Love - Real Reasons to Read Informational Texts



Finding a love for reading informational texts can be a challenge, but this lesson helps children find their passion and love it!

As the shift in reading has moved toward informational texts, we all seem to have to find a way to entice students to want and love to read those informational texts. Buy why would they want to read them if they have no interest in them, especially if someone tells them they have to read them! But with a special lesson called "Heart, Head, Hands, and Feet" students will want to read informational texts and learn from them!




How many of us have heard the story of Jane Goodall? She went out to study the chimpanzees not because someone told her she had to but because she had the passion to go out and learn about it. That is where we want our students to be as lifelong learners, so the"Heart, Head, Hands,and Feet" lesson will help our students find that passion in what they are reading.

Purpose

This lesson helps students see connections between their actions today and in the future. It also helps students to read informational texts more closely. All of this leads to helping students as they become lifelong learners and find their own passions for what they want to read. 

Implications

After the lesson, students will begin searching for their own passions. Once they start reading about others and how they learned what they felt was their passion, students will become engrossed in looking for books that ignite their own passions. They will look for different nonfiction books about a topic they love and read them. Once they read what they love, they in turn learn to read more closely. And then we are right where they need to be as readers of nonfiction.

Intentions

How does this lesson help with our intentions as a teacher and learner?

Alignment 

This lesson helps us to show our students that they need to move beyond their own experiences and into a world of so much more. Their perspective changes, helping them to find their own passions as lifelong learners.

Balance

The standards say "teach more nonfiction", but we don't always want to. This lesson makes nonfiction real for our readers causing them to read closely without even knowing it. It's a win-win for everyone!

Sustainability

This lesson allows students to find a passion for reading in all different genres. It also helps in different subject areas for students when they transfer it to their independent thinking and reading. Exactly what we want!

Joy

And what joy these students get as they read about something they are passionate about! And the joy we have as teachers as we see our students enjoying what they read and learning from it. The best part is that we don't have to tell them to read it! What joy!

This lesson seems so simple, yet effective. I can't wait to use it with students in my school this year!

If you want to start with the introduction, stop by this post for a deeper understanding of how the book works. Stop by tomorrow as we are introduced to another lesson to create lifelong learners.

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Finding a love for reading informational texts can be a challenge, but this lesson helps children find their passion and love it!










6 comments

  1. First of all- a huge thank you for inviting me to this a month ago which caused me to order the book and read it. I was in love after the first chapter!

    Since reading it, I've already looked at aligning my first six weeks back to school with the six lesson layout of this book. And this first lesson chapter in particular was of great inspiration for my entire school year.

    As an IBPYP school, we have a fifth grade exhibition this year, and it is meant to be driven by not only student passion, but also the desire of service. This lesson in itself frames the rest of my year.

    I've been finding sources, both video and print of people pursuing their passions to help others to share with the kids. Do you know about First Book? They have free ebook subscriptions for title I school kids, but they also sell discounted books. They are having a Handpicked Hardcovers sale where many picture book titles are half off or more. They had tons of biography titles that I was looking at for this particular lesson.

    ~Heather
    The Meek Moose
    The Meek Moose on TpT

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    1. Heather, I am so glad you are joining us! I love this book too, and I plan to turn our school around with these simple lessons the teachers can implement.

      I will have to look into First Book. I have not heard of it!

      Thanks for stopping by and the information!

      Andrea

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  2. I'm so glad we are reading this book! I love how this lesson helps students recognize their passions and dreams. It gives them a purpose to read! I think that is an important step in creating lifelong learners.

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    1. It is definitely a great book, and this is such an important first lesson. I have really enjoyed reading this book and plan to implement it in our own school. Thanks for joining the study!
      Andrea

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  3. I really think the lesson would be great for the start of the year because it would allow the use of nonfiction early on as well as give insight to student passions beyond the typical surface level interest surveys.

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    1. That is where our pacing guide hurts us. It puts most of the focus on nonfiction at the end of the year, forcing us to cram it in. This year, we are starting off with these lessons to really get the point across and learn more about our students as well. This will help us all find the right books for everyone!

      Andrea

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