Inspiring English Language Learners
  • Blog
    • Blog in Español
  • About
    • Contact
  • Upcoming Presentations 2023
    • 2022 Presentations
    • 2021 Presentation
  • My Book
  • My Reading Life
Picture
Inspiring English Language Learners

ELs Need Narrative Text Structure Lessons

7/17/2018

4 Comments

 
During the summer of 2017, Refugee book by Alan Gratz was released. There was a huge buzz about this awesome book that I decided to get it. I even ordered several copies and shared with colleagues so we could all read it together. However, I had to stop reading it and put it away. I didn't stop reading it because I didn't like it; I stopped reading it because I found myself disoriented while reading it. 

​You see, I am an English Learner (EL). English is my second language. As matter of fact, I've only had 3 years of high school and my college education here in the USA. Read here if you want to learn more. 

Even though I was compelled and excited to read this story, I found myself struggling to make sense of what was happening. I was getting frustrated. I was getting caught in small details, I couldn't remember the most important events, I was forgetting what I had just read and was unable to make connections between events. I TRIED! I KEPT READING! But I felt like I was wasting my time. So I gave up and put the book away. 

All year went by and I kept seeing posts about how awesome this book was and how everyone should be reading it. I felt bad and kind of embarrassed that I had not been able to read this wonderful book. However, reading 'Más Allá del Invierno' by Isabel Allende, entirely en Español, was super easy and refreshing to my mind. 
Picture
So, why did I have trouble reading Refugee, you might ask? Well, allow me to shed some light on the book's NARRATIVE STRUCTURE (text structure is the overall organization of the text).
The novel alternates among three narratives that  explore the lives of refugees in different decades and parts of the world.
​
The book is beautifully written, and its narrative structure is brilliantly constructed...but, it threw me off and confused me as an English language learner.
Isn't comprehension the purpose of reading? If so, if you can't read it, you can't comprehend it!  
Comprehension is the process of extracting or constructing MEANING!! ​
If you can't read it, you can't comprehend it!

Giving Refugee Book a Second Chance

The #ELLchat_BkClub voted on reading Refugee over the summer of 2018. As matter of fact, I also voted on this book because I was still intrigued by everything I've heard about the story and I really wanted to read it. 

Guess what?!? I read it ALL in just 4 weeks! 

However, the only reason I was successful in completing the book was that I had support.  
​
You see, participating in a book club not only provided the accountability for my reading but also facilitated weekly discussions with other participants reading the same story. 
Dr. Katie Toppel, the book club moderator, provided weekly questions based on a given number of pages read, and that in itself, gave me the purpose for reading I needed to pause and reflect on what I had read. 

I was not just reading the words! I was making sense of the information and ideas. I was constructing meaning, and also retaining information.  So this experience led me thinking about my ELs and thought about gathering some resources about this topic. 

Why Teach Fiction/Narrative Text Structures?

The question should be, 'why wouldn't you teach narrative structures?'. If you want students to make sense of the text and build on ideas to construct meaning and to retain the information they're reading, then you MUST intentionally teach its structure. 
​
Students NEED a purpose for reading! The purpose of reading is COMPREHENSION.
Again, if students are finding themselves disoriented while reading a narrative, they WILL NOT comprehend, construct meaning, and/or retain information. 

How to Teach Text Structures

ELs, and all students in general, NEED explicit text structure lessons; they need tools to support them as they move throughout their reading whether is non-fiction or narrative text.
I find this blog post on Cultofpedagogy.com by Jennifer Gonzalez loaded with resources on ways to teach text structures for non-fiction text. 
​
This "20 Strategies to Teach Text"  is fabulous. It actually gives a great perspective as to why and how to teach text structures. 

Some key elements our students need to focus on while reading narratives are:
  • Settings: Help students have a clear understanding of where the story is happening. Time period is also important. Provide setting frames such as: This story takes place ___________. I know this because the author uses the words _____________. Other clues that show when and where the story takes place are ________________. 
  • Characters: Students need support identifying personalities, character traits, character behaviors, and languages. Have students make a list of all the main characters and a list of all characters found in the story. 
  • Obstacles: What problems are the characters encountering? How might the problems be solved?
  • Plot: Have students keep a timeline as they read the story. This will help them maintain their thoughts and events in order. 
  • Point of View: Who is telling the story? If its the narrator, students should know that he/she and him/her will be used. If the story is being told by the character, then "I, and me" will be used.
Focusing on these key elements scaffolds their readings and empowers them to comprehend stories. ​The use of graphic organizers its great...but please don't overuse them! Graphic organizers are diagrams or any other visual that helps students identify concepts, ideas, and information found within the text. 
Here's an excellent list of printable graphic organizers provided by Fountas and Pinnell. 

The most important strategy we can teach our students is to PAUSE AND DISCUSS the text! 

MODEL, MODEL, MODEL how to think aloud while reading! Here's a great video that teaches how to model thinking aloud to increase comprehension.  

This "Think Aloud Checklist" is a great resource our students can have with them as they read and think about their reading. 
Picture
Introducing Fiction Text Structure with STORY ​looks like a fun way to teach this topic! Click here for more. 

S – SETTING
T – TALKING CHARACTERS
O – OOPS! A PROBLEM!
R – ATTEMPTS TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM
Y – YES, THE PROBLEM IS SOLVED!
In conclusion, the method you choose to teach your students 'Narrative Text Structure' doesn't really matter. What matters is to make sure students know how to navigate through challenging text formats to comprehend stories.  Having the tools described above will increase reading speed, help retain content, and support with connections with incoming new information. 

I would love to know if you use any of these resources or if you have any others I need to learn about. Please share comments below! 


Happy reading and thanks for reading my post! 
4 Comments
Jaslyn Davies
7/22/2018 04:08:33 pm

Emily, these are great scaffolding techniques for students as they’re doing their independent reading, whole class read aloud and/ or book clubs. While I love the use of graphic organizers, yes...sometimes they can be overused. Creating basic comprehension focuses, like setting, problem / solution, characters, etc., are ideal with simple stop & jots in journals, post-it’s notes, partner discussions, or (my personal favorite) blogging allows students to share their thoughts, and get a better understanding of the text; It keeps the students engaged and accountable. Teachers are also able to utilize these as formative assessment when they’re unable to confer with every student. You’re right, reading with a purpose is essential for students to fully grasp the text. I love this blog. Thank you for posting.

Reply
Emily Francis
7/22/2018 05:58:57 pm

Thank you so much for reading, Jaslyn! We need to teach our students that there is a purpose for reading...even if we're reading for fun...comprehension needs to happen! Great ideas you're sharing here too!
Thanks so much for your comment!!

Reply
Tracy Potash link
8/6/2018 04:19:57 pm

These are fabulous strategies, Emily! Easily incorporated in every classroom! Thanks so much for sharing not only your personal experience with this amazing novel, but all the strategic reading techniques that set the reader up for success!!

Reply
Emily
8/6/2018 04:56:11 pm

Thank you so much for taking your time to read my post and also for providing feedback!
I am glad you like the strategies and resources provided.

Happy reading!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Best Practices
    Diverse Books
    Ellen Degeneres
    ESL Lessons
    Featured Posts
    #IfUonlyKnewBook
    My Story
    Newcomers
    Personalized PD
    #PLC4Newcomers
    Press Features
    Reflection
    SIFE
    WriteReader

    Archives

    May 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Blog
    • Blog in Español
  • About
    • Contact
  • Upcoming Presentations 2023
    • 2022 Presentations
    • 2021 Presentation
  • My Book
  • My Reading Life