School Improvement in Maryland

Using the State Curriculum: Reading/ELA, Grade 8

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

Lesson Seeds: The lesson seeds are ideas for the indicator/objective that can be used to build a lesson. Lesson seeds are not meant to be all-inclusive, nor are they substitutes for instruction.

Standard 2.0 Comprehension of Informational Text

Indicator 3. Apply knowledge of organizational patterns of informational text to facilitate understanding and analysis

Objective c. Analyze shifts in organizational patterns

Seed

Prior to this activity the teacher should read and select examples of informational texts that contain shifting organizational structures. The teacher and students will read an informational text with a shifting organizational structure. Working together they will color-code the text matching a different color for each organizational pattern. Once the text has been color-coded, teacher and students will determine reasons for the shifting organization and how these shifts clarify the author's purpose.

Seed

The teacher will select informational text for students to read that contains more than one organizational structure. After students have read the text they will identify with a highlighter, asterisk, or underlining the organizational structures: cause and effect, comparison/contrast, sequential, causal/chronological, classifying, main idea/supporting details. During class discussion students will discuss reasons why the information was presented in this manner, determine whether the organizational structures effectively support the author's purpose, and whether or not the patterns were helpful to the reader in understanding the text.

/toolkit/vsc/lessons/reading/grade8/2A3c.xml
Resources for Objective 2.A.3.c:
LESSON SEEDS | Sample Assessments |