Audrey Fisch and Susan Chenelle

Collaborating Across Disciplines:

Using Informational Text to Enhance

Curriculum

Who we are & what we’ve done2

Susan Chenelle and Audrey A. Fisch are the authors of the Using Informational Text to Teach Literature series from Rowman & Littlefield Education. The first volume, Using Informational Text to Teach To Kill a Mockingbird, was published in April.

Susan has taught English and journalism for six years at University Academy Charter High School in Jersey City, New Jersey. Audrey is Professor of English and Coordinator of Secondary English Education at New Jersey City University.

The power of collaboration3

Thoughts on collaboration

What thoughts about collaboration does this video provoke?

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Informational text

What is an informational text?

How do you use informational text now?

What are some of your favorite informational texts and how do you use them?

What opportunities does informational text offer?

What are the challenges of using informational text?

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Beyond PARCC and the CCSS – Why should I use informational

texts?

• Students need support and experience with a wide variety of informational texts to develop the literacy skills they will need in college and beyond.

• Engaging informational texts can be the on-ramps that make your content area relevant and meaningful to your students.

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Literacy goals

• What are the literacy expectations for your discipline?

• What disciplinary-specific literacy skills do you want your students to master?

• What literacy skills does a professional in your discipline use?

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Concern about informational text

Isolated informational text!

As Katie Masden writes on an englishcompanion.ning.com forum,

“I want the informational texts to relate; otherwise, it feels like stop what we are doing and read this informational piece that doesn't tie into anything.”

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Our approach – texts in dialogue

Teachers need to be able to incorporate nonfiction in ways that are meaningful and substantive, and enhance rather than take away from their teaching of content.

Our model

“To Study Aggression, a Fight Club for Flies”

and Lord of the Flies

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Our model for using informational texts

• Find a great informational text that relates to something you’re already teaching

• Cut! Use excerpts

• Identify key vocabulary

• Front-load key vocabulary and concepts

• Create sidebar reading prompts that highlight key concepts and vocabulary

• Create PARCC-style multiple-choice and open-ended questions to check for understanding and extend thinking

• Open with an engaging media link to increase motivation and engagement

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When to find informational texts

WHEN:

your students are having trouble engaging with the content

you want your students to have greater background knowledge or context (but you don’t want to lecture)

you want your students to be better readers and thinkers (and that’s always, right?)

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How to find great informational texts

Finding the right informational text can seem daunting, but it is possible and can be very rewarding.

Sometimes you’ll find the right piece with your first internet search; other times it can be a very time-consuming hunt.

See our tips and resources!

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Preparing an informational text

Finding a great informational text is just the first step.

Your students may not be prepared to read it.

Support their success with the text by scaffolding the reading process and anticipating stumbling blocks.

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Cut/excerpt your informational text

Don’t overload your students!

Challenge: Length – Though we do not want to shy away from readings of challenging length, many informational texts are too long and/or go beyond our instructional goals.

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Cut/excerpt your informational text

Strategy: Use excerpts – While we want to expose our students to rigorous texts, that doesn’t mean that they always have to read the entire text.

Try to keep essential features intact, but exclude material that does not serve your instructional purposes.

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Like this ...17

Vocabulary

• Identify key vocabulary (not too many!)

• Create authentic, fun pre-reading activities that front-load key vocabulary AND concepts

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Reading prompts

• Create sidebar reading prompts that highlight key concepts and textual features

• Think about prompts specific to different disciplines

• Model reading comprehension strategies as you read through your informational text and build these strategies into something students do on their own when working with informational text

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Check for understanding, extend thinking

Create PARCC-style multiple-choice questions that check understanding and reinforce two-part PARCC question format.

Create open-ended questions that build connections and drive home the extended thinking and learning of the informational text.

(NOTE: PARCC asks students to put texts into conversation; our approach is the perfect opportunity to practice this important skill)

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Multimedia

Find an engaging media link to increase motivation and engagement

Open with your media clip to create fun!

Remember that PARRC also stresses media texts, so these non-text clips are great test-preparation while being engaging

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You don’t have to do this alone!

• Informational texts are a great opportunity for cross-disciplinary collaboration.

• You can share the workload with a colleague while you each focus on the concepts and skills embedded in the informational text that are most relevant to your respective curricula.

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Professional development

Collaborating across the disciplines to create cross-disciplinary units using informational text requires time but pays enormous dividends.

Ask for time during your next professional development day to devote to this kind of collaborative work!

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THANK YOU!24

Audrey Fischafisch@njcu.edu

Susan Chenellesusanchenelle@gmail.com

www.usinginformationaltext.com#usinginfotext