The Everything Guide to Informational Texts, K-2

Foreword by Timothy Shanahan Acknowledgments Publisher's Acknowledgments Chapter 1. New Standards, Timeless Goals: How Informational Texts Can Help Make Every Child a Reader A Crash Course on the Common Core The College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading Naming the Skills Involved in Reading Nonfiction and Fiction Where Do We Go From Here? Chapter 2. Bringing Informational Texts Into Your Teaching Goal 1: Expose Children to More Complex Texts Goal 2: Pay More Attention to Oral Language Goal 3: Be More Intentional Goal 4: Differentiate Instruction Goal 5: Explicitly Teach From the Text Chapter 3. The How-To's of Selecting Stellar Texts The New Nonfiction Evaluating Format and Visual Appeal Evaluating Accuracy and Authenticity Evaluating Writing Style and Appropriateness for Young Children Evaluating Potential Content and Curricular Connections Chapter 4. The Top Ten: Focus on These High-Impact Comprehension Strategies Teaching High-Impact Skills and Strategies for Comprehending Informational Text Chapter 5. Demystifying What Makes Lessons Effective: The Lesson Plan Template The Overarching Goal of Informational Text Lessons: Rigorous Text Experiences for All Students The Four Lesson Steps Chapter 6. Informational Text Read-Aloud Lessons in Kindergarten The Common Core Standards for Informational Text Read-Alouds Using the Lesson Plan Template for the Read-Aloud Miss Webb's Kindergarten Class: A Sample Informational Text Read-Aloud Lesson Chapter 7. Informational Text Lessons in First Grade What's Different About First Grade? Mrs. Stocker's First Graders: A Sample Informational Text Guided Reading Lesson Chapter 8. Informational Text Lessons in Second Grade What About Students Who Are Not Reading With Grade-Level Proficiency? Mr. Morris's Second Graders: A Model Informational Text Guided Reading Lesson Chapter 9. Embedding Informational Texts in Units of Study An Interdisciplinary Focus Planning Units of Study: Who Does What? Selecting High-Quality Informational Literature for Units of Study Concluding Thoughts Appendix A. Checklist for Evaluating Informational Literature Appendix B. Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Checklists Kindergarten CCSS Checklist First Grade CCSS Checklist Second Grade CCSS Checklist Appendix C. Lesson Plan Template Appendix D. Topical List of Informational Literature Appendix E. Annotated Bibliography of Children's Books References Index

"There was a time when a book like this would have set out to try to persuade teachers. But, that's not the issue anymore. . . . Teachers everywhere are asking themselves, 'How do I teach with informational texts?' Kathy Barclay and Laura Stewart provide a rich collection of practical answers to that question. Their book can--through its practical lessons, advice, and guidance--show teachers how to make informational text a joyful reality in the lives of our youngest scholars." -- Timothy Shanahan, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois at Chicago "Kathy Barclay and Laura Stewart have done a marvelous job of providing teachers with specific suggestions for making the most of informational texts--from choosing the right texts for students, to practical and effective instructional strategies that will help students engage in close reading of these important texts, to an actual lesson format for teaching informational texts. Teaching informational texts can be a challenge for primary grade teachers. The Everything Guide to Informational Texts will help teachers and students meet that challenge!" -- Timothy Rasinski, Ph.D., Kent State University "The book is well written, well organized, and teacher friendly. It addresses a topic--the use of informational text with younger students--that has not been sufficiently addressed in guidelines associated with the CCSS. It contains valuable lists of children's nonfiction texts, annotated and organized by grade level. The suggested lesson format is illustrated concretely with sample lesson plans based on high-quality informational texts." -- Louisa Moats, Ed.D., Contributing Writer of the Common Core State Standards "For K-2 teachers eager to select and teach from 'informational texts of substance,' Barclay and Stewart offer much guidance. With keen insight, they also direct our pedagogical attention to the oft-overlooked, but tremendously powerful, text complexity essentials--oral language development, read aloud, and shared reading." -- Jan Miller Burkins, Author of Preventing Misguided Reading