Classroom
magazines have become an invaluable resource in my classroom for exposing my
students to informational texts. With the adoption of common core, there has
been a shift in the emphasis on informational texts. With the common core,
upper grade students' exposure to texts should be 50% literature and 50%
informational. With this shift, came a major obstacle for me, as the
texts in my classroom and student textbook were about 80% literature and 20%
informational. This forced me to think outside the textbook to find meaningful
and engaging sources of informational texts. One answer....
Classroom
Magazines!!!
Each
year, I am so excited when our magazines start to arrive. However, they would quickly
start piling up, week after week, and I found myself squeezing them in whenever I could. Looking back, I realize that I
was using them as filler. My challenge this year was finding a way to integrate
them into my language arts program in a way that was more meaningful and
focused. So, here are several ways that I have been using magazines in my
classroom this year....
1. Use Classroom Magazines to Focus
on Text Features
At
the beginning of the year, we first spent a lot of time focusing on the parts
of a magazine, particularly the text features. We talked about each feature and
students identified them in their magazines. Then we talked about the
information that can be gathered from different text features, and how they are
used to add meaning to the text. Later, my students started “collecting” text
features in a packet. We wait until the end of the week, when we are done with
the entire magazine, then they cut out the different text features and sort
them in their packet, adding to their “collection” each week. They love this!!
2. Use Classroom Magazines to Focus on Text Structures
3. Use Classroom Magazines to Practice Close Reading
4. Use Classroom Magazines to Expand Vocabulary
Reading classroom magazines exposes my students to new ideas and new vocabulary that they might not otherwise be exposed to. They use context clues to determine the meaning of each word. Then they define and draw pictures for each new word to show their understanding, and to help visualize the meaning of the new words they learn. They have developed quite a collection!
5. Use Classroom Magazines to Talk and Write About Informational Texts
Lastly, I use magazine articles as meaningful topics for class discussions and writing assignments. Sometimes, after reading a debate or opinion piece, my students will share their opinions with their classmates, then write an opinion essay on the topic. I also ask them to choose articles to do additional research on, in order to produce an informative writing assignment. It is so important that students use texts to write, and that they learn to refer to texts when providing evidence in their own writing and conversations. The current events and ideas from classroom magazines serve as a great springboards for both conversation and writing.
I am constantly looking for new ways to use magazines in my classroom! How do you use them in yours??!!
Click here to learn more about my TpT product: "Exploring Non-Fiction {Using Classroom Periodicals}"
Reading classroom magazines exposes my students to new ideas and new vocabulary that they might not otherwise be exposed to. They use context clues to determine the meaning of each word. Then they define and draw pictures for each new word to show their understanding, and to help visualize the meaning of the new words they learn. They have developed quite a collection! 5. Use Classroom Magazines to Talk and Write About Informational Texts
Lastly, I use magazine articles as meaningful topics for class discussions and writing assignments. Sometimes, after reading a debate or opinion piece, my students will share their opinions with their classmates, then write an opinion essay on the topic. I also ask them to choose articles to do additional research on, in order to produce an informative writing assignment. It is so important that students use texts to write, and that they learn to refer to texts when providing evidence in their own writing and conversations. The current events and ideas from classroom magazines serve as a great springboards for both conversation and writing.
I am constantly looking for new ways to use magazines in my classroom! How do you use them in yours??!!
Click here to learn more about my TpT product: "Exploring Non-Fiction {Using Classroom Periodicals}"
