InformationalText

Informational Text

Page Content:

Definition
Purposes
Characteristics
Comprehending
Composing
Genres
Access to the Documents

Definition:

Non-fiction texts that provide information about people, places, events, or things; or that tell the reader how to do something.

Purposes:

To inform
To provide ideas, facts and principles related to the physical, biological or social world
To provide an account related to an historical event or the life of an individual
To persuade
To report

Characteristics:

Nonfiction, factual information that is accurate and structured around a central idea based upon purpose, which is composed following an inquiry

Common Types:

Recounts
Reports
Procedurally or sequentially ordered texts
Persuasive texts
Reference materials
Journalistic texts
Human Interest Articles
Autobiographical/biographical narratives
Essays
Variety of newspaper and magazine pieces

Common Features:

Abbreviations
Acknowledgements
Annotations
Appendices
Asterisks
Author�s pages
Bibliographies
Blurbs
Bullets
Use of boldface text
Captions
Chapter headings
Chapter summaries
Charts
Checklists
Codes
Conclusions
Diagrams
Directions
Endnotes
Figures
Footnotes
Forewords
Glossaries
Graphics
Graphs
Headings and subheadings
Icons
Indexes
Introductions
Keys and legends
Labels
Maps
Marginal notes
Narrative structures (e.g., autobiography / biography)
Paragraphs
Parentheses
Prefaces
Photographs, pictures and illustrations
Procedures
Quotes
References
Rhetorical questions
Steps
Subheadings
Summaries
Subtitles
Symbols
Tables
Table of contents
Text structures
Timelines
Titles
Title Pages
Transitional language
Writer�s craft

Best Practices and Teaching Opportunities for COMPREHENDING the Genre and Text of Informational Pieces, K-8:

Opportunities to Teach:

Understanding the genre

Information accuracy based on date published
Bias/credibility of authors and sources
Application of knowledge gained to novel problems or questions
How to locate and choose texts
Planned work (with subject, theme and unity)
Identification of the text�s purpose
Purposeful use of literary devices
Examination of models providing interesting and genre-specific features
Text and informational genre structures
Understanding of elements
Comparing and contrasting
Categorizing and understand genre by author�s purposes
Classifying
Predicting
Genre specific terminology
Text patterns

Understanding the text

Content area literacy strategies
Comprehension skills
Personal response
Reflecting
Making connections
Demonstrating understanding
Inferring
Summarizing, synthesizing, concluding
Critiquing, analyzing, evaluating
Drawing parallels across time and culture
Predicting
Note-taking
Constructing mental images
Representing ideas in text
Taking effective notes
Questioning the author and text
Rereading
Constructing mental images
Understanding technical or academic vocabulary
Listening-to-learn strategies
Writing-to-learn strategies
Effective use of graphic organizers
Self-monitoring of comprehension and thinking and reasoning about knowledge
Discussing
Finding evidence
Critical evaluation

Best Practices and Teaching Opportunities for COMPOSING the Genre and Text of Informational Pieces, K-8:

Opportunities to Teach:

Composing the genre

Writing process
Student, class and expert created rubrics
Set a purpose; choose an appropriate genre type; use knowledge of genre conventions
Self assess the quality, accuracy and relevance of work
Use informational text patterns (e.g., compare/contrast, position/support, problem/solution, descriptive, sequential, enumerative, chronological sequence, cause/effect)
Understand author�s styles and patterns
Use defining characteristics of a specific genre to compose own work
Use text features such as appendices, headings, subheadings, marginal notes, keys and legends, figures and bibliographies to enhance supporting details and key ideas

Composing the text

Writing process
Generating, narrowing and refining research questions and ideas
Choosing and using models
Taking and supporting a position
Gathering and organizing information
Conveying perspective
Developing arguments and rebuttals
Analyzing problems and posing solutions
Developing leads, introductions, or thesis statements that �hook� the reader
Doing substantial writing on their own
Defining and considering the audience
Organizing relevant information to draw conclusions
Replicating author�s styles and patterns
Applying a variety of drafting and revising strategies to generate, sequence and structure ideas at the whole text, paragraph, and sentence level
Appropriate and specific word choices (including technical or content vocabulary)
Illustrating
Level of formality
Use of examples
Use of first and third person
Adding needed information
Developing perspective
Developing main and supporting ideas
Word study and origins including content concepts
Sentence fluency
Editing and proofreading using appropriate resources and grade level appropriate checklists
Exhibiting individual style and voice to enhance the written message (e.g., precision, established importance, transitions)
Using simple and compound sentences, humor, element of surprise, direct and indirect objects, prepositional phrases, adjectives, common and proper nouns as subjects and objects, pronouns as antecedents, regular and irregular verbs
Use of correct punctuation
Correctly spelling frequently encountered words
Technical features
Slowing down and speeding up the text
Arranging paragraphs and reasons
Conventions: when, how and why to break them
Using appropriate resources to proofread and edit
Appropriate electronic technologies and resources

Genres:

In the Informational Genre Definitions Pages educators will find an in-depth description that applies across grade levels for each informational genre found in the Grade Level Content Expectations, v. 12.05. Educators need to assess the readiness and maturity, interest and reading level, and suitability of features for students when considering how to present them to students or how to design instruction that teaches components identified. Similarly, although the writing components of each genre have been identified by grade level, readiness and maturity are key considerations when designing an effective approach that reaches and teaches each student.

The Genre Definitions are presented alphabetically. Similar to the narrative presentation, �opportunities to teach� are identified by grade levels where the specific genre appears in the GLCE. These instructional points identify some of the most evident skills and processes associated with the genre. Many instructional points provide opportunities to address requirements from related sections of Michigan�s GLCE. Others represent best practices or identified teaching targets that have been extracted from research on the specific type of informational text.

Readers should note that the format for the general descriptive section includes specific information organized by the following subheadings:

Definition
Purposes
Characteristics
Grade Level Instructional Scope for Reading (Comprehending)
Grade Level Instructional Scope for Writing (Composing)

Descriptions serve as a resource without prescribing a course of study. Grade level specific learning targets are the starting point for genre study. Knowing about genre will help English language arts educators align curriculum, instruction and assessment related to genre-related learning expectations. Typical characteristics/elements of informational text in general, as well as opportunities to teach it, preface the individual Genre Pages. They should be implemented simultaneously with the more specific Genre Page definitions.