Non-fiction Reading Unit Introduction 1

Essential Questions How do capable readers make sense of nonfiction text? How do we read nonfiction text to become aware and empathetic to the needs of our community? 2

Why Are We Doing This? Practicing nonfiction reading by studying text structures can help us… *Read faster* *Understand better* *Remember longer* 3

Before Reading Strategies (1)Access Prior Knowledge *What do you already know about the topic? Features (1)Examine Text Features * title, bold faced words, italics, headings, graphics Structure (3) Predict the Text Structure of the article *hint: you can find useful clues in the title! (4) Determine your reader’s purpose and (5) determine your reading rate 4

Reader’s Purpose People read for many different reasons: List a few! When you read, it is often helpful to set a purpose for reading, or determine what you’d like to get out of a piece of writing. To get an idea of that purpose, try asking yourself questions that begin with who, what, when, where, why, and how. 5

During Reading Strategies Connect to Community Predict Infer Annotate/Summarize *NOTE: Non-fiction requires a careful pace. If you read fiction quickly, make a conscious effort to slow down when reading non-fiction. 6

What is a “text structure”? A “structure” is a building or framework. “Text structure” refers to how a piece of text is built 7

Types of Text Structures Description – presenting a main idea and then offering several supporting details. Compare/Contrast – examining the similarities and differences of more than one topic. Problem/Solution – explaining a problem and offering solutions. Cause/Effect – explaining how one event leads to another. 8

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