Non-Fiction Text Structures for Better Comprehension and Response

Book excerpt: Non-fiction text structures organize information into comprehensible patterns. Knowing how to recognize and use these structures to navigate non-fiction text greatly improves students' understanding of what they read. Gail Saunders-Smith simplifies the process by providing teachers of grades 4-8 with: ways to teach each of the five non-fiction text structures: compare/contrast, cause/effect, sequence/procedure, question/answer, and exemplification; engaging whole-class and small-group activities using written, verbal, image, three-dimensional, and technology responses; study skills for locating, recording, and using information; tools for assessing student understanding, and explanations of the text features that organize information within the text structures; and mini-lessons for whole-class, small-group, and independent application of students' text structure knowledge. Examples, photographs, student samples, and graphic organizers support your teaching, and a bibliography of professional books and resources for locating leveled non-fiction texts make this a complete, ready-to-use guide for improving student comprehension.