Check out this engaging informational text activity for high school students. These informational text worksheets are engaging for students but also focus on the ELA standards. It’s always important to teach the standards, but I like to do it in a way that gets my students’ attention and keeps them motivated to read. It’s fun to teach students informational text skills and current events while providing them opportunities for choice.
Introducing the article of the week in a choice format for my high school students has been a game-changer!
Kelly Gallagher is credited as being the genius behind the “article of the week.” His website states: “Kelly recognizes that part of the reason students struggle with reading is because they lack prior knowledge and background. They can decode the words, but the words remain meaningless without a foundation of knowledge. To help build his students’ prior knowledge, he assigns them an Article of the Week every Monday morning.”
If you’re looking to implement the article of the week, choice reading, or even just provide your students with exposure to current events, check out my tips and tricks below.
1. Create the illusion of choice.
We know that there’s some pretty solid research out there about raising student engagement by letting them choose what they read. But, if you’re like me, then the thought of giving students 100% free choice sends chills down your spine. Here’s where I got creative when I started implementing the article of the week. I let my students think that they had a choice, but I chose the standard they would focus on, and I gave them a list of pre-approved websites that they could use. For example, I took our ELA standards and chose which one I wanted to focus on for the week. Here’s what it would look like for my class:
- ELA Standard: RI.9-10.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
- The instructions I gave my students: Find an article about an event, tragedy, or celebration that you’ve never heard of or you’d like to know more about. Make sure this occurrence has happened in the last 6 months. Use TIME.com, Nytimes.com/section/learning, or NPR.org
2. Structure the work so that it meets the standard.
I create simple graphic organizers for my students on Google docs or Microsoft PowerPoint to help them keep up with the reading AND to help me see how well they can accomplish the standard. With this e ngaging informational text activity, students can have fun with reading while still working on the standards. Here’s an example of how I’ll have my students work through the central idea standard as stated earlier…
I’ll break apart the standard into digestible pieces so that the students can really practice what’s being asked of them in the standard. The standard is focused around central idea, details from the text, and objective summary. So, I’ll ask my students to trace these three things as they read.
3. Let go of grading every word.
This is a tough one for me – I like to hold students accountable and I love to provide feedback. However, I’ve come to learn that this activity just isn’t something that needs a ton of grading. In fact, I’ve learned that students get more out of it when I don’t specifically/hardcore grade it. I use this rubric at the bottom of every assignment:
I’ll literally circle or highlight which one matches the work that they’ve done. I have a small spot to write additional feedback, but I usually just write something about how they chose a cool article in this part. I’ve noticed that students like to talk about what they’ve read when they like what they’re reading. To me, the possibility of them reading more, enjoying reading, and even talking about what they read far outweighs me grading every single grammatical error. Also, I’ve heard my students talk about “Oh YES I GOT MASTERED THIS WEEK!” or “I only got developing but I know I need to work on ____________ so I’m not surprised.”
Students know their strengths and growth areas – but providing them with opportunities to keep reading and writing even when they may not have mastered a skill YET is a great way to get in some risk-free practice. I do give students a small grade for doing their best on this assignment. When they try, they get full points. When it’s rushed and half-way done, they get the bare minimum of passing points, and of course, they get a zero for no work turned in.
4. Timing is important.
My students know that every Friday they will have an article of the week to complete. By Friday, we are ALL tired. I know that we need to keep moving and working through the standards, but sometimes I think we all just need a break. Fear not, there is a way to have as much fun as possible when it’s a TGIF! My students like that they get to choose something that they actually WANT to read on Fridays. It’s more of a laid back feel, and I always play music while they work. I also take this time to showcase any interesting articles that I’ve read or found that week. Some of my favorite sources to find fun articles to create an engaging informational text activity are:
- https://www.livescience.com/strange-news
- https://www.huffpost.com/life/
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/news
- https://www.cbsnews.com/strange/
5. Make it social.
After my students choose their article and fill out their graphic organizer, I have them tell the world/our class about it! My students use a website called FlipGrid to post recorded responses to their reading. Flipgrid is another way to provide an engaging informational text activity that keeps students reading and learning. The website’s tagline is actually “empower every voice.” How cool is that? Flipgrid is basically a way to facilitate connections and interactions through short, recorded videos. Here’s a screengrab from the example on Flipgrid’s website:
I’ll have my students summarize their article, tell me something cool that they learned, then I’ll ask them a ridiculous question like – talk about your favorite ice cream flavor or your pet – just to make sure they’re actually reading instructions. 🙂 There are all kinds of fun filters and stickers that they can use, too!
I love using this article of the week strategy to keep my students engaged but still learning the ELA standards. I’d love to know how you implement the article of the week in your class, and how you’ve seen students engage with the text.
