Introduction

Informational text is text whose primary purpose is to convey information. Informational text can be printed or written words, images, oral language, videos, websites, etc. Purpose is key when determining whether or not a text is informational text. Understanding how to find, use, and create informational text is essential to STEM and social studies learning, success in the workplace and citizenship. Informational text can be found in many places. The internet provides a rich environment for informational texts. Informational texts are also found in bookstores, libraries, homes, museums, grocery stores and even bus stations and subway stops!

Through MOLLY OF DENALI, families will learn that they can use informational text to:

Solve real-world problems

Satisfy their curiosity

Take advantage of opportunities

Teach others

Accomplish tasks

What is NOT Informational Text?

It is important to note that literary texts (e.g., fantasy, drama, poetry), while a valuable part of children’s literacy development, are not informational text and are not the focus of MOLLY OF DENALI. Because children in the Ready to Learn target audience are less likely than their higher- income peers to receive exposure to informative/explanatory texts, we prioritize this type of text in MOLLY OF DENALI.

Types of Informational Text

There are many different types of informational text. All of them have as a primary purpose to convey information, but within that, they have more specific purposes. Informational text also includes oral information, an important component of how Indigenous knowledge and lessons are passed down from generation to generation.

The following table details five types of informational text and their relative importance in MOLLY OF DENALI episodes, games and activities.

Teaching Families about Informational Text

Families do not need to know the names and definitions of the different informational text types. Your role is to highlight for families how informational text is a natural part of our daily life and to support them in using and creating informational text. For more information on informational text, please refer to, “Using and Creating Informational Texts at Home” by Crystal N. Wise and Nell K. Duke and “Informational Text for Young Learners” by WGBH.

Welcoming Different Languages and Literacy Levels

Families attending the workshops may have different literacy and language levels. Let families know that all reading, writing, and comfort levels with English are welcome. During the workshops, encourage families to produce informational text in the language they are most comfortable. Families can also be encouraged to share information orally through video recording, another valuable form of informational text!

INFORMATIONAL TEXT PURPOSE

Informative/Explanatory

Procedural or How-To

Biographical

Nonfiction Narrative

Functional to convey information about the natural or social world

to teach someone how to do something

to interpret and share the experiences of a real person

to interpret and share the story of a real event

to support the carrying out of everyday tasks

EXAMPLES

information book about science and social studies topics (e.g., frogs, Egypt); reference books such as atlases and fiels guides; some websites and apps; some magazine articles; some pamphlets; some posters

text on how to carry out a science investigation; text on how to make something, such as an entree or craft; text on how to navigate to a particular place; text on how to administer first aid

profiles of individuals (e.g., on the web, on television); books that are biographies

the true story of a specific historical event; the history of a nation’s development

schedules, weather charts, lists, forms, basic labels, signs

Alaska Native Values

Set in the fictional rural Alaskan village of Qyah, MOLLY OF DENALI is designed to share and educate children—and grown-ups about Alaska Native culture and values. Alaska Natives are people who are indigenous to Alaska. A collection of widely-held Alaska Native values ground and guide the series, digital games, and learning experiences for kids and families.

Based on principles of respect, responsibility, reciprocity, kindness, empathy, generosity and self-awareness, these values are foundational to children’s social and emotional development and civic responsibility. In addition to its focus on informational text, the FCL weaves Alaska Native values into the workshops to provide families a holistic perspective of Molly’s community and the opportunity to think about and connect these values with their own. We believe these values will likely resonate with families and communities who have a broad range of traditions, customs, wisdom and expectations. We encourage you to engage families in exploring how these values connect with their own.

Part of telling the Alaska Native story is dealing with complex, often challenging issues. These are incorporated into MOLLY OF DENALi in age-appropriate ways, with great respect and sensitivity. This respect and sensitivity should carry through all of your workshop discussions. By highlighting and celebrating Alaska Native culture, these workshops are an opportunity to recognize and celebrate each family’s culture while honoring the experiences of others.

