Discover Informational Texts

📘 Curriculum Area

Subject: English Language Arts (ELA)
Grade Level: Year 5 (based on U.S. equivalent — typically ages 10–11)
Standards Addressed:

• Common Core State Standards (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.1–5.5)
  • RI.5.1: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
  • RI.5.2: Determine two or more main ideas and explain how they are supported by key details.
  • RI.5.5: Compare and contrast the overall structure of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts.

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🎯 Learning Objectives

By the end of this 30-minute lesson, students will be able to:

1. Identify the purpose of an informational text.
2. Recognize key features and structures common in informational texts.
3. Distinguish between informational and narrative texts.
4. Generate questions they would like to explore about a real topic.

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🗓️ Lesson Overview

Time	Activity	Description
0–5 min	Attention Grabber ("Real vs. Not Real")	Quick whole-group game comparing narrative and informational titles/images.
5–10 min	Mini-Lesson & Guided Modeling	Interactive teacher-led slide with examples of features.
10–20 min	“Text Detectives” Small Group Exploration	Students examine real samples in groups to find informational features.
20–28 min	Class Discussion & Anchor Chart Creation	Collaborate to make an informational texts anchor chart.
28–30 min	Exit Ticket	Individual task: "What makes a text informational?"

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🧠 Prior Knowledge

• Students have previously engaged with fiction texts and narrative structure.
• Some may have encountered nonfiction books or articles during independent reading.

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🧩 Materials Needed

• Chart paper + markers for anchor chart
• "Text Detective" packet of 3–4 short mentor texts (e.g., a science article, biography excerpt, instructional page)
• Whiteboards or notebooks
• Projector/Slides for examples
• “Informational Text Features” reference sheet (bolded titles, captions, diagrams, headings, etc.)
• Exit tickets (quarter sheet slips prepared ahead)

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🏁 Lesson Sequence

⏱ 0–5 mins – Hook: Real or Not Real?

Objective: Tap into curiosity and activate prior knowledge.

Instructions:

1. Show students a PowerPoint with side-by-side book covers or titles of narrative vs. informational texts.
   • e.g., “How Volcanoes Work” vs. “The Lava Lizard’s Secret”
2. Students vote by raising a thumb:
   • 👍 = Informational
   • 👎 = Not Informational
3. Ask, "What clues helped you decide?" Brief discussion.

⏱ 5–10 mins – Mini Lesson: What is Informational Text?

Objective: Introduce key features and the purpose of informational texts.

Steps:

• Use 2 projected pages—one narrative, one informational.
• Point out text features: headings, diagrams, captions, factual language.
• Think-aloud:
  • “I notice this text doesn’t have characters but instead focuses on giving me facts…”
  • “Look here — this heading helps me know what I’m about to read about next.”

Teacher Prompt:
“Informational texts teach us about the real world. They give facts, explanations, and ideas about topics like science, history, and how things work.”

Introduce the metaphor:
“We’ll be informational text DETECTIVES this week — collecting clues to understand how these texts work!”

⏱ 10–20 mins – Small Group: “Text Detectives!”

Objective: Identify features of an informational text in authentic samples.

Instructions:

1. Divide class into 5 groups (5 students per group).
2. Each group receives a “Text Detective Packet” with 2 short informational texts (printed or digital).
3. Students use highlighters or stickers to label the following features:
   • Headings/subheadings
   • Bolded or italicized words
   • Captions & diagrams
   • Photos or labeled illustrations
   • Glossary or keyword box
   • Main idea sentence

Scaffolds: Use a simple detective checklist (“Can you find...?”) and assign roles: reader, feature finder, recorder, reporter, manager.

Teacher circulates: Prompt students, praise curiosity, and model "thinking like a reader."

⏱ 20–28 mins – Class Discussion & Anchor Chart

Objective: Consolidate learning and co-construct understanding.

Instructions:

1. Bring class back together.
2. Each group shares 1–2 features they found and what they think that feature helps the reader do.
3. On the board/chart paper, co-create a visual Anchor Chart
   • Title: "Informational Texts Help Us Learn"
   • Sections: Purpose, Common Features, Topics We Explore

Add sticky notes: Students write “One amazing thing I learned during Text Detectives” on sticky notes and add them around the chart.

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⏱ 28–30 mins – Exit Ticket

Prompt:
💭 “Write one sentence explaining what makes a text informational. Add one feature you can look for.”

Examples for Modeling:

• “Informational texts give real facts and have headings and pictures to help readers learn.”
• “They are about real events and often include diagrams.”

Collect to assess understanding & inform Lesson 2.

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🧠 Extension Ideas

• Set up a “Text Detective Wall” where students post cool facts they find during independent reading all week.
• Create a class “Wonder Wall”: students post questions about the real world they’d like to research.

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📌 Assessment & Reflection

Method	Purpose
Exit Ticket	Gauges individual comprehension of main concept
Group Activity	Assesses ability to apply feature-identification collaboratively
Discussion	Evidence of verbal reasoning and feature recognition

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💡 Differentiation

• For Emerging Readers: Include more visual-heavy samples, assign a peer buddy, provide illustrated glossary/reference sheet.
• For Higher-Level Thinkers: Provide complex medical or historical non-fiction texts for more nuanced feature analysis.
• ELL Support: Use bilingual glossary words, sentence stems during discussions.

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📅 Coming Next (Lesson 2 of 5)

Title: “Main Ideas and Key Details”
Students will dive deeper into understanding how to determine the main idea of an informational text and identify supporting details.

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🎉 Teacher Tip of the Day

Use a clipboard “detective badge” for each student — it makes them feel like investigators and builds engagement with academic vocabulary. With each new lesson in the unit, they earn new “clues” they add to their badge!

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Empower your learners this week with the lens of inquiry. They're not just reading texts — they're exploring the world, one fact at a time. 🕵️‍♂️📖