Unpacking Complexity in Informational Texts ─ Principles and Practices for Grades 2-8

To acquire content knowledge through reading, students must understand the complex components and diverse purposes of informational texts, as emphasized in the Common Core State Standards. This practical book illuminates the ways in which a text’s purpose, structure, details, connective language, and construction of themes combine to create meaning. Classroom-tested instructional recommendations and "kid-friendly" explanations guide teachers in helping students to identify and understand the role of these elements in different types of informational texts. Numerous student work samples, excerpts from exemplary books and articles, and a Study Guide with discussion questions and activities for professional learning add to the book’s utility.

?This is a valuable guide for teachers in grades 2-8, academic coaches, site administrators, and curriculum directors implementing the Common Core standards to increase the rigor and level of reading in all content areas. Instructional strategies, sample lessons, anchor charts, examples of student work, and interactive templates are provided in each chapter. Teachers and those engaging in professional development can use this book to support their efforts to plan lessons that require students to engage with text, think critically, discuss their understanding, and write about information embedded in complex informational text.”--Lori Greenwood, MA, Educational Leadership Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education, Plumas Lake Elementary School District, Plumas Lake, CA

Sunday Cummins, PhD, is an independent literacy consultant who lives in Chico, California, and consults nationally. Formerly she was Assistant Professor of Education in the Reading and Language Department at National Louis University and a facilitator for the New Schools Project at the Erikson Institute in Chicago. Before becoming a professor, Dr. Cummins worked in the public schools for 10 years as a middle school and third-grade teacher and as a literacy coach. She is the author of Close Reading of Informational Texts as well as articles in The Reading Teacher and Talking Points, and shares her work on teaching with informational texts by presenting at state, national, and international conferences. Her website is www.Sunday-Cummins.com.