A focus on Text Features

This week my students are reviewing text features and gaining practice with them in their English Language Arts Block. My CT previously taught text features, but recently saw that her students are still struggling with identifying text features and seeing how they connect to the text. My CT used a variety of formats to provide her instruction on text features. Classrooms that Work states that excellent teachers group children in a variety of ways and change these grouping from day to day. My CT first did whole group instruction with text features and modeled how to identify them. Next the students broke into small groups to work on finding text features in a story. During group work I walked around the room and provided additional support for the students, specifically the ESE students to guide them to the text features in the story.

To further assist the students with special needs my CT provided them with a study guide of the text features with explanations to refer back too while searching for the text feature and for them to take home! The Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services FL Department of Education states that study guides focus the student’s attention on the content and encourage active processing of meaning when reading. Examples include structured note-taking forms, outlines, story maps, and graphic organizers (http://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/7690/urlt/0070069-accomm-educator.pdf) . My CT used a graphic organizer to organize the information for her students. I passed out the study guide and when over it with the students so they understood how to use it.

Moving on, the students were using active literacy with text features. Active literacy in a classroom is a means to deeper understanding and thinking while students are reading. This can aid readers with comprehension. My 3rd grade readers engaged with text by leaving their tracks of thinking in books and making reflections on the text features. Strategies That Work states that reading,writing, talking, and drawing are staples of active literacy which increase student engagement (see image below).

My students engaged with the text features in this week's text and found enjoyment in identifying the text features. It felt like a game to them! The students had to go back into the text and find how the the text features connect (see image below). In Reading Comprehension, the author states that engaged readers transact with text and construct understandings based on connections. This helps readers build comprehension when reading and should be explicitly taught to children. I am glad I got to assist my CT with her unit on text features and help my students better understand the functions of text features. This is also a formative assessment of the students learning.

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