When teachers choose a mentor text from a different source, they often follow up by assigning a Storyworks article as the text for students to apply the reading or writing strategy independently. For example, Ducharme used a read-aloud from another source to lead a whole-group lesson on making inferences. “But then I don’t want them using the same book that I use. I want them to apply it independently. So I picked a biography in Storyworks , and they had to make inferences using that biography” and identify text evidence for each inference. Teachers and instructional specialists identified several other literacy skills and strategies for which Storyworks texts and supporting resources have worked especially well, including summarization (using a Storyworks graphic organizer), conducting research from informational texts, writing argumentative essays (using a Storyworks debate article as a model), and identification of nonfiction graphics features and text features. Esparza notes that the magazines can be used for every skill she wants to teach because of the variety of text types. Besides poetry and biographies mentioned previously, Storyworks text types include news articles, informational texts, fiction, and plays.
SCHOLASTIC STORYWORKS SUCCESS STORY: CYPRESS-FAIRBANKS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT 6
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