For more information on Alaska Native culture and the world of MOLLY OF DENALI, see the “Alaska Native Culture” background reading by WGBH.

Connecting with Your Community/Land Acknowledgement

A good way to model the Alaska Native values is to learn and share about the Indigenous people of the land where your family engagement workshop series is taking place. This practice can be shared and repeated at the beginning of each workshop. For example: “In the Alaska Native tradition, let’s take a moment to recognize and acknowledge the Indigenous People’s land on which today’s workshop is taking place.”

In Boston, MA, an example Land Acknowledgement would be, “We’d like to start the day by acknowledging this land that we have gathered on together, which has been a site of human activity for 13,000 years. This land is the territory of the Massachusett and their neighbors the Wampanoag and Nipmuc Peoples, who have stewarded this land for hundreds of generations.”

Use this map to find more information about Native American, Indigenous and First Nation people’s native lands: https://native-land.ca/

TIP

Contact and connect with local Indigenous organizations, community centers and Tribal councils to include and involve in the MOLLY OF DENALI family engagement workshops. Start with an introduction of your team, information about the workshop series and that you are looking to uplift local tribes through this engagement experience. A great example is WFSU Public Media’s virtual museum that incorporates local Muscogee cultural information.

Visit: https://wfsu.org/education/molly-of-denalivirtual-museum/

For additional scaffolding on teaching about Indigenous people and Land Acknowledgements, please visit PBS Learning Media.

pbslearningmedia.org/collection/molly-of-denali/ pbslearningmedia.org/resource/honoring-indigenous-experiences-media-gallery/pbs-all-stars-lessons/ pbslearningmedia.org/resource/amplifying-indigenous-experiences-video-gallery/all-stars-lessons/

Creating a Community Mini-Museum Exhibit

Through the MOLLY OF DENALI videos and digital games, families will get to know Molly Shahnyaa Mabray, her family and friends, and her community in Qyah. The workshop experiences will help families connect what they learn from Molly’s world with their own.

Courtesy of WFSU Public Media

Molly’s Elders gave her the native name of Shahnyaa (SHAAH-NYAH) which means “she informs me.” Molly loves to inform and share about the people, places and things in Qyah and her surrounding community. Similarly, in this FCL, families will share information about their communities. Just like Molly, grown-ups and kids will create informational text together to inform an audience beyond the FCL about their community. Over the course of the four FCL workshops, families will create artifacts for a mini-museum exhibit that will represent what is important and special about their local community.

In each workshop, kids will create an informational text artifact to be included in a family- generated “community museum exhibit.” Finished artifacts will include sculptures of local animals with placards, biographies of community members, a community map showing important or significant locations, and placards that explain traditions. Artifacts can also be a picture or video. In addition to writing a placard, families can record themselves sharing facts, or draw pictures to convey information. These alternatives can encourage younger kids or grown-ups, who may be struggling with written text, to still create informational text and contribute to the mini-museum. For privacy reasons, consider recording only the families’ voices while filming the artifact.

Courtesy of Alaska Public Media Courtesy of KET

The exhibit will be displayed in a digital and/or physical space. For digital exhibits, consider displaying the community museum exhibit through your website; photo library sites; and/or semi-private or closed social platforms commonly used and disseminated in your community. For physical spaces, consider using carrying cases or boxes with a lid (i.e., shoe boxes or gift boxes) to create physical displays that are portable and can be set up in multiple community locations.

Ideas for Staging and Sharing your Museum Exhibit:

Host a pop-up museum at your local library, community center, and/or PBS member station lobby to share with and inform both community members and visitors.

Host an “opening reception” and ask families to invite extended family, friends, and community members to attend and see the unveiled mini-museum exhibit. The reception could be scheduled at the end of the last FCL session. Provide or have families make invitations to invite community members to the reception. You might also consider hosting a “Potlatch” or potluck, a communal meal, along with the reception. This ties in nicely with the last session that is all about sharing traditions, including sharing recipes.

