Chapter 10- Comprehending Informational Text

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Disciplinary literacy is crucial for content area reading and invites high levels of thinking but because of academic language and content specific words which are critical in understanding new concepts, informational text must be considerate, user friendly, organized, nicely presented and of course interesting to promote comprehension instead of intimidation.
One of the tasks of an exceptional teacher is selecting textbooks with her students in mind. Not only must the writing style be appealing for the intended age group, but the activities should encourage students to learn further. The text should also present knowledge that is applicable to their future as well as be inclusive by showing diversity in images, and in the same regards be able to generate interest with stories and visuals.
Readability formulas such as Fry Readability Graph and Lexile Scales can further assist teachers select age and level appropriate texts, but the teacher should mainly rely on her expertise and the individual needs of her students during selection. When text is selected the teacher can introduce text scanning and skimming techniques as methods to preview text, seek signal words that connect ideas, and look for frames of references to establish anchor points. The teacher can also get her students to ask questions while reading the titles and read the table of contents to receive clues. Once students have previewed the text, they can brainstorm and perform a KWL protocol to foster engagement with the text. Then they must be taught to close read and perhaps use graphic organizers while they read.
There are also a few cooperative learning strategies such as text circles, jigsaw, idea sketch, and sticky note folders that will also assist comprehension and high level thinking. Moreover, the pre reading technique of scanning and skimming is important in digital literacy because these skills allow students to hone in on only the texts that are relevant to the subject at hand.

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