Textual Treasures: Navigating Informational Texts in Middle School

📖 Textual Treasures: Navigating Informational Texts in Middle School
Master the skills needed to understand nonfiction like a pro!

As students progress through middle school, nonfiction reading becomes essential in subjects like social studies, science, and math. But reading informational texts requires different strategies than reading fiction! This self-paced course will help students develop the skills they need to confidently tackle nonfiction passages, extract key details, take effective notes, and analyze information.

📚 What Students Will Learn:
Each week, students will engage with a nonfiction passage written by the instructor, focusing on:
✅ Reading comprehension strategies – Strengthen the ability to understand and analyze nonfiction texts
✅ Note-taking skills & practice – Learn and apply techniques like summarizing, paraphrasing, and using graphic organizers
✅ Vocabulary development – Define and understand unfamiliar words in context
✅ Text evidence practice – Support answers with direct evidence from the reading

📌 Flexible Learning: All materials will be posted in advance, allowing students to print resources if they choose.

📝 Note-Taking Practice
Each passage will be paired with a guided note-taking activity to help students practice:
✔️ Identifying key ideas and supporting details
✔️ Organizing information using outlines, charts, and graphic organizers
✔️ Summarizing key points in their own words

Students will submit their notes for teacher review, receiving feedback to help refine their skills over time.

📖 Weekly Topics & Readings
Students will explore engaging, high-interest nonfiction topics, including:

The Titanic: The "Unsinkable" Ship
Going Viral
Life in the Middle Ages
Evolution of Gaming
William Shakespeare
Daylight Saving Time
Types of Dogs
Taylor Swift

📊 Assessments & Teacher Feedback
🔹 Interactive Blooket Quizzes – Each week, students complete a fun Blooket quiz to reinforce learning.
🔹 Guided Note-Taking Activities – Students will complete and submit structured notes for feedback.
🔹 Teacher Progress Reports – Submitted work and quiz scores will be reviewed, and weekly progress updates will be provided on Fridays (if work is completed).

📖 By the end of this course, students will have stronger nonfiction reading skills, improved note-taking strategies, and the confidence to analyze informational texts in any subject!