English Language Arts and Reading.8.8.D.i

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The student is expected to

analyze characteristics and structural elements of informational text, including:

 

the controlling idea or thesis with supporting evidence;

multiple genres TEKS talk image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Multiple genres: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--genres. The student recognizes and analyzes genre-specific characteristics, structures, and purposes within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts.

Provide small groups of students with informational texts to read. Then, task students with determining the controlling idea of each text and to provide text evidence to support their responses. Based on student needs, a teacher may consider providing texts with similar controlling ideas to compare. For example, two texts may have the same controlling idea of sharing information about infant animal breeds.
 

Further Explanation

This assessment provides an opportunity for the teacher to observe student understanding of the distinguishing characteristics of informational texts, such as the use of a controlling idea to guide the focus of the writing. Students should understand that texts can be structured in various ways to serve specific purposes. Students must be familiar enough with these characteristics and structures to be able to examine the intent and effect of their use in texts.

Students should understand that informational texts have distinguishing characteristics, such as the use of a controlling idea or thesis to guide the focus of the writing, and that these texts can be structured in various ways to serve specific purposes. Students in this grade should be familiar enough with these characteristics and structures to be able to examine the intent and effect of their use in texts.
Informational texts are centered around a focused message that the author hopes to clearly communicate and explain to the audience. This controlling idea is often the point around which the rest of the writing is structured. Sometimes this message is implied but central to the text overall or controls the direction of the information within the text. Since the goal of informational writing is to be as clear and straightforward as possible, the message will often be explicitly stated as a thesis and included near the beginning of the text, so the reader knows exactly through what lens the information is provided.
the available body of supporting, valid, and relevant details, facts, or information that supports an inference, idea, or proposition
a text that presents information in order to explain, clarify, and/or educate
in a speech or piece of writing, the premise or main idea that is supported by details and commentary

Research

1. Dickson, R. (2004). Developing "real world intelligence": Teaching argumentative writing through debate. The English Journal, 94(1), 34–40. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/4128845 

Summary: Students who debate are required to consistently engage in critical thinking, argumentation, and presentation. Dickson suggests that debate can be used as a framework to improve writing. Combining debate and essay writing is one way to integrate the two concepts.

2. Denton, C. A., Enos, M., York, M. J., Francis, D. J., Barnes, A. M., Kulesz, P. A., Fletcher, J. M., & Carter, S. (2015). Text-processing differences in adolescent adequate and poor comprehenders reading accessible and challenging narrative and informational text. Reading Research Quarterly, 50(4), 393–416. doi:10.1002/rrq.105

Summary: This study examined what students consciously determined would help them to access an informational or narrative texts. Students used a think-aloud verbal protocol to guide the process. Groups were assigned different genres and different reading levels. Both groups varied along the lines of inference and paraphrasing and monitoring. The study suggests that increasing students' ability in these two areas will improve students' reading ability and comprehension.  

3. Scott, J. L. (2012, April). Teaching students to analyze informational text. University of MO-Columbia. Retrieved from https://dese.mo.gov/sites/default/files/ela-6-courage_and_bravery-instructional_strategy_6.5a-teaching_students_to_analyze%20_informational_text.docx

Summary: This article provides an overview of five styles of informational text and characteristics of each. Multiple strategies are included in the article, and teachers may find these useful in teaching students how to analyze informational text. The process outlined in the article is sequential. Charts and visuals are provided.

4. Hedin, L. R., & Conderman, G. (2010). Teaching students to comprehend information text through rereading. The Reading Teacher, 63(7), 556–565. doi:10.1598/RT.63.7.3

Summary: Hedin and Conderman describe specific strategies that students can use to make meaning of the text and increase reading and writing comprehension. The study reveals strategies are successful with struggling readers. The approach uses paraphrasing and rereading to identify the placement of the main ideas, key terms and definitions. The approach also includes pronouns, appositives, or text enhancements. Charts, samples, and references are included.

5. Olson, C. B., Land, R., Anselmo, T., & AuBuchon, C. (2010). Teaching secondary English learners to understand, analyze, and write interpretive essays about theme. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 54(4), 245–256. doi:10.1598/JA AL.54.4.2

Summary: This study reveals the results of a collaborative project with the California Writing Project and a large, urban, low‐SES school district where 93% of the students speak English as a second language and 69% are designated Limited English Proficient. The article describes a longitudinal study related to the impact of ongoing professional development centered on strategies used to teach student to comprehend, analyze, and write interpretive essays about themes. Fifty five teachers and 2000 students participated in study. The students showed significant improvement in comprehending and analyzing themes.