Using Charts, Images and Graphs
Abby: First, let's just look at the text. What do you see? Does it look different from a fiction book?
Marcus: (Nods yes.)
Abby: What do you see that's different?
Marcus: There's a drawing of the earth kind of sliced open, with words saying what the parts are. There's like a diagram …
Abby: That's right. That "sliced open" picture is called a cross-section. There are a lot of things that are different in non-fiction texts. Another difference is that there are usually many new words, and often there are paragraph or section headings that can help you figure out what a section is about. Let's take a look at this first section. Do you see anything other than the cross-section of the earth that might help you figure out what this text is about before we start reading?
Marcus: Well, the title, and these words that are sticking out.
Abby: Good. Based on that, what do you think this chapter will be about?
Marcus: How rain comes from the sky and gets used in the ground?
Abby: That's a good guess based on what you've looked at so far. Now let's read the chapter heading that describes what all these sections are about.
Marcus: "The Water Cycle?"
Abby: That's right, and now we're going to do a brainstorm and write down everything you know already about the water cycle. Then we'll look through the section to see what we can learn from the pictures. Have you ever done a brainstorm before?
Marcus: No.
Abby: You just say whatever you think of that relates to what we're talking about. So, we're talking about the water cycle, about where rain comes from and how it gets used by the earth. What do you already know about the water cycle?
Marcus: Water comes to the earth in different ways — usually it's rain, but in some places it's snow or hail.
Abby: Right, that's called precipitation. What else?
Marcus: Well, some of the water goes into the earth and some goes back up into the sky.
Abby: Do you know what we call it when the water goes back up?
Marcus: Evaporation?
Abby: Does all of the rain that falls to earth evaporate?
Marcus: No, some of it goes into the oceans and lakes and stuff.
Abby: That's good, you're getting more specific about where the water goes…
Marcus and Abby continue this list for a while, Marcus thinks of things he knows about the water cycle and Abby writes them down on a piece of paper till they have about 10 things.
Abby: You already know a lot about the water cycle. Now let's see what the book tells us just by looking at the pictures.
Abby: Let's look at this cross-section. Does it tell you anything new?
Marcus: Well, it labels stuff, like the layers of the earth: rock, subsoil, topsoil, and … litter? Like what we throw on the ground? Like trash?
Abby: You're right, that's one kind of litter, but this is different. It's the uppermost layer of leaves and soil on the forest floor. See in the picture how it's the top layer of the earth? Now I want you to keep this information in mind while we do another activity. I call this doing a quick scan of whatever it is I have to read. It can help you figure out the main points of the text. See how the text has a few words that are darkened? This is called highlighting. We're going to read only the chapter title and then the words that are highlighted. Let's look at them together. (Points to the chapter heading.) What do you think this paragraph will be about?
Marcus: Precipitation?
Abby: That's good, and we haven't had to read very much. That's because the highlighted words let you know what the text is going to be about. Can you read the other words that are highlighted? Sometimes they can be hard, so ask me for help if you can't get them.
Marcus: Evaporation and, um, I can't read this one, trans…
Abby: Transpiration. Do you know what that means?
Marcus: (Shakes his head no.)
Abby: (Explains transpiration. Marcus finishes reading.) OK, let's try this again with the next section. Can you tell me something about this section?
See Next Activity: Non-Fiction Checklist
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