Into the air / Wright brothers

Into the air / Wright brothers

Open Ended

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

What keeps people from giving up?

COMPARE PRESENTATIONS

As you read each selection, look for the key ideas each author wants the reader to understand about similar events. Notice the ways in which elements of each genre are used to present those ideas. After you read both selections, you will collaborate with a small group on a final project.

from Into the Air

QUICK START

Have you ever built something or assembled a complicated toy from a kit? Would you rather do it alone, or with a partner? Share your thoughts with the class.

Open Ended

Have you ever built something or assembled a complicated toy from a kit? Would you rather do it alone, or with a partner?

ANALYZE CHARACTERISTICS OF MULTIMODAL TEXTS

the graphic biography you are about to read uses both written text and comic-book style illustrations to tell a biographical story. These print and graphic features work together to organize information, deliver ideas, and guide readers through the text. Look for these features as you read:

MULTIMODAL FEATURE

• caption-a text box that provides narration; text may be set in all capital letters

• speech balloon-a balloon-shaped graphic with a pointer containing dialogue—what a character says aloud

• thought bubble-a cloud-shaped graphic that tells what a character is thinking

• image panel-an illustration, often set within a border or frame

DETERMINE KEY IDEAS IN MULTIMODAL TEXTS

In a graphic biography, details in print and graphic features convey the text’s key ideas, or important points. You can use key ideas to make inferences about a text’s controlling idea, or thesis statement. Look for a summary of key ideas in the afterword, a section sometimes found at the end of a text that offers more information about the biographical subject. To find key ideas in a graphic biography:

ANNOTATION MODEL

As you read, note how multimodal text features communicate key ideas. You can also highlight evidence that supports your own ideas. In the model, you can see one reader’s notes about Into the Air.