Current Events &/or Info Connection

Each week an article will be assigned to help students learn to code/annotate expository (informational) text. Articles may be handed out or students may be asked to find them.

Great places to find articles: Time's Current Events Update and Scholastic News and Junior Scholastic , CNN for kids (easier reads), and Social Studies for Kids

(Also: The Internet Resource Web aims to make news stories accessible for students who may find a newspaper too daunting. Sorties are timely and interesting (there is an archive file). )

The purpose of coding/annotating text is for students to share their thinking as they read with their teacher.

To help student remember what is expected, each reading strategy is associated with "The Hand." The codes and associated digit are as follows:

"P" - for predictions (thumb) - Predictions show what the student thinks will happen next or happened in the past. Predictions are focused on the plot or action. Remember, predictions can be confirmed or rejected.

It could look like this: P-Australia's water supply will only get worse!

"?" - for questions (pointer finger) - Questions can be informational (answers would be found in a reference book - dictionary, encyclopedia, internet), curiosity (answers will be found later in the text), and/or challenging (answers may never be found - more theoretical in nature - EX: Why is there hatred in the world?) Note: Students are encouraged to follow a question up with a prediction!!

It could look like this: ?-why would they do that? P - They're scared or ?What does Responsible mean? P - doing the right thing (Note: good readers Predict the answer to their questions.)

"C" - for connections (middle finger)- Students should make Text-to-Self, Text-to-Text, and Text-to-World (movies, class, news, etc) connections. Connections help the reader get the most meaning from the text.

It could look like this: C - like bully proofing class! or C-my brothers or C- to our textbook


"I" - for inferences (ring finger) - Inferences are like predictions only they focus on PEOPLE. Students should infer about the thoughts, feelings, motivations, etc. of the people in the article. We talk about getting into the heads of the people we read about. OR We infer about the author's purpose (or bias) for writing the article.

It could look like this: I - she's jealous! or I - the author wants us to send money

"!" - for important/interesting information (pinky finger)- This information should be underlined or highlighted. It is important to remember that not all information in an article should be highlighted or underlined!! As students reread the underlined or highlighted information, it should sound like a summary of the text. Most of what is underlined or highlighted should have another code/comment webbed off of it.

WEBBING: When using reading comprehension strategies, one strategy often leads to another.
For example: P- students learn more when they do this, which leads to an I-they feel better about the information in the article, which leads to a ? - do they do better on tests?, which leads to a P - yes!

For Assessments, go to WorkshopWebquest