Informational Text Reading Strategies for Intervention Time

For intervention time this year, my district decided to go with Delta Math for students who struggle in specifically identified areas of math and Read 180 for students who tested low in reading.  For everyone else, and based on no particular data (go figure...) it was decided that the non-math and non-ELA teaching teachers would teach rotating cohorts of everyone else "informational text reading strategies" four days a week.  We were given little direction and no resources to accomplish this (keep figuring...).

So, after spinning my wheels for a while, I stumbled on what I think is an effective and engaging way to teach this.  I decided to use a resource I already had lots of - my differentiated readings!

I knew I couldn't just pass them out and collect them at the end for three reasons:

1. The activity wouldn't take long enough.
2. They would burn through too many of them too fast.
3. These students have worked hard to be proficient at reading and math; they deserve something fun and engaging, not something tedious and boring

So, this is what I came up with:

• First, for each 2-week rotation of students, I select one American History and one World History set of three differentiated readings.  I began with Native American and Ancient Egypt.
• Then I created a GoogleSlide presentation (1 slide per day) for each specific article/topic that began with an image or chart or graph or map related to the topic to get the students thinking.
• Next, I posed a question related to the topic they were going to read about.
• After discussing the question, I showed them a brief (2-3 minute) video related to, but not duplicating, the topic.
• Finally, I passed out the reading and gave them time to complete the activity.
• The session ends with students sharing out their responses.

The last question on each sheet asks them what else they would like to learn about the topic.  When students shared these out, I recorded them.  Once they left, I typed their questions onto a GoogleSlide.  On Fridays, I display the list of questions they generated throughout the week and direct them to find the answers using their ChromeBooks and the informational text strategies they've practiced throughout the week.

So far, I've been very pleased with the results.  I think this activity could work with any article you are willing to make questions for, but if you are interested in using my differentiated readings in your class either for intervention, instruction, or enrichment, they are linked below in my TpT store.  Each set of three provides the same information and questions written at both an Upper Elementary and Middle School reading level and are also available individually!

• World History Topics
  • Early Humans (FREE!)
  • Mesopotamia
  • Ancient Egypt
  • Ancient Greece
  • Ancient Rome
  • The Middle Ages & Renaissance
  • World History 6-resource Bundle
• American History Topics
  • Native America
  • Age of Exploration
  • European Colonization
  • English Colonization
  • French & Indian War
  • Protest!
  • The American Revolution
  • American Government
  • Sectionalism
  • Westward Expansion
  • The Civil War
  • Colonization Bundle 4-resource Bundle
  • Revolutionary Era 4-resource Bundle
  • The Civil War Era 3-resource Bundle
  • American History Mega-Bundle