in a particular
sequence.
Enumeration/Description: A major idea is supported by
a list of details or examples.
Comparison/Contrast: The supporting details of two or
more main ideas indicate how those concepts are similar
or different.
Cause/Effect: The supporting details give the causes of
a main idea or the supporting details are the results
produced by the main idea.
Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
36
Teach students to identify
the patterns of organization
Piccolo (1987) recommends introducing and working on the patterns
one at a time and in the following sequence:
 chronological order
 enumeration
 cause/effect and
 comparison/contrast, problem/solution, question/answer

Use short, easy paragraphs and the accompanying teacher created
maps or graphic organizers to define, explain and illustrate each
structural pattern. Help students discover the common distinguishing
features in these examples.
Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
37
Text structure:
Chronological/Sequential Order
Text structure: Chronological/Sequential Order
Author's Purpose: To teach readers how to make lemonade.
Major Idea: The steps in making lemonade
Supporting Details:
1. Cut lemons
2. Squeeze lemons
3. Remove seeds
4. Add sugar and water
5. Stir
6. Refrigerate
Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
38
Signal Words and Phrases Associated
with Chronological/Sequential Order

first
next
then
initially
before
after
when
finally
preceding
following
Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
39
Graphic Organizer
Chronological/Sequential Order
Author’s Purpose:
Major Idea:
Supporting Details:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Important Vocabulary:
Important Text Features:
Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
40
Chronological/Sequential Order
For your thinking and planning:
 What is being described in sequence?
 Why did a chronological order pattern emerge?
 What are the major steps in this sequence?
 Why is the sequence important?
Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
41
Signal Words and Phrases Associated
with Enumeration

for instance
for example
such as
to illustrate
most important
in addition
another
furthermore
first
second
Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
42
Graphic Organizer-Enumeration
Author’s Purpose:
Major Idea:
Supporting Details:
Major Idea:
Supporting Details:
Important Vocabulary:
Important Text Features:
Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
43
Signal Words and Phrases Associated
with Cause/Effect

because of
as a result of
in order to
may be due to
effects of
therefore
consequently
for this reason
if ... then
thus
Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
44
Graphic Organizer-Cause/Effect
Text Structure: Cause/Effect
Author's Purpose:
Cause
__________________________
(Main Idea)
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
(Supporting Details)
Important Vocabulary:
Important Text Feature:
Effects
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
(Supporting Details)
__________________________
(Main Idea)
Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
45
For your thinking and planning
Cause and Effect
What is the cause/effect process the author is
describing?
 Why did a cause/effect structure emerge?
 What is the cause?
 What is the effect?

Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
46
Signal Words and Phrases Associated
with Comparison/Contrast

different from
same as
similar to
as opposed to
instead of
although
however
compared with
as well as
either... or
Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
47
Graphic Organizer-Compare/Contrast
Text Structure: Comparison/Contrast
Author's Purpose: To show similarities and differences between baseball and basketball
Supporting Details
Major Idea: Baseball
Major Idea: Basketball
Attribute 1:
Where played
Played on a field
Played on a court
Attribute 2:
Number on team
9 players on team
5 players on team
Attribute 3:
Item used for play
Uses a ball
Uses a ball
Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
48
Graphic Organizer-Compare/Contrast
Text Structure: Comparison/Contrast
Author's Purpose:
Supporting Details
Major Idea
Major Idea
Attribute 1
Attribute 2
Attribute 3
Attribute 4
Important Vocabulary:
Important Text Features:
Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
49
For your thinking and planning
Comparison/Contrast
What is the author comparing/contrasting?
 Why is the author comparing/contrasting these
things?
 Why did the comparison/contrast structure
emerge?

Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
50
Caution!
Identifying patterns of organization is not the
ultimate goal of text structure teaching. This
ability is only beneficial as students internalize
knowledge about text structure and
subsequently use it to enhance their
comprehension.
 Teach students to use the patterns of
organization to improve their comprehension.

Pennsylvania Assessment System
Classroom Connections, 2005
51
Revisit your GLCE/Informational Text
Discuss. . .

What connections can you make between your
GLCE and the text structure information?

How could you use this with your students?
52
Remember these?
Seven Best Practice Structures
Reading-As-Thinking
Representing-to-Learn
Small Group Activities
Classroom workshop
Authentic Expression
Reflective Assessment
Integrative Units

How do the Best Practice
Structures connect with
the reading strategies on
the previous page?
53
Notes
54
Notes
55
Next steps. . .
Selection of materials
and/or
 Development of lesson using strategy or
resources

56
Materials/Resource Selection

Teacher/Building/District

Grade:

Content Area:

Materials/resources selected:

For use with:

Alignment with GLCE:

Instructional strategies to be used:

Research supporting strategies:

Method(s) for differentiating instruction:

Resources needed:

Directions:

Process to check for understanding and/or assessment methodology if applicable:
57
Lesson Instruction Plan

Teacher/Building/District

Grade:

Content Area:

Learning targets and outcome(s) of lesson:

Alignment with GLCE/MCF (Strand/Code):

Instructional strategies to be used:

Research supporting strategies:

Method(s) for differentiating instruction:

Resources needed:

Directions:

Process to check for understanding and/or assessment methodology if applicable:
58
Rita Maddox
Language Arts Consultant
989.875.4521, ext. 336
rmaddox@edzone.net
59