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Teach “example” as a type of detail info text authors use

Take a moment to read the following text excerpt. Where does the author include examples of a concept? Why is that helpful to readers?

Look closely and you will see. Magnets can be found on a can opener. The magnet attracts, or pulls, a lid off of a soup can. A push or a pull is called a force. There is also a magnet in a refrigerator. It pulls the metal in the door to make a tight seal. Do you know how?

The author has provided two examples of household objects that have magnets and described what the magnet does (attracts, pulls). The examples serve to create a concrete picture of magnets in our every day life as well as what magnets do. In the rest of this text, Magnets Work! (from McGraw-Hill Wonders, 2nd grade curriculum) the author uses an abundance of examples. Not once does the author state, “This is an example.” Instead the reader has to recognize this and use this type of detail to help them understand how magnets are a part of our daily lives and a powerful tool for getting work done.

I’m betting you have students who overlook the power of these examples or students who do not understand that the author has shared this particular type of detail – an example. We may need to explicitly teach the meaning of the word “example” and how to notice this type of detail in texts.

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Why teach this explicitly?

  • Noticing that an author has provided an example can help the student as they monitor for meaning making.
  • Being able to say “the author provides an example” supports the students as they try to paraphrase their learning (and liberates them from just repeat the text verbatim).
  • Noticing that the author includes examples makes it more likely we will remember what was in the text. This eases the cognitive load and we can spend more energy on synthesizing the bigger ideas in the text.
  • Understanding the role of examples in describing and explaining while writing informational texts and persuasive/argument texts is helpful to students. An “example” is a “go to” way of elaborating on or explaining a topic or idea.
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How do we do this?

Try your best to define “example” for students.  Here’s the definition from www.merriam-webster.com – something or someone chosen from a group in order to show what the whole group is like. I think this could be modified into a kid-friendly definition.

Practice listing examples of examples. When I taught a small group of second grade students with this magnet text, I asked them to identify examples of places or household appliances in which they can find magnets. They hesitated. When I asked them what I meant by the word “example,” they shrugged. I was caught off guard, but knew right away we had to stop briefly to discuss this before we could go on because the text is filled with examples! I defined example for them and then I pulled out a dry erase board and we listed examples of pets, clothing, sports. They caught on but still struggled with noticing examples of household objects identified by the author back in the text. They definitely needed more exposure to this concept.

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Make an anchor chart with the word “example,” it’s definition and examples of examples :). Author’s examples pop up everywhere. Students will begin to notice and become “example alert.”

Additional resources

I wouldn’t take for granted that your students are noticing and naming the types of details in texts. If you can name a type of detail, you’re more likely to remember that detail and draw upon that memory when you’re thinking about the main ideas in a text and the details that support that text. Here’s a list of some other types of details you might explicitly teach or encourage students to notice.

If you have a copy of my books, I describe in detail teaching these types of details in Close Reading of Informational Sources (Chapter 8) and how to use “types of details” to compare sources in Nurturing Informed Thinking (Chapter 3, Lesson Idea 5, p. 53-57).

Hope this helps.

Sunday

Revised Winter 2024

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