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Links to promote non-fiction texts in the classroom!

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Links to promote non-fiction texts in the classroom!

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This is a lengthy read, but very informative. I especially liked pages 6 - 7 that promoted self-selection as a way to motivate students to read non-fiction texts.

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Links to promote non-fiction texts in the classroom!

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Links to promote non-fiction texts in the classroom!

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LINK 2

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Implementing Common Core means a much greater emphasis on teaching nonfiction texts than many of us have been used to in the past. Although the vast majority of adult reading is nonfiction, humans are naturally drawn toward fictional stories and accounts. Therefore, it can be hard to get into the mindset of promoting nonfiction as a fundamentally enjoyable type of reading.

This can be especially true in the lowest grades when we are appealing to children who up to this point in their lives have been comforted by books like "Goodnight Moon" and "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish."

I often find that while some kids naturally engage with and love reading non-fiction texts, there will be others who are turned-off by it. How can a teacher turn a bored and disengaged kid into one who just eats up those fascinating facts?

Books are the foundation

Well, no kidding, right?

But I've seen many classroom libraries that could use a thorough review of their nonfiction selections. In real estate they say it's all about "location, location, location." Well when it comes to nonfiction books, it's all about "engagement, engagement, engagement."

Here are the ground rules.

Extremely focused on topics of interest

The books must be about subjects that children of that age are naturally interested in: straightforward and informative on narrow topics that they really care about.

Sure, there's room for stretching their interests in new directions, but when you're trying to draw them into reading, subjects in which they are interested and want to know more about form the magic gateway.

Extremely bright and colorful

Humans are visual learners and when you're trying to transition a child from learning by watching to learning by reading, the hook is awesome illustrations.

Focused on your curriculum

As you'll see below, a great strategy for introducing nonfiction is to tie it into the other things you are studying in your classroom. Know what you'll be teaching for the coming year so you can review your classroom library with a critical eye to ensure that the appropriate topics are present.

Kids may not naturally be interested in some of these books, but you will create interest as you teach.
I cover how to build and organize your classroom library here.
Video tips: engaging kids in nonfiction

Generating student interest in nonfiction texts

Once you are well-stocked with nonfiction books, use these ideas to hook your students into reading them eagerly. Learning facts can be a lot of fun, particularly if you reinforce a fact-focused pursuit of knowledge.

What's the question?

Here's a technique I use when I am teaching nonfiction. It's very simple but really gets those little brains working. I teach my kids that any time we're reading nonfiction we're answering a question, and their first job is to figure out what question a text might be answering.

I'll model this in read-alouds to begin with. I read the title and maybe the first paragraph of our nonfiction text and then I ask students:

"What question is this book answering?"

This really gets them thinking about the text and often generates some interesting answers. Over time they get really good at figuring out that answer.

Encourage inquisitive independent reading

When my students read nonfiction independently they have to note the following in their reading journals:

The title

A summary of the first paragraph

What question they think the text is answering

They write down the answer to their question after they've read just a small portion of the text and then review it again when they finish the whole text.

Often it turns out that a text may be answering a different question than one originally thought, which can be pretty thought provoking to kids.

Encouraging nonfiction involvement

Once you've hooked kids on interesting facts, make sure they have ways to develop this interest on their own. I recommend getting a few composition books and keeping them with your classroom library or a writing center if you have one.

You can label them with various broad topics if you want, but the key is to encourage the children to fill them with interesting facts they find as they are reading.

Other kids will enjoy reading these tidbits and you will also be able to gauge whether there is a developing trend of interest in a particular topic so you know which books to buy next.

Teacher read-alouds

... with a nonfiction slant. The classic teacher read-aloud is the perfect place to start, and the video above will provide tips for you.

Encourage nonfiction reading that is aligned with fiction reading

If you are reading the book "Little Bear Goes to the Moon," then pull out those nonfiction books on space travel to satisfy the natural curiosity that will develop in your classroom.

Look for nonfiction disguised as fiction

Certain genres such as "biography" read almost like a story. All too often adults have the mental image of nonfiction as being an encyclopedic collection of factoids. In reality, most modern nonfiction is quite engaging, and this is true even down in the first, second and third grades.

You can also start with historical fiction and follow it up with a factual account. This works particularly well with social studies curriculum.

Reinforce with writing

Speaking of biographies, every student has a perfect nonfiction topic about which they can write: themselves! Getting your kids to start writing nonfiction early is another great reinforcement activity for engagement.

The easy way for kids to journal their way through reading!

Nonfiction classroom decorations

There are tons of it of interesting charts available on factual topics. Don't hesitate to put up a few of these, rotated throughout the year to keep them fresh, to build interest in a particular area of the curriculum.

Once kids show interest in the visual display of the posters, they can easily be guided to the aligned books.

Placing a row of books under a poster is a natural way to encourage them to make that jump from reading a poster to reading a more in-depth treatment.

More from Classroom Caboodle

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Teaching Nonfiction with Maximum Engagement

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Implementing Common Core means a much greater emphasis on teaching nonfiction texts than many of us have been used to in the past. Although the vast majority of adult reading is nonfiction, humans are naturally drawn toward fictional stories and accounts.

