Exploring Informational Texts: From Theory to Practice

Informational texts comprise the majority of printed material adults read. Yet children are underprepared for meeting the challenges posed by such texts. Linda Hoyt, Margaret Mooney, and Brenda Parkes offer some solutions.

Exploring Informational Texts brings together numerous educators who provide a theoretically sound rationale and the practical wherewithal for using guided reading and writing as a primary strategy for navigating nonfiction. By assembling a wealth of material by many voices from many places, editors Hoyt, Mooney, and Parkes create a montage of ideas and suggestions. These practices and strategies for using informational texts get young readers and writers off to a good start and keep them going from kindergarten through middle school.

Teachers will be intrigued by specific lesson ideas and questions, including:

• What do children need to know about informational texts?
• Which features of informational texts are most critical to teach?
• How might guided reading facilitate lessons in math or other subjects?
• What does a reader do when a book has no table of contents?
• What might a guided writing session with informational texts look like?
• How can teachers link guided reading and guided writing lessons?
• What is the role of oral reading in informational texts?