Craft and Structure is complex

A quick google search of Craft and Structure examples will lead to an overwhelming number of terms to focus on. This handy resource provides 21 different concepts to use while analyzing craft and structure. 21! And that’s not including poetic devices! If that seems overwhelming, you’re not alone. I find it helpful to focus on these 4 crucial skills: figurative language, connotative meaning, analyzing structure, and point of view.

Figurative Language is also referred to as Poetic devices.We’re talking about similes, metaphors, hyperbole, personification, repetition, alliteration, and more. These all have to be explicitly taught to my students. One strategy that I’ve used to get my students more engaged is to use songs that they know (and some they don’t) that use figurative language. Here’s 20 with videos! And 15 more that specify the lyrics and the type of figurative language used. After you do this with your students, they start bringing you songs that they listen to with figurative language! How cool is that!

Navigating Craft and Structure: 4 Crucial Skills for Teachers and Students

When I’m using ReadTheory, a free reading comprehension platform, and describing a student’s reading ability to his/her parents, the meaning is clear if I’m talking about key ideas and details or integration of knowledge. Craft and structure can pose a challenge as there is no shorthand description of craft or structure. I feel like a ship captain and my vessel won’t steer straight! “What is craft?” “What is structure?” Let’s start by looking at the common core standard, breaking it down into smaller bite size pieces, and see if we can build a better boat.

Here is a summary of the Craft and Structure Common Core Standard : Interpreting Craft and Structure is the ability to interpret words and phrases, analyze structure of texts as a whole, and assess how point of view shapes the content of the text. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t really help me explain to parents what ReadTheory’s score in Craft and Structure really means to their son’s or daughter’s reading progression. So, while the anchor is important – it’s not super useful when we want to actually set sail!

More to chew on

That’s it! We finished our 3 hour tour of Craft and Structure without the weather getting rough! We took a few bite size pieces. For more information for a longer journey, you’re gonna need a bigger boat! (You knew that was coming!) Here are some resources for your voyage:

1. A lesson plan using nonfiction texts: Exploring Craft and Structure in Informational Texts
2. A History Lesson using Craft and Structure
3. Craft and Structure Lessons using PBS Learning Media

Determining Craft and Structure Skills

This is what it looks like when you click on a passage. In the bottom left corner, you see that she missed 3 out of 5 questions. The 4th question is shown here. I can see the question, the student’s answer, and the common core standard the question is measuring. I love this feature! I use it to write IEP goals and objectives for my students and for progress monitoring!