A 60-minute lesson in which students will identify and explore the language features found in informational texts.
Informational Texts - Language Features
60 mins
|
Suitable for grades:
3 - 4
Tuning In
- Read the informational text, Thunderstorms, to the class. After reading, ask the students:
- What type of words are used in this text?
- Why do you think the author chose these types of words?
- If these words were removed from the text, what might be the effect?
Teacher Instruction
- Discuss the language of informative texts, as outlined on slide 11 of the Developing Informative Writing Skills PowerPoint. Encourage the students to identify some examples of informative language used in the text about thunderstorms.
- Discuss the informative language examples on slides 12-13. Encourage the students to suggest some other examples for each language feature.
Guided/Independent Learning
- Display the informative language pair activity on slide 14. Monitor and support the students as they complete the activity. Encourage each pair to share their list of words with the rest of the class.
- Display the informative language review activity on slide 15. Monitor and support the students as they individually complete the activity.
- Display and discuss the suggested answers to the review activity on slide 16. Allow the students to self-correct their work so they can monitor how well they have understood the lesson's objective.
Wrapping Up
- Provide the students with a black and white copy of the Report Text Type With Annotations Poster to paste in their workbooks for future reference.
Differentiation
Extending Students
- Encourage more confident writers to work individually during the pair activity.
Supporting Students
- Allow students with lower literacy levels to work with a teacher or teacher aide during the review activity.
Suggested Assessment Strategies
- used strategic whole class or individual questioning
- observed student participation during learning activities
- recorded student progress on a checklist
- annotated student work samples
- collected and reviewed student work samples
- facilitated whole class or peer feedback sessions
- encouraged student self-reflection
- administered formal assessment tasks.
Select a download
Curriculum
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2.D
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
ELAR 3.12(B)
Compose informational texts, including brief compositions that convey information about a topic, using a clear central idea and genre characteristics and craft;
ELAR 4.12(B)
Compose informational texts, including brief compositions that convey information about a topic, using a clear central idea and genre characteristics and craft;
Author
Teach Starter Publishing
We create premium quality, downloadable teaching resources for primary/elementary school teachers that make classrooms buzz!