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Links to promote non-fiction texts in the classroom!

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Links to promote non-fiction texts in the classroom!

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LINK 1

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Start with a Book

What does your child love to explore and learn about? Explore dinosaurs, bugs, birds, planes, music, sports, superheroes, inventors, art, the night sky, the ocean, and more - 24 themes in all. For each theme, you'll find hundreds of recommended books, hands-on activities, educational websites, interactive apps and more. Visit Start with a Book

Tip sheets for parents

Written especially for parents, our Growing Readers newsletter (available in English and Spanish) provides monthly tips for raising strong readers and writers. Subscribe to Growing Readers.

Nonfiction books give kids a chance to learn new concepts and vocabulary, as well as broaden their view of the world. Learn how to take a "book walk" with a new nonfiction book and how to model active reading.

Many kids love to read about science and nature as well as real people, places, and events. Nonfiction books present information in engaging and interesting ways. Find out how you can help your child learn to navigate all the parts of a nonfiction book - from the table of contents to the diagrams, captions, glossary, and index.

Explore two ways you can help your child begin to develop information literacy: learning to tell the difference between fact and opinion, and figuring out if a source of information is reliable.

Day trips, vacations and special outings create special memories and great learning opportunities for families. The time leading up to your trip can be filled with excitement and adventure too! Whether you're going to the zoo, the museum, or a state park, below are a few "stops" to make before your visit to help your child get the most out of a family or school educational experience.

Having interesting things to read at home is a great way to keep kids motivated. Below are a few questions to ask yourself about your home library. Some simple changes on your part can help you create an amazing home library, and help your child develop an early love of reading!

Sharing lots of different kinds, or genres, of books with your child exposes him to different words, different kinds of images, and whole new worlds. This tip sheet suggests some genres to try with your young reader that complement 'traditional' fiction. Some are suggestions for read alouds, while others may be ones your child can read on his own.

Is your school using the new Common Core standards? This is a big change for students - and their parents. Get to know what the four main areas of the Common Core reading standards mean and simple things you can do at home to help your child build skills in these areas.

Our interconnected and digital world demands a lot of our learners. Here are five simple ways to help build your child's critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Finding great nonfiction

Public and school librarians are the best resource for helping identify high-quality nonfiction books, for any interest or reading level. There are also many excellent online resources. Here are a few of our favorites:

Nonfiction in the classroom

Exposing children to a variety of informational text will stimulate development of background knowledge, vocabulary, and comprehension skills. In this article, take an imaginary trip to a children's museum and learn how to choose quality, high-interest informational books for young readers.

Children's nonfiction picture books is a genre that is exploding in both quality and quantity. Recent nonfiction books reveal an emphasis on the visual, an emphasis on accuracy, and an engaging writing style. Suggestions are included for choosing and using nonfiction picture books in the classroom.

Exposing young children to informational text early on can help them to handle the literacy demands of fourth grade and beyond. Practical instructional techniques can be used to promote understanding and enjoyment of informational texts. The three techniques described here - Text Impression, Guiding Questions, and the Retelling Pyramid - can help children become familiar with the language and structure of non-fiction books.

Expository text offers particular challenges to the reader because of the abstract and unfamiliar concepts that it presents. Students should be taught the hierarchical structure of the expository text and the interrelationships among ideas - what experts refer to as text structure. Reading researchers have argued that knowledge of text organization, or structure, is an important factor for text comprehension. This article reviews techniques and procedures in teaching expository text structure.

The text feature walk guides students in the reading of text features in order to access prior knowledge, make connections, and set a purpose for reading expository text. Results from a pilot study illustrate the benefits of using the strategy, and practical suggestions for implementation are offered.

This article explains (a) how to teach students to identify the compare-contrast text structure, and to use this structure to support their comprehension, (b) how to use compare-contrast texts to activate and extend students' background knowledge, and (c) how to use compare-contrast texts to help students expand and enrich their vocabulary. Although these strategies can benefit all young learners, the compare-contrast text structure is particularly helpful to ELL students.

One of the most important skills students learn as they transition into middle and high school is how to get information from a non-fiction text. This skill can be especially challenging for ELLs, who may not have had much experience working independently with expository texts. This Bright Ideas article offers ways that teachers can help ELLs work effectively with non-fiction texts and includes strategies for introducing components, structure, and purpose of expository texts.

This study of first and second graders looked at teacher-led read-alouds as a way to introduce science concepts. Results suggest that multiple exposures to a related concept across different stories gave students more time to build a mental representation of important ideas. This evidence suggests that moving beyond a single text as a source for building students' understanding is an important instructional approach.

With the Common Core, literacy is intentionally taught within content areas. See what a CCSS mini-thematic unit in science might look like for children in the primary grades.

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What does your child love to explore and learn about? Explore dinosaurs, bugs, birds, planes, music, sports, superheroes, inventors, art, the night sky, the ocean, and more - 24 themes in all. For each theme, you'll find hundreds of recommended books, hands-on activities, educational websites, interactive apps and more.