High School Informational Text
English Language Arts Standards »
Reading: Informational Text » Grades 9-10
Craft and Structure: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a
text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative
impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• To know what to research, students
must first determine the
vocabulary that is used for the
topic.
• Have students visit several websites
on the same topic having students
look for words they see repeated on
many/most of those sites.
• Have students determine what
vocabulary they already know and
what they will need to know.
High School Informational Text
English Language Arts Standards » Reading:
Informational Text » Grades 9-10
Craft and Structure: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are
used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze
the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
Dictionary, Highlighting and Vocabulary Tools
Each
of these
tools Arts
can be
very helpful
in identifying:
English
Language
Standards
» Reading:
Informational Text » Grades 9-10
• Words used in topics and subtopics
• Synonyms used for descriptive words (connotations)
• Unknown words of importance to topic
• Words for creation of a word bank on research topic
High School Informational Text
Depending on the student, the Vocabulary List may be the best way to collect
and add to notes on words related to topics and sub topics for use in
persuasive and research papers. Because the List is modifiable, additional
columns may also be added for concept words.
High School Informational Text
English Language Arts Standards » Reading:
Informational Text » Grades 9-10
Craft and Structure: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are
used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings;
analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning
and tone.
Shades of Meaning Strategy (Goodman, 2004) The subtle differences
between related words can be very confusing for students. While they might
have a general sense of the difference between overjoyed and ecstatic, most
English Language
Standards to
» Reading:
Informational
Text »inGrades
9-10
students
would beArts
hard-pressed
define and
use these terms
specific
ways. In other words, most likely they would see these two words as
synonyms and not comprehend the differences authors intend when they use
one or the other.
This strategy originally used paint chips to illustrate the subtle shades of
meaning but can also be done using a timeline/number line to show intensity
such as our Fact Mapper.
Scary
frightening
creepy
terrifying petrifying
bloodcurdling
High School Informational Text
English Language Arts Standards » Reading:
Informational Text » Grades 9-10
Craft and Structure: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are
used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings;
analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning
and tone.
Give students either one word or a series of words and have them arrange them on a
continuum based on intensity. Have students work in groups or pairs discussing why
they believe as they do.
Give students either one word or a series of words and have them arrange
them on a continuum based on intensity. Have students work in groups or
pairs discussing why they believe as they do.
High School Informational Text
English Language Arts Standards » Reading:
Informational Text » Grades 9-10
Craft and Structure: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are
used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings;
analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning
and tone.
Shades of Meaning Strategy was developed to help students develop their
understanding that many words can be organized in gradients of meaning. The
Englishencourages
Language Arts
Standards
» Reading:
Informational
Textthem
» Grades
9-10
strategy
students
to talk
about words
and arrange
along
a
continuum. The ability to distinguish subtle meaning is one of the skills assessed
on the Scholastic Aptitude Test.
High School Informational Text
English Language Arts Standards » Reading:
Informational Text » Grades 9-10
Craft and Structure: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are
used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze
the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
English
Language
Arts Standards
» Reading:
Informational
» Grades
While
Researching,
Students
May Wish
to Create Text
a Word
Bank9-10
Using Word Prediction
By creating a word bank for a large specific topic students will have available to
them while writing:
• Words used in topics and subtopics
• Synonyms used for descriptive words (connotations)
• Words with various intensities for choice
• Ease of finding the “right” word to describe/persuade
High School Informational Text
Check to see if the topic you are interested in already has a Prediction Word
Bank available for download for our Word Prediction…
High School Informational Text
Find a website that has much of
the vocabulary you would
want/need to use when
presenting your persuasive or
research topic.
Next, copy as much of the article
as you wish to the clipboard.
Use the drop down menu to the
right of the Word Prediction icon
(crystal ball) and click on Create a
new prediction word bank.
You will see a copy of the text
you copied to the clipboard
located in the Text used to form
the new prediction file box at the
bottom.
High School Informational Text
Enter a name to call the file and
a description of what kinds of
words the file contains.
Then click OK at the bottom.
To apply and use your new
word bank you must now go
back to the drop down menu
next to the Word Prediction
icon, and click on Prediction
Options.
Once the Prediction Options
panel appears, make sure the
Advance Options box in the
lower left-hand corner is
checked.
High School Informational Text
Click on the Context tab at the
top of the Prediction Options
panel and take a look down to
the list of Prediction word banks.
Make sure the word bank you
created is not only listed but that
there is a check mark in the box
so that those words are available
for use.
Have students create one then
experiment with using the Word
Prediction tool.