Author's Perspective on the Same Topic Reading Passages
I've had 'organize the file cabinet' on my household to-practice list for about two years now. And I'm proud to say, I now have the satisfaction of crossing that off the list!
I noticed some trends as I came face-to-face with these files:
- Early in my teaching, I had a quick obsession with graphic organizers that looked like food.
- I have a knack for keeping multiple copies of the exact aforementioned thing.
- Transparencies were a thing - I mean, they were THE thing.
I came across my Nonfiction Reading folder, began organizing it, and was struck by a huge trend. Upwards of 80% of what was in that file had to practise withdetermining the main idea. I had prompts to coach kids on figuring out the primary idea, strategies to teach main thought, proficient examples of pupil writing illustrating the main thought, nonfiction manufactures that were principal thought-friendly with supportive sub-headings.
And at that place is expert reason for all of this main idea support. Determining the primary thought is 1 of those reading skills that'south catchy, takes a lot of practice to become actually practiced at it, and requires synthesis work beyond swaths of text with a hearty nuance of interpretative thinking: What IS this text mostly most? The overall message of idea of this slice is...? What is the author educational activity me nigh this topic?We also find ourselves continuously instruction into this skill because as nonfiction texts get harder and more complicated, ane could contend figuring out the principal idea is, then, harder. Just imagine reading this commodity on cord theory and then being asked to talk about the main idea (no pressure level:).
Just hither's the thing. When we study the Common Core Standards, when we tap into the conversations of all that kids can talk and think about when reading nonfiction, when we study the questions on high-stakes exams, kids need to be able to call back most way more than merely the chief thought. And, they should! At that place is a whole broad world of great things to retrieve and talk about when reading nonfiction:
What's the point of view of this text? Why did the author choose these words or apply this language here? What's the shape and structure of this text and how does that impact how I receive the information? Is there bias here? What information is left out?
We can too put this chat in the context of the Common Core Standards. Specifically, when studying the reading anchor standards, yous'll notice how thecraft and structurereading standards guide students to engage in work across the main thought: interpreting words to figure out their connotative meaning; analyzing word choice and how information technology creates tone; analyzing text structure and how specific sentences or paragraphs relate to each other; assessing the indicate of view and how it shapes the content of a text.
So. This blog post is part ane of a three-office series on additional ways to support the reading of nonfiction across didactics into the principal thought. We'll give air fourth dimension to lesser-explored nonfiction reading skills - well, they were were lesser-explored for me and some educators I worked with over the summertime in an advanced course at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Projection'due south Almanac Summer Institute. We spent a calendar week pushing ourselves to develop curriculum, charts and examples of other important areas of nonfiction work:
- Role I: Nonfiction and Indicate of View
- Part Two: Nonfiction and Writer's Intent
- Part Iii: Nonfiction and Critical Reading
Nonfiction and Point of View
Many argue that all texts, nonfiction & fiction, carry a point of view and perspective. Stephanie Jones, in her volume,Girls, Social Course, and Literacy,argues
All texts (i.e., spoken, written, performed and multimodal) are constructed past people who are informed by item ideologies - they are entrenched with perspective.
Exploring betoken of view and perspective inside nonfiction is a layered journey, where some texts behave a more obvious POV, whereas other texts are more than subtle. The Common Core Standards devote one anchor reading standard to this piece of work:
Reading Standard #6: Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and fashion of a text.
Nosotros can wrap boosted words around this standard, exploring and didactics betoken of view of nonfiction as a viewpoint, a opinion the author takes on the topic, or a perspective.
Strategies for Teaching Determining the Point of View of Nonfiction
Hither are some starter strategies to utilize when exploring point of view of nonfiction:
- Readers notice the words the writer uses to help determine how the writer might feel about the topic and then utilise that feeling to determine a possible indicate of view.
- Readers determine the author's point of view past imagining which side the author would take in a contend on the topic.
- Readers read more one text on the same topic in guild to be able to recognize different viewpoints about the topic.
- Readers determine what information is missing from a text. So readers can wonder why the information may have been left out. That reason for omission tin can help determine the author's point of view.
- Readers pay attending to numbers, facts or statistics that are used in a text. Past analyzing what the numbers, facts or statistics are showing, a reader can help decide the author'due south point of view.
Language Prompts for Determining the Betoken of View of Nonfiction
Hither are some language prompts to utilise when exploring point of view of nonfiction:
- When the writer says ___ it makes me think he/she may believe…
- The writer seems to be making the point that ... The sentence or words giving evidence of that point is ___
- The author doesn't say anything nearly ___, so I wonder if he/she thinks…
- If the author was debating this topic, his or her side might be ___. I think this because…
- The visual images in the article (photographs, illustrations, diagrams) are included to perchance make the reader think or feel ___. Therefore, the point of view might be…
- When the author uses words like ___, ___, and ___, this tells me he/she might feel ___ most the subject.
- If the central idea of the text is ____, then the author's signal of view might be ___ because….
A Possible Instruction Chart that Supports Nonfiction and Signal of View
Teachers trying this work with colleagues and their students institute an instant boost in student engagement, equally it sets up an investigative opinion when reading nonfiction (versus a passive, hands-off stance that sometimes infects students when reading nonfiction). Teachers also institute a spring in students' overall meaning making and critical thinking practices. We'd love to hear how this goes for your and your students!
-Kate and Maggie
Big Thought= Nonfiction Reading Tiny Item= Practical Strategies for Exploring Point of View of Nonfiction
blackwoodmosencestiss.blogspot.com
Source: https://www.kateandmaggie.com/blog-posts-all/2014/02/05/teaching-beyond-the-main-idea-nonfiction-and-point-of-view-part-i