Activity Description
Title: Non-Fiction - - Procedures, Events, Ideas - - What and Why
This ACTIVITY has a set of teaching-learning strategies proven to increase student mastery of this critical Reading-Information standards describing procedures, events, and ideas - - what happened and why? A variation of this standard appears every year on high-stakes tests. Using a simple “What and Why” Template, students analyze practice texts, but teachers are encouraged to also include passages from the students’ actual Science, Social Studies, and other content texts to perfect the skill. Mastery of this standard provides an excellent set of preparatory skills for research-writing. [At Grades K-5, each Activity attaches student-sized texts, templates, and test items that teachers can quickly print.]
Enabling Skills: (1) identify the elements of a non-fiction text: topic, main idea; support details; and author perspective - - bias vs objective); and (2) prepare an objective summary of a non-fiction text. Part of student readiness needs to include not only the “ whats ” but “ whys ” of text details.
Direct Instruction: Suggested teaching strategies are given that model for students what they need to do to begin their journey toward mastery. These strategies include using a simple “What and Why Template” to record text details. From these details, students compose an analysis of “what” and “why” for a procedure, event, or idea. They realize how this analysis differs from a summary. Using sample texts, students practice identifying analyzing “whats and whys.” Students practice texts to construct meaning for themselves.
Quick-Writes: Standards-based writing prompts are provided that require students to document that they have internalized the core ideas of the standard(s) and can show independent mastery. These include text analyses and explanations of procedures, events, and ideas.
High-Stakes Look-Alike Assessments: At Grades 3-8, the Activities include two tests - - one for practice - - followed by classroom analysis of errors made - - and the second test to determine mastery. The test items are constructed to look exactly like those items students will encounter on their High-Stakes Tests.
CUSTOMER: Thanks for considering this Activity as part of your approach to your state’s ELA standards. If you have any comments as to how it worked - - or didn’t! - - we’d welcome them! See the contact information to send us feedback. - - the EdFOCUS Team
This teaching activity comes with one hour of online instruction and guidance from a trained EdFOCUS professional. You will be contacted shortly after purchase with more details.