Access Features
Lesson Summary
As children progress through grades and are asked to handle more nonfiction material, they need to develop strategies for focusing their attention on information that is important in informational texts. This can be accomplished by providing students with instruction on how informational books are organized through various access features.
As children progress through grades and are asked to handle more nonfiction material, they need to develop strategies for focusing their attention on information that is important in informational texts. This can be accomplished by providing students with instruction on how informational books are organized through various access features.
Standards Addressed
Ohio Department of Education
Grade 3: Language Arts: Reading Applications
1. Use the table of contents, chapter headings, glossary, index, captions and illustrations to locate information and comprehend texts.
4. Draw conclusions from information in maps, charts, graphs and diagrams.
Ohio Department of Education
Grade 3: Language Arts: Reading Applications
1. Use the table of contents, chapter headings, glossary, index, captions and illustrations to locate information and comprehend texts.
4. Draw conclusions from information in maps, charts, graphs and diagrams.
General Goals
- Provide instruction on location and purpose of Verbal Access Features
- Provide instruction on location and purpose of Visual Access Features
Specific Objectives
- Given instruction, students will be able to locate Verbal and Visual Access Features in informational texts
- Given instruction, students will be able to list and describe Verbal Access Features
- Given instruction, students will be able to list and describe Visual Access Features
Required Materials & Equipment
- Scary Animals Series of 30 books (in Text Set)
- Grossman, Susan M.. Piranhas . New York: Dillon Press ; 1994. Print. (book for teacher demonstration)
- Landau, Elaine. Piranhas . New York: Children's Press, 1999. Print. (book for teacher demonstration)
- Handout for each student "Verbal and Visual Access Features"
- Quiz for each student
Instructional Procedure
- Before the lesson, Teacher places a sticky note or tag on different access features located in the two Piranha books so it's easy to locate them during the lesson.
- Students are asked to take one Scary Animals Series book from the text set (located on a rolling cart in the classroom).
- Students are provided the Access Features handout
- Teacher informs students there will be a quiz over the material the following day (or directly following the lesson if time allows).
- As teacher reads through the features, he/she uses the two Piranha books to point out different access features being discussed using a show-and-tell format.
- Teacher asks students to (try to) locate the same features in their books.
- Teacher discusses with students how they may find this feature useful when doing research.
Assessment
Students are given a short quiz on Verbal and Visual Access Features.
Students are given a short quiz on Verbal and Visual Access Features.