LESSON ONE: Analyzing Non-Fiction Text features-Graphs
LESSON DESCRIPTION
Students evaluate the effectiveness of text features.
GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS
R3A Evaluate the author’s use of text features to clarify meaning in multiple primary and/or secondary sources.
LESSON MATERIALS
§ Sources of literature
o None
§ Supplies
o Magazine article utilizing text features (such as inserts, graphs, diagrams, and/or lists)
o Various media articles containing text features
§ Handouts provided
§ Words to know
o text features
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Using the Adding Text Features handout, students evaluate the effectiveness of text features by finding either a magazine or newspaper article that contains information that could be better illustrated using a diagram, graph, or other text feature. Students recreate the article utilizing at least one of these features. Scoring guide provided.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
1. Important information in magazines and newspaper articles is often contained in the accompanying graphs, inserts, lists, etc. Discuss this concept with students.
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Questions for Students
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How many of you skip information in text features such as diagrams, inserts, graphs, lists, etc.? How many of you skip the text when an article provides you with text features? What types of information would you typically find on a graph? In what types of literature would you not/never find (a) graph(s)? What are advantages/disadvantages of information being displayed on a graph? |
2. Using an overhead, display a magazine article using inserts, graphs, diagrams, and lists. Discuss how the information contained in these might take several pages of text if it were in a different form.
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Strategy |
Students could confuse text elements and text features. Be sure to reinforce the concepts by creating a chart, diagram or listing on the board. This graphic should be available for student reference.
The article used to model should be understandable and must contain a variety of text features. |
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Idea
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Ebsco Host is a good source for magazine articles containing text features. On this site, do a primary search for the desired text feature(s). |
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Questions for Students |
How can graphs be more appealing? |
3. Students form cooperative groups, each with articles containing text features similar to the examples. Each group analyzes the graph, inserts, lists, etc., writing out the information contained within as text in order to illustrate the concise nature of these visual text features.
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Ideas
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This step could be completed individually instead of in groups. For a hands-on activity, provide students a copy of the article to annotate information discussed. |
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Questions for Students |
Which features would you include on a list of effective text features? In what order? |
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Ideas |
Students may search for articles on the Internet. |