Name _______________________________________________ Date ________________________
Fact Families
Title:_ _________________________________________ Author: ____________________________
Informational texts can be organized in different ways. Headings and subheadings can help explain
how an author has grouped facts. You can think of these groupings as fact families.
Create two fact families from your reading. Use headings and subheadings.
Homework Pages for Independent Reading © 2013 by Pam Allyn and Georgie Marley, Scholastic
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Informational Text: Overview
Today, students are asked to read more and more in the content areas. With such easy access to information,
it is imperative that we teach students how to understand and analyze information from a variety of different
sources. The activities in this section challenge students to read and interpret information in an engaging
way. They encourage students to think about how the information is presented, then collect and present it in
different ways.
Activities:
Fact Families: Students classify information from an informational text into categories that make sense to them.
Objective: To analyze and organize facts from an informational text
CCSS: RI 3.1, 3.5, 3.7, 3.10, 4.1, 4.5, 4.7, 4.10, 5.1, 5.10
Homework Pages for Independent Reading © 2013 by Pam Allyn and Georgie Marley, Scholastic
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CCSS Reading Standards for Informational Literature
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
1. Refer to details and examples
in a text when explaining what
the text says explicitly and when
drawing inferences from the text.
1. Quote accurately from a text
when explaining what the text
says explicitly and when drawing
inferences from the text.
Key Ideas and Details ~
~
1. Ask and answer questions to
demonstrate understanding of
a text, referring explicitly to the
text as the basis for the answers.
Craft and Structure ~
~
5. Use text features and search
tools (e .g ., key words, sidebars,
hyperlinks) to locate information
relevant to a given topic
efficiently .
5. Describe the overall structure
(e .g ., chronology, comparison,
cause/effect, problem/solution)
of events, ideas, concepts, or
information in a text or part of
a text .
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas ~
~
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) .
7. Interpret information
presented visually, orally, or
quantitatively (e .g ., in charts,
graphs, diagrams, time lines,
animations, or interactive
elements on Web pages) and
explain how the information
contributes to an understanding
of the text in which it appears .
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity ~
~
10. By the end of the year, read
and comprehend informational
texts, including history/social
studies, science, and technical
texts, at the high end of the
grades 2–3 text complexity band
independently and proficiently .
10. By the end of the year, read
and comprehend informational
texts, including history/social
studies, science, and technical
texts, in the grades 4–5 text
complexity band proficiently,
with scaffolding as needed at the
high end of the range .
10. By the end of the year, read
and comprehend informational
texts, including history/social
studies, science, and technical
texts, at the high end of the
grades 4–5 text complexity band
independently and proficiently .