1. Preparing for STAAR Through Read Alouds
MCE NEWS
August 31, 2011
Preparing for STAAR Through Read Alouds
Narrative vs. Expository Paired Selections
Help students analyze and investigate the differences between narrative and expository text. During your Listening Comprehension Component of Balanced Literacy, we are encouraging you to “Read Aloud” two companion stories/article/books about the same topic—one narrative and one expository. Discuss text features and lead your students to conclude that the narrative (story) has characters, setting, problem, solution and the author’s purpose is mainly to entertain. Expository (informational) text uses facts to explain, describe, persuade, instruct, or retell. The author’s purpose is mainly to inform the reader rather than entertain.

2. Expository Text Features
These “Reader Aids” help the reader navigate through text and often provide additional information to help students comprehend the content.

3. Teaching Text Features “Companion Stories”
Lesson Activity
Teaching Text Features “Companion Stories”
Model, Model, Model Read Alouds /Shared/Guided Reading, Interactive/Shared writing
Text Feature Scavenger Hunt
Students search through informational text with a partner looking for as many features as they can find. They record their findings.

4. “Name or Title of Reading Material”
Text Feature Scavenger Hunt
Your job is to investigate text features and try to find examples of as many different features as you can.
Use your ISN for this activity.
Text Feature
Purpose
Found In
“Name or Title of Reading Material”
Page
Illustration

5. What features do you see?
Zoo Books Excerpt
What features do you see?

6. Exploring Writing
Materials
Located in the J-Drive
Drag the folder onto your desk-top.