English Language Arts and Reading.7.5.C

The student is expected to

make and correct or confirm predictions using text features, characteristics of genre, and structures;

comprehension TEKS talk image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Comprehension skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses metacognitive skills to both develop and deepen comprehension of increasingly complex texts.

Provide students with a graphic organizer to keep track of thoughts in order to make and correct or confirm logical predictions. Students should make predictions based specific text features or characteristics of the genre.

Predictions might stem from these questions:

  • Mystery—How will it be solved?
  • Biography—What will happen in the person’s life?
  • Tall tale—What will be the outlandish combination of fact and fiction?
  • Fable—What is the moral lesson of the fable?
  • Argumentation—What is the claim? Do I think it is valid?

The graphic organizer might include the following:

Prediction #1

Title, cover, title page, first page of text

Prediction

Evidence

Adjustment

Prediction #2

Stopped on page _

Prediction

Evidence

Adjustment

Prediction #2

Stopped on page _

Prediction

Evidence

Adjustment

 

Further Explanation

This assessment requires students to make predictions based on text features or genre characteristics and provide text evidence to support those predictions. Students should recognize the characteristics that make a genre unique in order to make and correct or confirm predictions. They must understand how to formulate hypotheses about texts at different stages of the reading process including using prior knowledge to make predictions and text features to correct or confirm predictions.

Each genre has elements that set it apart from other genres. Students should recognize the characteristics that make a genre unique to understand its purpose and content. For example, an informational text usually includes a thesis or controlling idea. It might also include an introduction or a reference section. The author will also use evidence to support his ideas. By identifying all these components, students improve their ability to understand this type of text.
Reading is an active process that involves interaction between the author and the reader. Authors organize ideas and use them to try to convey specific messages. Then, readers attempt to make sense of what the author is trying to say. Thus, readers constantly formulate hypotheses about the text at different stages of the reading process. Initially, readers use prior knowledge to make predictions about the text. Readers may also use text features to refine their predictions. As they begin to read the text, readers correct or confirm initial predictions. This is a continuous process.
Text structure refers to how information in a written text is organized. There are different types of text structure. For example, a text may be organized by developing a definition, sharing advantages and disadvantages about a topic, or telling a story chronologically. Each type of text structure serves a particular purpose and presents central ideas and details in specific ways. Recognizing text structures assists students in monitoring their comprehension of the text.
Text features refer to the components of a story or article that are not part of the main body of a text. Some examples of text features include references or acknowledgements. Text features help readers focus on or better understand important ideas and concepts from the text. When students use text features, they make connections within the text, become familiar with the text's organization, and establish important background knowledge related to the content.

Research

Risko, V. J., Walker-Dalhouse, D., Bridges, E. S., & Wilson, A. (2011). Drawing on text features for reading comprehension and composing. The Reading Teacher, 64(5), 376–378. doi:10.1598/RT.64.5.12

Summary: The authors of this article present text features as a primary factor in reading comprehension and writing. The article also includes a discussion on genres and multimodal and graphic texts, along with the use of text features and genres to make, correct, and confirm predictions.