School Improvement in Maryland

Using the State Curriculum: Reading/ELA, Grade 3

Reading/ELA | Informational | Literary | Writing | Language | Listening | Speaking

Advanced/Gifted and Talented: An advanced/gifted and talented tool is an idea for a complex, multi-step instructional task that requires students to apply knowledge and skills of multiple objectives that support one indicator. Tasks require students to interpret, analyze, and evaluate text at an appropriate level of complexity and embed a variety of differentiation strategies to challenge advanced readers. Many of these strategies and activities can be adapted for use with all students.

Standard 3.0 Comprehension of Literary Text

Indicator 2. Use text features to facilitate understanding of literary texts

Objective c. Identify and explain how informational aids such as introductions and overviews, materials lists, timelines, captions, glossed words, labels, numbered steps, bulleted lists, footnoted words, pronunciation keys, transition words, end notes, works cited, other information aids encountered in informational texts contribute to meaning

Other Objectives Addressed
a.Identify and explain how organizational aids such as the title of the book, story, poem, or play contribute to meaning
b.Identify and explain how graphic aids such as pictures and illustrations, punctuation, print features contribute to meaning

Instructional Task
Students will use text features to prepare oral interpretations of Caldecott Medal picture books. The teacher will organize a "Read Across America" style read-aloud program in which the third grade students will select and read a Caldecott book to a group of younger students (authentic product).

Development of Task
  1. Students will read a Caldecott Medal picture book and identify the organizational aids (title), graphic aids (illustrations, punctuation, print features) and informational aids (captions and footnotes) that contribute to meaning (Objectives a - c).
  2. The teacher will model an oral interpretation of a Caldecott medal picture book. The teacher will then "think aloud" regarding the text features that helped in the interpretation (auditory learning style).
  3. The teacher will provide a selection of Caldecott Medal picture books and students will work in pairs to choose one for the read-aloud (choice).
  4. Students must explain their choices by discussing this question: "What are the text features that caused you to choose this book for your read-aloud?" Students must discuss text features from all three categories: organizational, graphic, and informational aids (analysis). Note: All books may not use captions and footnoted words.
  5. Students will answer the following questions to analyze how text features contribute to meaning:
    1. Does the title help the students understand the book? Compose another title that would help students understand the book.
    2. Which illustrations are important to help students understand the book? Why?
    3. Which sentences have punctuation that helps you read the story orally with meaning?
    4. Which sentences use print features (underlining, bold print) to help you read the story orally with meaning? How could you add print features to help you read the story orally with meaning?
    5. What words or phrases in the story might need explanation? Write three footnotes that explain words or phrases in the text.
  6. Students will compose oral interpretations using the text features to interpret the meaning (synthesis).
  7. Students will prepare an introduction for the read-aloud to the younger students (interpersonal intelligence). Students will also develop after-reading discussion questions that focus on text features. A sample question might be, "What part of the read-aloud really got your interest?" If a student said it was the pictures, the readers might ask which picture was a favorite and why. If a student said it was the reader's oral expression, the reader might explain how punctuation or print features were used to interpret the meaning.
/instruction/advanced/reading/grade3/xml/3A2c.xml
Resources for Objective 3.A.2.c:
Lesson Seeds | Sample Assessments | ADVANCED/G-T |