Questions drive nonfiction writing. Authors pose questions, explore questions, and often present answers to questions in nonfiction pieces.
Use Journey North News for mentor text activities:
1. Explore driving questions.
As you read news updates, challenge students to identify driving questions and note how the author uses questions to organize and present information. Encourage students to share questions raised from the information they read.
2. Create driving question posters.
Prominently display driving questions on posters and invite students to jot down key words, phrases, quotes, and sparked questions on post-its that can be added to the poster after reading through the news update.
3. Note creative ways that questions embedded.
Pay attention to how writers include questions in the news. Where are they found? How are they used? What graphic design techniques can help illuminate questions in titles, headings, text, photo captions, and other components?
4. Provide guided practice with journal pages.
Collect the journal pages that feature driving questions. Showcase them on bulletin boards and use them to create learning centers with after-reading task cards that encourage students to research for more information.
Questions:
Try it! Journal Activity:
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