Reading Non-Fiction Text

Presented by Susan Carmody

Here is a simple fact: Wide, abundant reading is the surest route out of poverty. Reading changes everythingas Aldous Huxley wrote, Every man who knows how to read has it in his power to magnify himself, to multiply the ways in which he exists, to make his life full, significant and interesting. (Schmoker, 2011, p. 95)
Agree/disagree? Classroom connections? Reading in your own life?

To become effective citizens and workers, students must learn to interpret both numbers and text, in combination, in both math textbooks and realworld documents. Students need frequent opportunities to express their quantitative interpretations in arguments and proposals. Such literate/mathematical thinkers are precisely what employers seek those who can read, speak, write and communicate for practical purposes1

Research shows that texts students read in grades K-12 have become easier since 1962.3

Instruction in high school is heavily scaffolded, compared to that of college. High school students are rarely held accountable for independent reading. 3

College reading is mostly expository, but K-12 is mostly narrative, which is easier to comprehend. 3
1

Gomez and Gomez found that students difficulties with reading textbook materials were among the chief reasons for low performance in science and social studiesWith each passing year, students fall further and further behind in their ability to read challenging, contentrich text.2

Schmoker, 2011, p. 203

Schmoker, 2011, p. 173

Liben, 2010

Defining Text
text /tekst/ Noun: A book or other written or printed work, regarding in terms of its content rather than its physical form.

recipe novel magazine chart

textbook timeline word problem journal article blog

newspaper

directions

What texts are used in your content area, both in the classroom and in careers?

Complexity of Texts & Common Core Standards

Mathematical Practice
Make sense of problems & persevere to solve them

Speaking & Listening Writing Literacy Language Text Complexity (Standard 10)

Reason abstractly & quantitatively

Construct viable arguments and critique reasoning

Model with mathematics Use appropriate tools strategically Attend to precision Look for and make use of structure
Look for & express regularity in repeated reasoning

Reading

Text Measures Reading Material

(Daggett, 2003)

ACT Math Problem

AP History Document

IF we agree that
many texts are complex for our students

AND
students encounter texts in all content areas, THEN...

we must determine what makes the texts complex to prepare students to work independently with them.

Think about a text for your content area. Which of these factors do you anticipate would be present?

Background knowledge Vocabulary Organization

supportive struggle

strategies deep comprehension cognitive behaviors complex diverse texts

opportunities persevere productive failure automaticity skills

Select at least three terms. Write them in a sentence that could possibly appear in the reading.

u List ideas related to cue word v Inquire about others ideas w Note what you learned about the cue word x write what you now Know

Possible Sentences
Identify 10-15 key words from the reading (some familiar; some not). Students write a sentence using a given number of words that could appear in the reading. After reading, change sentence to better meet meaning of passage.

List-Group-Label
List words associated with a cue word. Work in cooperative teams to group words. Give each grouping of words a label. Share labels with rationale.

Sequential Roundtable Alphabet

Using an alphabet chart (a box for each letter), students or cooperative teams generate terms related to the cue word for each letter of the alphabet, or as many boxes as possible in a designated time frame.

Background knowledge Vocabulary Organization

Background knowledge Vocabulary Organization

In order for students to be successful in college and in many high school classes, they need to be able to navigate and learn independently from textbooks and expository texts.
Textbook Organization: What are the useful features of a textbook with which students should be familiar to navigate it successfully? Chapter Organization: What are the useful features of a chapter with which students should be familiar to navigate it successfully?

Paragraph Organization: What should students look for within a paragraph to read and use information from it?
Sentence Organization: What should students look for within a sentence to read and use information from it?

Graphic Organizers
Venn Diagram

Main Idea / Detail

Cause / Effect

What is beneficial to students AND their understanding of content in teaching textbook/paragraph/chapter mapping?

Apply to your practice.

(Revise or draft a lesson.)