Use of Textbook Features

Note: Many students think the chapter introduction, graphs, tables, maps, diagrams, and chapter summary are ---something that they don't have to read!

Enduring Understanding

• Students will understand the goal of textbook reading is to comprehend information presented in a textbook using all the text and textbook features to place the learning into long term memory.

Essential Question

• How can educators change the way students read textbooks to increase student comprehension of textbook information and understanding?

The Chapter Introduction and Summary-

• pulls information in the chapter together mentally for the reader.

• Helps the reader understand which information is the most important.

Section Questions and Chapter Questions

• are provided to help readers know what to focus on while they're reading.

When students read and answer questions they often….

• read the question, find the answer to the question, read the next question, answer that question, etc.; they do not actually read the selection.

Graphic Aids such as….

Graphs, tables, diagrams, maps.• Provide details that support the information

explained in the paragraphs. • Support general information explained in the

writing. • Reinforce the content • Provide interesting details.• help the student learn the information better.

Typographical features

such as bold face type, italics, and colored type:• Help students focus on new words or

information. • Provide definitions• Provide important facts• Or share anecdotes that relate to information. • Captions under pictures help students use

pictures to support their learning.

Table of Contents, Index, Glossary, Appendix

• Support explanations in chapters.

Teacher Tips

• Pretest to find out which textbook features your students know how to use.

• Model how to use the features in textbook chapters and the parts of a textbook.

• demonstrate how to find the information by using the index, appendix, or other appropriate tool.

Teacher Tips Cont:……

• Have students in third grade and up read their textbook selection silently.

• Teach students to survey the chapter before they read it.

• Teach students how to turn a heading or subheading into a question.

Differentiation or to begin

• break the silent reading selection into small portions of text--maybe only one or two paragraphs.

• put the information in own words—(pair-share).

• Next, reread if needed or read the next and do the same.

For All

• Students can use references such as dictionaries, atlases, and encyclopedias for them to use to clarify or reinforce information explained in the textbook.

• Children's books about the content being studied can also be used to clarify and/or reinforce information in the textbook

After Reading Chapters and Summaries

• They can write their own summaries based on their understanding of the information.

• Then have the students read the actual chapter summary and compare it to their own individual summaries.

• Have students underline [in their summaries] the information that was included in the actual textbook chapter summary.

Goal of textbook reading….• Comprehending the information.

“When readers fail to use textbook features effectively, their comprehension often consists of "bits and pieces" of information without having the information fit together in a coherent meaningful whole. This means that any learning that occurs is likely to be memorizing for the short term instead of conceptualization for the long term,” Joyce Melton Pagés, Ed.D.

SampleTextbook Usage Inventory

Use your social studies book to answer the following questions.

• Parts of the Textbook

• 1. What is the name of Chapter 3?_______________________

• 2. In which chapter can you find a map of Africa?___________

• 3. What is the definition of the word, "plateau"?_______________

Textbook Evaluation

Today’s Learning

How will/can you use the information in class today in the field and or in

your teaching?