There are many different types of text that we encounter every day. To name just a few that we might come across before lunch, we have: the factual or procedural texts that tell us how to do something or why; the messages, emails or letters that make up our correspondence with friends, business contacts or the outside world in general; and the stories, fictional or true, that tell us things or just serve to entertain us.
Being a good reader, then, includes the ability to process different types of text and to respond to them accordingly. After all, we’d all be in trouble if we started uncritically treating every text message or email we get – or every fictitious story – as procedural texts that we have to follow to the letter!
It’s the same when learning to read. Knowledge of text type helps students organise their thoughts when receiving, retelling or reporting on a particular passage. Children unaware of text types may become confused or include unnecessary details in reports or retellings of a text, indicating a deficit of understanding.
Knowledge of different types of texts aids reading comprehension and assists children in compartmentalising texts. Explicit instruction of text types is vital to understanding how letters form words, words form sentences and sentences form paragraphs - and how all of these combine to work together and form meaning.
CARS & STARS Online is a digital reading comprehension program where students move through five Pre-tests, five Benchmarks and five Post Tests at every level, building mastery of reading comprehension through multiple-choice questions targeting 12 core reading strategies. All of this is unique and unlike any other means of building your students’ reading comprehension. But what makes CARS & STARS Online truly special is that it’s designed to keep student interest through constantly varying reading passages.
Passages in CARS & STARS Online come from a variety of different genres and text types, from letters and lists to stories and instructions. No passage is repeated across the program, and every passage is different. Passages can be fiction or non-fiction, and cover a raft of topics across many different subject areas, all designed to pique student interest and keep it throughout the program.
Students using CARS & STARS Online will be exposed to different text types as standard throughout the program, beginning at the lowest levels. They’ll grow to become proficient readers who can make meaning from any text – and recognise and respond accordingly to any type of text, too.
If you are interested in learning more about the CARS & STARS Online subscriptions and how they can help children to achieve better results, then sign up for a free trial to be an integral part of your child’s reading success.
