A New Kind of Currency: Informational Text Literacy in Elementary School

• Published in: Communiqué (National Association of School Psychologists) 2012, Vol.40 (5), p.4
• Main Author: Rowe, Sarah Stebbe
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Classroom Techniques; Classrooms; Elementary School Students; Grade 1; Grade 4; Instructional Materials; Intervention; Libraries; Literacy; National Competency Tests; Parent Teacher Cooperation; Reading; Reading Achievement; Reading Instruction; Reading Skills; School Psychologists; Skill Development; Skills; Teaching Methods
• ISSN: 0164-775X

In the current global economy, skills in the informational text genres are increasingly important for communicating ideas among professionals. The Reading Framework for the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress described informational text broadly as a major type of text that includes exposition, argumentation or persuasive text, and procedural text. Informational text is set apart from narrative text because of differences in the structure and purpose of the text. To participate fully in the modern society, students must be able to locate, understand, and use informational text. School psychologists are in an excellent position to advocate for literacy assessment, instruction, and interventions that contain informational texts. The purpose of this article is to provide school psychologists with an overview of several areas: (1) The need for literacy skills in informational text; (2) A comparison of narrative and informational text genres; (3) Current instructional practices and student achievement with informational text; (4) Tips for communicating with parents and teachers regarding informational text; (5) Further resources on informational text; and (6) Action steps for school psychologists. (Contains 2 figures.)