Ah,
text structures. If I did a Wordle of all the topics I’ve discussed on this blog,
I bet that phrase would be bigger than anything else.
Why
do I keep coming back to this one element of nonfiction writing? Because, as
far as I’m concerned, finding the perfect structure for a manuscript is the
most challenging part of writing nonfiction. I struggle with it on every single
book I write.
do I keep coming back to this one element of nonfiction writing? Because, as
far as I’m concerned, finding the perfect structure for a manuscript is the
most challenging part of writing nonfiction. I struggle with it on every single
book I write.
But
before students can wrestle with text structure in their writing, they must learn
to identifying this important element in the books they read. Over the year, as
I’ve worked with students and discussed strategies for doing this with
teachers, I’ve developed a scaffolded method described here. Does it work? Absolutely.
before students can wrestle with text structure in their writing, they must learn
to identifying this important element in the books they read. Over the year, as
I’ve worked with students and discussed strategies for doing this with
teachers, I’ve developed a scaffolded method described here. Does it work? Absolutely.
But does
it work every time, with every child? Of course not. When it comes to teaching,
there’s no such thing as a perfect instructional strategy for every child in every
school. That’s why I’m always open to new ideas.
it work every time, with every child? Of course not. When it comes to teaching,
there’s no such thing as a perfect instructional strategy for every child in every
school. That’s why I’m always open to new ideas.
Recently,
I read a fantastic post entitled “Messy Learning” on Laura
Komos’s (Twitter: @LauraKomos) Ruminate and Invigorate blog and was blown away.
I love how Laura and her teaching buddy, Maria Vallejo (Twitter: @MVallejoTeacher),
bravely “threw caution to the wind” and let their students plunge in and try to
understand text structures without any prior instruction.
I read a fantastic post entitled “Messy Learning” on Laura
Komos’s (Twitter: @LauraKomos) Ruminate and Invigorate blog and was blown away.
I love how Laura and her teaching buddy, Maria Vallejo (Twitter: @MVallejoTeacher),
bravely “threw caution to the wind” and let their students plunge in and try to
understand text structures without any prior instruction.
Did
the students struggle initially? You bet. But given time and encouragement, they
started to notice some patterns in the books they were reading. By working
together in groups and occasionally sharing out their observations, the class eventually
developed this list.
the students struggle initially? You bet. But given time and encouragement, they
started to notice some patterns in the books they were reading. By working
together in groups and occasionally sharing out their observations, the class eventually
developed this list.
You will notice that it includes most of the text
structures espoused by Common Core as well as others that are equally valid.
These students did a great job, and the learning is most likely more powerful
because they did the messy work themselves.
structures espoused by Common Core as well as others that are equally valid.
These students did a great job, and the learning is most likely more powerful
because they did the messy work themselves.
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4 Responses
So true, Melissa. Finding the right structure can really make NF sing.
Thank you so much, Melissa! You have such amazing information on your website. Maria, I was just using your Coyote Moon the other day when I was discussing different structures of NF with my students. One group came up with "A Story" and another "Narrative." I thought they were great, however,I would think that using the structures above, it would be chronological or cause and effect. What do you think? Thanks again!
Narrative is a writing style, not a text structure. Coyote Moon has a sequence structure–dusk to dawn. Almost all books with a narrative style have a sequence structure.
Thank you for sharing your ideas and encouraging ours! Much appreciated!!