+ USING
INFORMATIONAL
TEXTS
2014 SUMMIT
+
Introductions
Emily Howell—2012
9th
HS TOY
and 11th Grade English
Ruston High School/Lincoln Parish
+
Some Logistics…
Username– guest
Password–
Welcome
Limited bandwidth—please do
not access
any sites except the ones for this session.
+
Instructional Vision
To meet these raised expectations, we must
clarify our focus on what our students need.
Specifically, we must ensure this year that
our students…
Comprehend
Speak and
(access) meaningful, on level texts
write in response to meaningful texts
+
Day One: Ready!
This Summit will prepare teachers to make
these shifts beginning the first day of the 14-15
school year. This will include focused training
on…
Student Learning Targets
Assessment
Standards, curricula,
and instructional strategies
Using
Informational
+
Texts
Fahrenheit 451
Unit for 9th Grade
+ “‘Teaching what
is easy to teach
rather than
what needs to
be learned’ is
the main
problem in our
society today.”
-Gariandra Dupree
9th Grade, Ruston High
+
Goal for Today
Teachers
will understand how to use LA
DOE Resources to balance informational
and literary texts within a unit.
+
Our Objectives
Balancing Literary/Informational Texts
• Teachers understand the importance of
integrating informational texts into
their curricula.
Text-Based Responses
• Teachers understand the importance of
developing students’ ability to respond
to complex texts.
+
Why Nonfiction?
 “Students
must be immersed in
information about the world
around them if they are to
develop the strong general
knowledge and vocabulary they
need to become successful
readers and be prepared for
college, career, and life.
Informational texts play an
important part in building
students’ content knowledge.”
By 12th grade,
students should
be reading 30%
fiction and 70%
informational
texts.
+
Essential Questions for Unit
Thematic Approach
 Is
it important to
continue reading
and learning
throughout a
person’s lifetime?
 How
do we
responsibly reject an
aspect of our
culture?
Some Tips…
Begin with
the end
in mind.
Choose
universal
questions.
Everything
should
circle back to these
questions.
+ The Essay
“The Joy of Reading and Writing:
Superman and Me”
Sherman Alexie
+
Teaching the Personal Essay
2 Class Periods
 Pair
with scene in which Montag learns to read
for the first time in Fahrenheit 451.
 Have
them read independently and then work in
pairs or small groups to complete reading tasks.
+
“Superman and Me”
Sherman Alexie
TEXT
FOCUS: This essay is filled with
humor and powerful language that
resonate with the reader. The rhetoric of
the essay is particularly strong. Students
can analyze how the language and
structure of the text develop the point of
view and central idea of the essay. (RI.910.2, RI.9-10.4, RI.9-10.6)
+
READING TASK #1
“Superman and Me”
Using
a three-column chart, (1) identify the
main claims made throughout the essay and
the order in which they appear; (2) identify
specific phrases, sentences, or paragraphs
that develop the claim of each section; and (3)
identify the connections made between the
claims of each section.
(RI.9-10.1, RI.9-10.3, RI.9-10.5)
+
READING TASK #2
“Superman and Me”

Have students reread the text and highlight
words and phrases that reveal Alexie’s attitude
toward life on the reservation, treatment of
American Indians, and reading and writing. Use
a different color highlighter for each subject
(e.g., green for reservation life, yellow for
treatment of American Indians, pink for reading
and writing). (RI.9-10.4)
+
READING TASK #3
“Superman and Me”
Determine
a central idea of “Superman and
Me” and assess whether Alexie’s evidence is
relevant and sufficiently supports his claim.
(RI.9-10.2, RI.9-10.8)
+ The Narrative
“My Reading Life”
+
Teaching the Narrative
THE PROMPT
In Sherman Alexie’s essay “Superman and Me,”
he details how he became a reader. Likewise, we
witness Montag’s first reading experience in
Fahrenheit 451. Whether you realize it or not,
you have your own story about how you learned
to read. Your experience could be positive, or it
might be negative. Your story is unique to you.
Write a narrative essay to develop a real
experience one of your early reading memories
using effective technique, well-chosen details,
and well-structured event sequences.
+
The Standards…
“…Write narratives to develop real …
experiences or events using effective
technique, well-chosen details, and
well-structured event sequences.”
“Use precise words and phrases, telling
details, and sensory language to convey
a vivid picture of the experiences, events,
setting, and/or characters.”
W.9-10.3
W.9-10.3d
+
Tips for Teaching Narrative
Reflect and Revise
1st
draft is a timed
write with no
talking allowed.
Students
are then
allowed to share
with peers and
revise.
Model…
Write
with them.
Let
them see you
mess up.
Show
them your
final product.
+ TEACHER WORK
STUDENT WORK
Ruston High School/Lincoln Parish
An
+ Argumentative Article
“The Country That Stopped Reading”
David Toscana
+
Read and Annotate for…
WHAT
Author’s
Theme
Tone
Purpose
HOW
Methods
of
Development
The
Appeals
Diction,
Imagery,
Details, Figurative
Language, Syntax
+
Teaching Rhetorical Analysis
THE PROMPT
“The Country That Stopped Reading” is an
essay that was published in The New York
Times in March 2013. In a well-written
paragraph, determine an author’s point of
view or purpose in a text and analyze how
an author uses rhetoric to advance that
point of view or purpose.
+
The Standards…
“Write informative/explanatory texts to
examine and convey complex ideas,
concepts, and information clearly and
accurately through the effective selection,
organization, and analysis of content.”
RL.9-10.2
“Delineate and evaluate the argument and
specific claims in a text, assessing whether
the reasoning is valid and the evidence is
relevant and sufficient; identify false
statements and fallacious reasoning.”
RI.9-10.8
+ STUDENT WORK
Ruston High School/Lincoln Parish
+
What happens when
you teach relevant
informational texts?
…Your students write
relevant essays.
The Culminating Task
Trace the Development
of the Main Character
+
The Culminating Task
An Introduction
+
The Culminating Task
An Introduction