Text Box/Book in a Bag
What is text box/bag?
In text box/bag, the students get to hold real items that relate to the reading to build background knowledge about a topic. Students see items that will be featured in the text to bridge the gap between words on a page and the physical objects or concepts presented (Miller & Veatch, 2011). By giving students items to hold and examine, it engages them before reading and gets the students wondering what the relationship between the items and characters of the text will be. Engaging students increases participation and helps students build understanding. If the students are engaged before reading, they will have a purpose for reading and will be forming questions, becoming active readers. How can I use this strategy in a middle school? Also known a book in a bag, this strategy can be used in many ways in a middle school classroom. First, teachers can use text box/bag to hook students before starting a read aloud. By giving students a purpose for reading, they will be more engaged and interested in the text. It can also be used to pre-teach unfamiliar vocabulary or objects by providing tangible examples of the concepts. A way this strategy can be used in history class is by bringing artifacts or historical objects that will be read about in the text during that class period. Physically handling and examining the objects will allow students to make a deeper connection with the text and engage them in their learning. A variation on this would be to present students with the objects at the end of the class period without telling them what they are and have the students 'research' their assigned text to find out what the objects are. Creating intrigue and giving the students a challenge will increase the likelihood that they will read the text at home. In English class, students can bring their own text box/bag with objects representing their own novels. Students can perform book talks to promote the books they enjoyed to their peers. Bringing items gives the reader a chance to identify the main ideas they can represent with objects and give the audience incentive to read the novel to see the relationship between the items. How can text box/bag be differentiated to meet student needs? It can be differentiated by allowing students to choose their texts and giving students an appropriate level text. Students who do not have items to place in their bags can illustrate photos and use notecards if necessary. |
This teacher is modeling the book in a bag or text box/bag presentation. In this presentation, the teacher gives more information because all of the students are familiar with the story. If she were to do this as a pre-reading activity, she would not want to give as much information so as to create intrigue. She could introduce the book, and show items that are key components of the story, but not explain them. This video shows a more 'book report' or 'book talk' version with a lot of information about the plot.
Below is a book report, "lunch bag report" similar to the teacher's report above. The video shows a fourth grade student doing a book report with items in a lunch bag representing the book Zombie Halloween. The student tells about the story and gives a short summary of the book. Instead of using physical items, the student drew pictures that doubled as note cards for her presentation. This would be a way to allow students to do reports even if they do not have items to put in their text box/bag. |
Writing Component & Standard
In the traditional text box/bag, students do not complete writing. One way to create a written component while using this comprehension strategy would be to have students write a prediction of what will occur in the story based on the objects in the box. After reading, students can look back at their predictions to determine if they were right or wrong, as well as use evidence to write about how their prediction applied to the reading.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.1.A
Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.9
Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
In the traditional text box/bag, students do not complete writing. One way to create a written component while using this comprehension strategy would be to have students write a prediction of what will occur in the story based on the objects in the box. After reading, students can look back at their predictions to determine if they were right or wrong, as well as use evidence to write about how their prediction applied to the reading.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.1.A
Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.9
Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.