Informational Text in the TK Classroom*
Reading aloud to young children is widely recommended by literacy experts. One of
the most important reasons for sharing books with children is that it communicates the
joy of reading. What better way to teach children that books are treasures and that reading
is a wonderful adventure than to take the time to read books aloud? In addition to
promoting positive attitudes toward books, reading aloud supports literacy development
by exposing children to the rich language of books, including complex language
structures and sophisticated vocabulary; by supporting children’s developing
understanding of the structure of story and other genres; and by building background
knowledge essential for reading comprehension and school success. Recently, literacy
experts have argued that more attention should be paid to the kinds of books that are
shared with young children. Specifically, they advise teachers of young children to
include more informational texts in their classrooms, urging them to not only share
informational books as read-alouds but to place them in classroom libraries and to use
them in instruction. As many children’s first teachers, preschool professionals have an
important responsibility to understand the nature of informational text, the reasons to
share informational text, and how to include informational text in the early childhood
classroom.
What is informational text?
There is not a single agreed-upon definition of informational text (Saul & Dieckman,
2005). Some authorities (e.g., Kletzien & Dreher, 2004) equate informational text with
nonfiction, and others (e.g., Duke & Bennett-Armistead, 2003) classify informational text
as a subset of nonfiction. In the latter view, the broader class of nonfiction includes any
text that is factual. Biographies, procedural (how-to) texts, nonfiction narratives (true
stories), and informational texts, for example, are all nonfiction. The category of
informational texts consists of those texts that convey information about the natural and
social world and that have characteristic features not typically contained in the other
nonfiction categories. These features include the following:
Opening and closing statements about the topic
Repetition of the topical theme
Expository text structures, such as problem/solution, description, sequence,
compare/contrast, and cause/effect, rather than story structure, which consists of a setting,
characters, and plot
Various access formats, such as an index, glossary, and headings
Timeless verbs (rather than past tense verbs so often used in narrative) and generic
nouns (referring to a class of things rather than individuals)
Graphic elements such as photographs and diagrams, often with labels and captions
Biographies, procedural texts, and nonfiction narratives are not classified as
informational text in this view because they neither relay information about the social and
natural world nor contain most or all of the features identified above. For purposes of this
article, the term informational text will refer to the subset of nonfiction that is
distinguishable from other categories of nonfiction because some of the unique attributes
of this genre make it especially important to include in classroom experiences.
Review and reflect: Look back at the list of
differences you generated in Activity 1. How
does your list of informational text features
differ from the list above?
The importance of sharing informational text
Informational text is an crucial component of early literacy programs and
classrooms for several reasons. First, informational text is enjoyable and may be the fuel
that sparks a student’s interest in reading and learning. Those who work with young
children have undoubtedly observed their fascination with the world and their incessant
questioning. How fast can lizards run? How many different kinds of shells are there?
Why does it rain? Informational texts can provide the answers to children’s questions—as
well as prompt additional questions. Because of the enthusiasm for reading these books
can generate, some educators have observed that informational text is the pathway to
literacy for some children (e.g., Caswell & Duke, 1998) and note that for this reason
alone informational text should be shared with young children.
A second reason for including informational text in early classroom experiences is
that it exposes students to text structures other than story, and experience with diverse
text structures and features is crucial to literacy development. Pappas (1991, p. 461)
argued that exposure to only story may result in a “barrier to full access to literacy,” and
Duthie (1994) has said that if we do not offer young students experiences with
informational text structures, we are contributing to future difficulties with these
materials. In fact, it has been speculated that the fourth-grade slump, a period when
students show a decline in the rate of reading progress (Chall, 1983; Chall, Jacobs, &
Baldwin, 1990), may be the result of insufficient exposure to expository materials in
earlier grades. Students need many opportunities with a variety of text structures and
features in order to become comfortable and familiar with them.
Third, informational text should be included in early childhood classrooms
because it supports the acquisition of background knowledge. Students learn about the
world from informational text, and knowledge is essential to comprehension (Hirsch,
2003, 2006; Neuman, 2006; Wilson & Anderson, 1986; Yopp, 2007). Indeed, an
individual’s background knowledge, or the body of knowledge he has, is related to his comprehension of written and oral language, his academic success, and his status in life
as reflected by income (Marzano, 2004). Willingham (2006) explains that background
knowledge is important to comprehension in at least three ways: It helps individuals take
in new information, it helps individuals think about new information, and it helps
individuals remember new information. Informational books are excellent sources of
information about the world and can contribute greatly to children’s storehouse of
knowledge.
A fourth reason informational texts should be included in early literacy programs
is that they are rich with content-specific, or specialized, vocabulary, and vocabulary is
highly related to comprehension (Baumann, Kame’enui, & Ash, 2003). As children listen
to a selection about butterflies, for example, they hear the words antennae, scales, nectar,
proboscis, hatch, shed, emerge, and chrysalis. Books give teachers the opportunity to not
only share information but to share the words that represent that information. Indeed,
students are far more likely to encounter rich vocabulary in books than in conversations
with peers or adults or on television (Hayes & Ahrens, 1988).
Summarize: List the four reasons for including
informational texts in early childhood classrooms
shared in this paper.
