FUNneling with Nonfiction Text

How did this strategy come about?  I was sitting in reading class one day teaching my heart out, trying to make my students understand how reading nonfiction is different to reading fiction.  I was pointing out all of the text and graphic features and telling them how the author actually gives you a lot of hints to look at before you ever read, so that you will know what you are reading about.  As I kept on teaching, I asked them to come up with the prediction for the book that we were getting ready to read, and I was talking about all of the "tons" of information that we already had before reading and how much more we would have when we finally read.  We read the text and then I asked them if their prediction was correct.  They looked at it and wanted to tweak it a little more, and make it more specific, and just like that a "funnel" came to mind.  I said, "This is just like a funnel!"  My kids looked at me strange, but I drew a picture of a funnel and how big it is at the top, and we talked about all of the information before reading and during reading, and then we talked about what happens when a mixture goes through the funnel, and how the opening is so much smaller.  So, I told them that they were funneling all of that information to sift out what was the most important, or the main idea.  Thus "FUNneling" was born, and we worked to create a "FUNneling" graphic organizer and bought some funnels to make it more meaningful for our students.  Our students love "FUNneling", but don't we all like to do things that have meaning?

Look for ways to make learning more meaningful for your students this year!  They will never forget it!  Application is the KEY to success!