40 Strategies for Guiding Readers through Informational Texts

Barbara Moss, PhD, is Professor of Literacy Education in the School of Teacher Education at San Diego State University. She has taught English and language arts in elementary, middle, and high school settings and has worked as a reading coach. Dr. Moss’s research focuses on the teaching of informational texts at the elementary and secondary levels. She regularly presents at local, state, national, and international conferences and has published numerous journal articles, columns, book chapters, and books. Dr. Moss has served as the Young Adult Literature column editor for Voices in the Middle, a publication of the National Council of Teachers of English.Virginia Loh-Hagan, EdD, is a full-time Lecturer in the School of Teacher Education at San Diego State University, where she is in charge of two teaching credential programs. She is also a curriculum designer, educational consultant, and former K-8 teacher. The author of several academic publications and more than 70 children’s books, Dr. Loh-Hagan serves on several children’s book award committees and is cover editor and columnist for The California Reader, a peer-reviewed journal of the California Reading Association. She is a frequent presenter at state and national conferences.

"I already use the prior edition of this book to plan my weekly informational text lessons efficiently, but the new edition is even better. It is opening my eyes to even more possibilities to better serve the needs of my students. The strategies are presented in a clear format that can be easily adapted to any curriculum, and are up to date with the CCSS. Classroom teachers, resource teachers, and intervention specialists can use the strategies in whole-class or small-group instruction. When these strategies are implemented, students of all levels are engaged in meaningful discussions and writing activities."--Arlene Rodriguez Sanchez, MEd, third-grade teacher and reading specialist, San Diego Unified School District"Teachers will find this book a treasure trove of practical, research-based best-practice strategies. 40 Strategies for Guiding Readers through Informational Texts builds on the previous edition with additional strategies that utilize close reading, citing text evidence, synthesizing information across sources, and text-dependent questions. This is definitely the right book at the right time. It will be useful for staff development and as a supplemental textbook in literacy methods classes."--Terrell A. Young, EdD, Department of Teacher Education, Brigham Young University"This is one of the best books I have seen for supporting the explicit instruction of informational texts. The authors provide an easy-to-use guide for teachers at any grade level, including classroom examples and authentic text recommendations. Each research-based strategy is presented alongside corresponding Common Core standards. This professional resource is the one I will recommend to my colleagues and teacher candidates, no matter what curricular materials they currently use."--Julie Barkley, MA, academic coach, St. Cloud School District, Minnesota -

• IntroductionI. Getting Started StrategiesStrategy 1. Planning a Lesson with Informational TextStrategy 2. Understanding and Evaluating Informational TextsStrategy 3. Assessing Text ComplexityStrategy 4. Shared Reading and Text Feature SearchII. Building Background StrategiesStrategy 5. Anticipation GuideStrategy 6. KWHL: K = (What I Know), W = (What I Want to Know). H = (How I Will Find Out), L = (What I Learned)Strategy 7. KLEW: K = (What I Know), L = (What I Learned), E = (What Evidence Do I Have for My Learning?), W = (What Additional Questions or Wonderings Do I Have?)Strategy 8. Table of Contents PredictionStrategy 9. Imagine, Elaborate, Predict, and ConfirmIII. Vocabulary StrategiesStrategy 10. Word MapStrategy 11. SLAP: S = (Say the word and write it here.), L = (Look for context clues. List them here.), A = (Ask myself what it means and write it here.), P = (Put the synonym in the sentence and write it here. Does it make sense? If not, start over with steps 3 and 4.)Strategy 12. Root WheelStrategy 13. List–Group–LabelStrategy 14. Word SortStrategy 15. Semantic Feature AnalysisIV. Reading Closely StrategiesStrategy 16. Close ReadingStrategy 17. Close ThinkingStrategy 18. Text AnnotationStrategy 19. Text Dependent QuestionsStrategy 20. Thinking AloudStrategy 21. Sticky Notes BookmarkV. Comprehension StrategiesStrategy 22. Study GuideStrategy 23. Four Box Comment CardStrategy 24. I ChartStrategy 25. CAATS: Creator, Assumptions, Audience/User, Time and Place, SignificanceStrategy 26. Text StructuresStrategy 27. Interactive NotebookVI. Discussion StrategiesStrategy 28. Discussion WebStrategy 29. 4–3–2–1 DiscussionStrategy 30. Intra ActStrategy 31. Talking PointsStrategy 32. Three Step InterviewStrategy 33. 3 Minute PauseVII. Writing StrategiesStrategy 34. Readers' TheatreStrategy 35. Paragraph Writing FramesStrategy 36. I Used to Think . . . but Now I Know . . .Strategy 37. Summary WritingStrategy 38. CLIQUES: CL, Claim; I, Introduction of Quotation; QU, Quotation; E, Explanation of Quotation; S, So What?Strategy 39. EPIC: E, Evidence; P, Patterns; I, Inquiry; C, ClaimsStrategy 40. Two Column JournalAppendix. Recommended Materials