Identifying Key Details in Informational Text
Identifying Key Details in Informational Text Objective: Students will be able to ask and answer questions about key details in a text to demonstrate understanding of the information presented.
Learning Objectives
- Understand what informational text is and how it differs from stories.
- Identify key details by asking and answering questions about the text.
- Practice using details from the text to support answers.
Materials Needed
- A short informational text appropriate for 1st grade (example: a simple article about animals, plants, or weather)
- Paper and pencil
- Worksheet with guided questions about the text
Key Vocabulary
- Informational Text
- A type of writing that gives facts about a real topic.
- Key Details
- Important pieces of information that help explain the main idea.
- Question
- A sentence we ask to learn more about something.
Detailed Activities
Read and Discuss a Short Informational Text
- Begin by explaining what informational text is and give simple examples.
- Read the chosen informational text aloud together with the student.
- Pause occasionally to ask simple questions and encourage the student to ask their own questions about what you read.
Identify Key Details
- Discuss what key details are and why they are important.
- Use the worksheet to look back at the text and find answers to specific questions.
- Help the student write or verbally express answers using information from the text.
Create Your Own Questions
- Encourage the student to think of two questions about the text.
- Write the questions down and work together to find answers in the text.
- Discuss how asking questions helps us understand what we read.
Parent & Instructor Notes
- This lesson is designed to help your child understand informational texts by focusing on key details through asking and answering questions.
- You do not need to be an expert on the topic; simply read the text together and encourage curiosity.
- Allow your child to express their thoughts freely and support them gently in finding answers in the text.
Assessment Questions
- What is this text mostly about?
- Can you tell me one important detail you learned from the text?
- What question can you ask about the topic we read?
Extension Ideas
- Find other short informational texts about different topics and repeat the activity.
- Create a simple fact chart together based on the text details.
- Use pictures related to the text to help your child explain what they learned.
Frequently Asked Questions
Encourage them by rereading parts of the text and discussing it together. Use simple prompts like ‘What did it say about…?’ to guide them.
Practicing a few times a week with short texts helps build comfort and skill over time.
Teacher’s Guide
Common Misconceptions:
- Students may confuse story details with informational facts.
- They might answer questions from memory instead of referring back to the text.
- Some students may think all texts have a main character or plot, which is not true for informational texts.
Scaffolding Ideas:
For Struggling Students:
- Use shorter texts with more pictures to support understanding.
- Ask yes/no or multiple-choice questions before moving to open-ended ones.
- Read the text multiple times and discuss it in smaller sections.
For Advanced Students:
- Challenge them to ask more complex questions about the text.
- Have the student summarize the information in their own words.
- Introduce simple note-taking to organize key details.
Pacing Recommendations:
- Spend about 15 minutes reading and discussing the text.
- Use 20 minutes for identifying key details and answering questions.
- Reserve the last 10 minutes for creating and answering original questions.
Standards
- 1.RI.1 — Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
Printable Worksheet
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