Students at early grade levels are beginning to develop the ability to integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visual, quantitative, and written. At a simple level, they can recognize an argument and evaluate specific claims, including the validity of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence. By using multiple texts that address similar themes or topics, they develop foundational skills needed to analyze texts so as to build knowledge and compare the approaches and views of different authors.
Associated Standards
RI.K.7. With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).
RI.K.8. With prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
RI.K.9. With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).
RI.1.7. Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.
RI.1.8. Identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
RI.1.9. Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).
RI.2.7. Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text.
RI.2.8. Describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text.
RI.2.9. Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic.
RI.3.7. Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).
RI.3.8. Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence).
RI.3.9. Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.
Scaffolded Ideas
-
Words are the smallest units of language that can stand alone.
-
Sometimes, words that surround an unknown word give clues about what it means.
-
Sometimes two words mean the same thing or have opposite meanings.
-
Studying the words that surround an unknown word can be used to understand what it means.
-
Certain words are used to describe the exact order in which events occurred, when things happened, and spatial relationship among objects and events.
-
Academic words are those which appear with high frequency in English-language academic texts.
-
Certain words are commonly associated with specific content topics.
-
Some words express opinions; others express facts.
-
Every book consists of major and minor text features that serve individual purposes.
-
Knowing how to efficiently use different text features enables a reader to gain a better understanding of the information presented by the author.
-
Locating digital information requires understanding of various electronic search options.
-
Authors use various writing techniques to focus the reader’s attention on details or opinion that they want to emphasize.
-
A point of view is the standpoint from which an author or a reader sees things or the opinions that they hold about a subject.
-
Because of prior thoughts and experiences, readers may find that their own point of view may differ from the author’s.