The status of informational text in early childhood classrooms
Despite the importance of informational text to learning and comprehending,
young children are not receiving a steady diet of this type of text at school. In fact,
research conducted in the last decade has revealed that young children receive few
opportunities to engage with informational texts. In her study of 20 first-grade
classrooms, for example, Duke (2000) found that a mean of only 3.6 minutes per day was
spent with informational texts during classroom written language activities. Further, she
found that informational text accounted for only 2.6% of displayed print in the
classrooms and 9.8% of classroom reading materials. The numbers were even lower for
students in low-socioeconomic status districts.
Analyses of first- and second-grade basal reading programs have also provided
evidence of limited opportunities with informational text, with the percentage of
nonfiction (Hoffman et al, 1994) and informational literature selections (Moss & Newton,
2002) in several textbook series being 12% and 16%, respectively. And, surveys of
teacher practices have revealed very limited use of informational text as read-alouds
(Jacobs, Morrison, & Swinyard, 2000; Pressley, Rankin, & Yokoi, 1996; Yopp & Yopp,
1999).
More recently, we found that this same paucity of experiences with informational
text in preschool and kindergarten classrooms and in homes (Yopp & Yopp, 2006). Of
the books reported by preschool and kindergarten teachers as read aloud to their young
students, only 5% and 9%, respectively, were informational. Similarly, an analysis of
books reported by family members as read aloud at home to their kindergarten children
revealed that only 7% were informational. Happily, teachers and family members did
read aloud to their young students, but the text of choice was largely story. Rarely did
children hear informational books.
Reflect and observe: Does this information surprise you? The
next time you are at your fieldwork site, visit a TK or K
classroom. Make a quick, very rough estimate of the
proportion of informational text you see on the classroom
walls, in the library, and in centers compared to storybooks.
Using informational text in the TK classroom
Given the arguments for sharing informational text and findings about children’s
limited exposure to informational texts, it is clear that efforts must be made to bring this
type to literature into the lives of young children. How can the transitional kindergarten
accomplish this?
Think: Before you read a list of suggestions, below, think
about how you would answer this question.
Have an inviting and well-stocked classroom library that includes informational text,
and ensure that it is accessible to children. The library area should have visual appeal and
comfortable furniture (a rug and bean bags, for example), and children should be
provided with easy access to books and other text materials such as magazines and
pamphlets. Consider placing books so that covers face out (as opposed to spine out) in
order to capture children’s attention and interest. Teachers can keep informed about
informational books they might want to include in their classroom libraries by visiting
public libraries and book stores and searching the Internet. The National Science
Teachers Association, for example, publishes a list of Outstanding Science Trade Books
for children each year. This list can be found at http://www.nsta.org/publications/ostb/.
Place informational books in centers. Children’s books about forces and motion
might be placed in a science center. Books about fish might be displayed by a class
aquarium. Books about lines, shapes, and colors might be placed in an art center. Having
books available where the children are engaged in activity invites children to pick them
up and look through them and often inspires children to ask the teacher to read them
aloud.
Make informational texts a regular part of your read-aloud routine. Children are
curious about their world and are eager to learn about their natural and social world.
Reading aloud from books about plants and animals or national and state symbols, for
example, will answer children’s questions about the world and inspire more questions.
After reading, leave the books accessible so children can explore them on their own if
they choose. Select books related to children’s interests as well as those related to current
topics of study.
Include informational text in all areas of the curriculum. When children are exploring
music, use books about musical instruments to convey information. When children are
investigating weather, share books about rain, snow, and wind. Invite students to observe
and talk about words and images in books.
Display informational text on classroom walls. Kindergarten teachers are well aware
of the importance of creating a print-rich environment for their students. Include in that
environment informational text such as posters with diagrams and labels and pictures
with captions.
Provide children with opportunities to be writers of informational text. Let them write
or dictate what they know and have learned or experienced. Share their writing with the
class by reading it aloud or having the children read it aloud and posting it on the
classroom walls. Create individual and class books and encourage the use of specialized
vocabulary. Have the children video record each other sharing their books and share the
recordings with families.
Monitor student access and exposure to informational text. Observe children, and
notice the books they are handling and what interests them. Use your observations to
make decisions about additional books for the classroom and to gently spark interest in
the variety of materials you make available. Keep a record of the materials you share with
students, and be sure to balance informational text with other text types such as stories
and poetry.
Teach with and about informational texts in your literacy program. The CCSS for
ELA/Literacy acknowledges the importance of including informational text in early
childhood classrooms and requires kindergarten teachers to address standards related to
reading informational text. TK teachers play an important role in laying the groundwork
for children to achieve the reading standards for informational text through offering
developmentally appropriate experiences with these books.
Review: Revisit the CCSS for ELA/Literacy at www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/
documents/finalccsselamar2013.doc and review the kindergarten reading
standards for informational text.
Raise family awareness of the importance of sharing a variety of text types. Some
teachers share lists of books with family members for reading aloud at home to their
young children. Others send home small backpacks containing books and ask that
children share them with their families over the weekend. Be sure that informational texts
are included on the lists and in the backpacks. At formal and informal meetings, talk to
parents and other important adults about the value of reading aloud and sharing a variety
of text types. Provide information about books in a school or classroom newsletter.
If TK teachers recognize the importance of sharing informational text with the young
children in their care, and if they enthusiastically adopt the suggestions listed above, they
will contribute in important ways to their young students’ literacy development.
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*Excerpted largely from the following (permission pending):
Yopp, R. H. (2007). Informational text in the preschool classroom. The California
Reader, 41 (1), 46-52.