Week 6 Blog #9

Narrative Texts: As defined by www.foundationsforliteracy.com A story about fictional or real events, which follows a basic standard format. Narratives include a plot, setting, characters, structure (introduction, complication, resolution), and theme.

Expository Texts: As defined by www.foundationsforliteracy.com An expository text sets out to describe objects, events or processes in an objective manner, present or convey an argument, to state the solution to a problem or to explain a situation.

The types of graphic organizers I chose could be used for both narrative and expository types of text. I chose to focus on one graphic organizer that I use for teaching vocabulary usually with poems and with fictional reading called the New to Known Chart. In teaching how to think about words, a knowledge rating chart over vocabulary is helpful. Students check either “I know the word,” “I know something about the word,” or “I don’t know the word” (Blachowicz and Fisher, 2006). What I like most about this graphic organizer is that it can be used before, during, and after reading.

Another way for students to make meaning of narrative or expository text is an “It Says, I Say, So…” chart. This type of set up allows students to make inferences from the reading to what they know about the world around them. It is a way to achieve comprehension, and at the same time have students interact with their text. They can use this to help them comprehend poems, newspaper articles, magazines, and content related textbooks.

The last form of a graphic organizer I chose is based on comprehension/critical thinking skills.  This graphic organizer can be used with fiction and non fiction text. “When students represent similarities and differences in graphic or symbolic form, it enhances their ability to identify and understand similarities and differences,” (Hill, 2006, pg. 102). I used what I call a multi-flow map that shows multiple cause and effect relationships.

References:

Beers, Kylene.  (1999). When Kids Can’t Read, What Teachers Can Do: A Guide for Teachers 7-12. Portsmouth, NH: Stenhouse Publishers.

Blachowicz, C. L. Z., & Fisher, P. J. L. (2006). Teaching vocabulary in all classrooms. Columbus, OH: Merrill/Prentice Hall.

Hill, Jane & Kathleen M. Flynn. (most recent edition). Classroom Instruction That Works with English      Language Learners. Alexandria, VI: ASCD

Types of Text. (Oct 2010). Retrieved June 15, 2011 from: www.foundationsforliteracy.com