Implementation of Common Core—Reading Informational Text

One of the key requirements of the Common Core State Standards is that at least 50% of the reading youth do in school is informational text.  Historically, reading in school (and in afterschool if you have used Kidz Lit) has been stories, novels, poetry, and plays and other forms of narrative text, yet in the “real world” much of the reading we do is informational reading.  So while we want to continue to support the reading of narrative text we also need to support informational text reading as well.  So how do we support youth in reading informational text and develop the habits of a literate individual?

At Consult 4 Kids we think that this can begin by helping youth ask questions about the informational text they are reading, such as:

What does this author want me to think about?

What is the author’s point of view?

What should I infer from what I’ve read?

What do other people say about this topic?

C4K has developed after-school appropriate curricula for grades 3^rd-8^th grades to support the reading of informational text.  The reading is interesting and relevant and not just a rehash of the school day material.  The activities are hands-on, minds-on, with clear objectives, a plethora of collaborative activities and opportunities to practice while having fun.  We provide training around the use of this curriculum to ensure that your staff is prepared to be effective.  We have incorporated these activities in a Book of the Month-type format that provides multiple source materials on the same topic to encourage youth to develop their own opinions based on information from a variety of resources.  To find out more about our Informational Text Curricula and Training please contact us at support@consultfourkids.com or call us at (661) 343-3424.