REAL Educators Bringing Out the Inner Expert in Every Teacher
 
 
 
Getting Students Engaged in Nonfiction Text Tracey Allen & Clarissa Reeson When you walk into Room 21 at Lincrest Elementary it doesn’t take long to notice the phenomenon that is taking place in this classroom; all students are engrossed and responsible for their own learning. As you examine this environment a little closer, you realize that these eager learners are devouring nonfiction articles, jotting reflection points on sticky notes and talking to fellow students about their reading and thinking. It’s not uncommon to hear students enthusiastically communicating with a peer about specific information they have gleaned from their reading and/or a reading strategy that helped them comprehend the selection. Although teachers understand the importance of having students read nonfiction text, some fall short when it comes to implementing strategies that would enable students to move to an independent level of using and understanding this type of text. Questioning, making connections and extracting facts are normal practices that occur in a reader’s mind as he/she encounters a new nonfiction selection. For most students, however, these practices do not exist and need to be explicitly taught to ensure that all of our students are readily able to implement the strategies that good readers use on a daily basis. As teachers we have the opportunity to emphasize the importance of these strategies by modeling our own thinking while reading. This is the time where we share the conversations that take place between the reader and the text. These experiences will give our students the confidence needed to become active and engaged readers. In addition to modeling our own thinking, we have created a template called F.A.C.T. It. F.A.C.T. It is an acronym for: facts, asks, connections, and think time. We use this template for both guided and independent practice. It is a tool used to remind our students to think as they read. F.A.C.T. It Basics: Engaging in Nonfiction Text F= Facts Nonfiction text is full of facts which make reading exciting and interesting. We want students to notice the facts as they read and realize they are important to helping them understand the text. A= Asks Questions are what help a reader move towards understanding. We encourage students to pay attention to the questions that pop into their mind as they are reading. It’s those questions that enable readers to sift through the information in order to comprehend the text. C=Connections As teachers it is essential that we model the importance of listening to the reader’s inner voice. It’s imperative that students understand, that it is, the inner voice that helps the reader make connections with their reading. T=Think Time What is most important about reading? We have asked many students this same question over the years and the results are always interesting. It opens up a gateway into their thinking and understanding. As teachers we must instill in our students that reading is thinking. We’ve all experienced students that can decode any text, but they give you that blank stare when asked a question. We must equip our students with tools, like the F.A.C.T. It template, that will ensure that all of our students become successful readers.
 
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
March 11, 2011
Onboard, Online, and
 On Target
 
NSTA
Hilton
San Francisco
 
March 18th
RTI:  Turning these Buzz Words into a Reality
 
Sacramento, CA
Closed Session
 
April 2011
The Taskboard
 
Designed for the
2nd - 5th Teachers
 
Yuba City, CA
 
May 2011
 
The W.R.I.T.E. Strategies
 
Focus:
Note Taking
Active Listening
Personal Narrative
Summary Writing
Narrative
Sentence Writing
Active Engagement
 
Sacramento, CA
Closed Session
 
August 2011
 
We Have the Data,
Now What?
 
Day 1
Vacaville, CA
 
contact
 
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(530)  790-0802