Courtesy of Louisiana Public Broadcasting Courtesy of Louisiana Public Broadcasting

Create a digital version of the museum, archiving familygenerated artifacts to share electronically with families and with an audience beyond the FCL. Some examples could be a digital photo album or a collection of photos or videos on a video hosting platform such as through a station or partner’s social media or website.

Pair up with another group that is hosting a MOLLY OF DENALI FCL (such as another PBS member station) as your pop-up pen pal and exchange physical/digital pop-up museum exhibits. One suggestion is to create a “suitcase” museum where all artifacts are stored in a suitcase that can travel easily and be physically set up in different locations.

TIP

Since the mini-museum will live beyond the FCL workshop series, have families fill out media consent and release forms so that the museum exhibit can be shared with the larger community.

Courtesy of Maryland Public Television

What is the Purpose?

Research shows that informational text is best learned in the context of real-world exploration. Creating a mini-museum provides families with a compelling reason for exploring, learning and creating informational text. Explain to families where the mini-museum exhibit will be displayed and who the audience might be (community members, out-of-town visitors, etc.). Ensure that your exhibit is available to people beyond your immediate workshop participants. Sharing what families create with others separated by time and space gives added purpose to the artifact creation.

If you plan to create a digital version of the museum exhibit, ensure that you have tools such as smartphones, tablets, or scanners available to take photos of and/or scan museum artifacts. Designate a digital folder or space for these artifacts that is shareable with families and your larger museum audience. Be sure to collect media release forms so that you have families’ permission to share their artwork, photos, etc.

Beyond the FCL Workshop

The museum exhibit will live on after the four workshop sessions. Since it will be shared with a wider audience, consider how you might share the information in the museumbeyond the scope of the workshop series. Some ideas to explore may include:

TIP

If time and budget allow, schedule screenings of the MOLLY OF DENALI videos as separate events.

Courtesy of KET

Previewing the Molly Episodes

To fully engage with the informational text learning goals in each MOLLY OF DENALI episode, we recommend FCL families view the entire episode story (11 minutes). Show the episode story during the “Eat” portion of the FCL. During “Explore,” the facilitator will review a clip from the episode that highlights the informational texttype of informational text families will be creating with their artifacts. Set up a tablet in the Digital Center that is preloaded with the video. An alternative option is to ask families to watch each session’s MOLLY OF DENALI video before the workshop.

Using images and videos of the museum to promote your organization’s family engagement work in the community with current and potential new partners.

Conveying your organization’s impact with local or state leaders (when appropriate).

Sharing successes and impact with donors to help fundraise for and implement additional family engagement activities.

Courtesy of KET

Virtual Engagement

Consider hosting a 30-minute pre-workshop virtual “Meet & Greet” session. Use this time for families and facilitators to get to know each other and preview workshop sessions for grownups. Take this opportunity to understand whether families include individuals with differing abilities and/or disabilities, family dietary restrictions, language preferences, and other information that will help you design an inclusive and equitable experience. Lean into community partners to help understand the strengths and needs of families that will inform your workshop design. Learn about which virtual platforms and mediums of communication families are comfortable using and are approved or commonly used by partners such as school districts or libraries, etc. Most virtual meeting platforms also allow you to create polls. Use this tool as a temperature check during the workshop, and/or at the end of each session as a quick way to gather feedback from families.

Courtesy of PBS Wisconsin / photo by Mouna Algahaithi Courtesy of Louisiana Public Broadcasting

Go over the workshop sessions and preview content. Briefly introduce informational text and the Alaska Native values. Set the stage for families to have conversations before and after workshops about their own values, local community values and how these may compare with Alaska Native values. Organize materials by session in binders or folders and place them in bags before distributing to families at home. Also consider delivering food to families at home before the workshop, so that everyone can participate in the “Meal” portion together.