We make a list of all the amazing information we learned about that topic. We go through together and we read the article (without the text features of course). However, one of my favorite activities to drive home the importance of these features is to eliminate the text features (except for things like bold and italics words!) from a section of text and have the students read it. Now, not every text feature is a visual aid, particularly when it comes to bolded or italicized words. Here are several different ways you can teach students to go beyond identifying text structures: Read Without the Visuals My goal is to make every student want to read the text in its entirety AND use all of the features to come away with an even deeper understanding of the text. They gravitate to visual models and stray away from big blocks of texts. ONE type of student reads only the visual text features. I always joke that there are two types of kids. So today, I’m going to focus more on how you can extend their thinking and move beyond the basics to a deeper level of understanding, which is what we are always looking for, right? Analyzing Text Features While that is important, that falls pretty low on Bloom’s hierarchy. Now, there is so much more to teaching text features than simply having students identify the features. We can also add to it as we go, which they LOVE. They have true ownership over this anchor chart, which is so much more impactful than just handing them a paper with the definition on it. This isn’t pretty, but it’s REAL! This was created with kids as we progressed through our unit, which means they watched me glue the features on, write the labels for them, etc. This is a fantastic opportunity to create an interactive anchor chart with your students, similar to the one pictured here. I use these to start our anchor chart, where we slowly introduce students to all the different text features. Once they show me where they have found the information, we cut it out of the magazine, especially if it’s using a text feature! We collect all of our clippings, and the next day, I lay them out and ask students to tell me about each item and to describe what information they got from that particular feature. Inevitably, between all of the students, they will likely have used all of the text features to gather information, whether or not they know it. Then we talk about exactly WHERE they found that information within the text. This is a great time to use all those Scholastic News magazines you may have amassed! I like to find a full-page or two spread about a high-interest topic that includes a ton of them, and I tell students they have 15-20 minutes to give me as much information as possible about the topic. I’m not a huge proponent of the “give and get,” so I’m not a fan of introducing text features by giving my students exact definitions and examples. The various elements can facilitate empathy, stoke creative thinking, and allow readers to uncover hidden meanings that they can relate to, internalize, and find inspiration in.Teaching text features is one of my absolute favorite units because kids have interacted with them ALL THEIR LIVES without even realizing it, so when we have the opportunity to expose them to the purpose behind these text features, it truly becomes a game-changing tool in their reading toolbox, not to mention it’s an incredibly engaging unit even for the most anti-nonfiction students. Additionally, the analysis of story elements is a significant part of really connecting with a text. As learners grow, analyzing story elements becomes more essential as their investigation and dissection of texts deepen. With characters, setting, symbols, and themes, there’s much to consider and learn. This can help readers comprehend the depth of work that goes into crafting a story and provide multiple avenues for analysis. As both readers and writers, it’s important to understand story elements. Below you’ll find printable story elements anchor chart resources.
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