Introducing Nonfiction Writing In The Early Grades

Presents tools, including lessons, activities, and graphic organizers, for teaching children in grades K-2 how to understand and write nonfiction; covers using research tools, conducting whole-class research, sharing resources, and editing and compiling.

At heart, learning to read and write analytically is learning to think well For Evidence-Based Writing: Nonfiction, renowned teacher Leslie Blauman combed the standards and her classroom bookshelves to craft lessons that use the best nonfiction picture books, biographies, and article excerpts to make writing about reading a clear, concrete process. Students learn to analyze and cite evidence about main idea, point of view, visuals, and words and structure. And best of all, your students gain a confidence in responding to complex texts and ideas that will serve them well in school, on tests, and in any situation when they are asked: What are you basing that on? Show me how you know.

While learning how to locate, access, interpret, record, publish, and share information, students also consider ways to activate their voice and make their nonfiction writing clearer, more authoritative, and better organized. Designed around a consistent mix of explorationssome are extended units of study that engage primary writers in the complete writing process and others are targeted minilessons that expose students to various forms of nonfiction writingExplorations in Nonfiction Writing is easily adaptable and will support you whether you are integrating nonfiction writing into your established literacy block or developing a new nonfiction writing program that supports your entire academic curriculum.

Today’s young learners know more about their world than ever before. This remarkable book shows that even our youngest writers can consider audience and purpose as they use nonfiction writing to document their ideas and share those ideas with others. But if students are going to be able to use writing to learn, they must have opportunities for learning to write. That’s what this book is for. A wealth of hands-on minilessons offer strategies for writing informational, persuasive, and procedural text. Each lesson starts with a learning goal and follows an “I do, we do, you do” format. Teachers will find a wealth of ideas for guiding young students to write about what they know and care about.

In A Place for Wonder, Georgia Heard and Jennifer McDonough discuss how to create a landscape of wonder, a primary classroom where curiosity, creativity, and exploration are encouraged. For it is these characteristics, the authors write, that develop intelligent, inquiring, life-long learners. The authors’ research shows that many primary grade state standards encourage teaching for understanding, critical thinking, creativity, and question asking, and promote the development of children who have the attributes of inventiveness, curiosity, engagement, imagination, and creativity. With these goals in mind, Georgia and Jennifer provide teachers with numerous, practical ways—setting up wonder centers, gathering data though senses, teaching nonfiction craft—they can create a classroom environment where student’s questions and observations are part of daily work. They also present a step-by-step guide to planning a nonfiction reading and writing unit of study—creating a nonfiction book, which includes creating a table of contents, writing focused chapters, using wow words, and developing point of view. A Place for Wonder will help teachers reclaim their classrooms as a place where true learning is the norm.

Writing nonfiction represents a big step for most students. Most young writers are not intimidated by personal narrative, fiction, or even poetry, but when they try to put together a "teaching book," report, or persuasive essay, they often feel anxious and frustrated. JoAnn Portalupi and Ralph Fletcher believe that young nonfiction writers supply plenty of passion, keen interest, and wonder. Teachers can provide concrete strategies to help students scaffold their ideas as they write in his challenging genre. Like the authors' best-selling Craft Lessons: Teaching Writing K-8, this book is divided into sections for K-2, 3-4, and middle school (grades 5-8) students. These divisions reflect various differences between emerging, competent, and fluent writers. In each section you'll find a generous collection of craft lessons directed at the genre that's most appropriate for that particular age. In the K-2 section, for example, a number of craft lessons focus on the all-about or concept book. In the 3-4 section there are several lessons on biography. In the 5-8 section a series of lessons addresses expository writing. Throughout the book each of the 80 lessons is presented on a single page in an easy-to-read format. Every lesson features three teaching guidelines: Discussion--A brief look at the reasons for teaching the particular element of craft specifically in a nonfiction context.How to Teach It--Concrete language showing exactly how a teacher might bring this craft element to students in writing conferences or a small-group setting.Resource Material--Specific book or text referred to in the craft lesson including trade books, or a piece of student writing in the Appendixes. This book will help students breathe voice into lifeless "dump-truck" writing and improve their nonfiction writing by making it clearer, more authoritative, and more organized. Nonfiction Craft Lessons gives teachers a wealth of practical strategies to help students grow into strong writers as they explore and explain the world around them. Be sure to look at the When Students Write videotapes too.

The book you are about to read is destined to be the first, middle, and maybe even the last word on nonfiction writing for young, young children. It is certainly a text that you will return to over and over again as you do with a beloved cookbook. —from the Foreword by Tomie dePaola Over eighty- five percent of the reading and writing we do as adults is nonfiction, yet most of the reading and writing in K–3 classrooms is fiction or personal narrative. In Is That a Fact? Teaching Nonfiction Writing K-3, Tony Stead shows you how to open the door to the rich world of nonfiction writing that goes beyond what I did narratives and animal reports. And he convincingly demonstrates the importance of introducing nonfiction writing in the primary grades. Nonfiction inspires enthusiasm in young children because they can choose topics that are of interest to them personally. Is That a Fact? explores a variety of authentic purposes for writing nonfiction, such as describing, explaining, instructing, persuading, retelling, and exploring relationships with others. You will learn how to introduce each purpose using a variety of forms, including letters, reports, poetry, captions, directions, and interviews. Part One provides a complete overview of teaching nonfiction writing in the primary grades and includes: practical ways for organizing nonfiction resources within the classroom;how to assist children in collecting information for research;ideas for helping children keep their sense of voice when writing nonfiction;a chapter on spelling, with examples of how to guide students at each stage of spelling development;strategies for assessment and evaluation that guide teaching and learning engagements. Part Two provides five different explorations that were implemented in actual K–3 classrooms. Each focuses on a specific purpose for writing nonfiction and features:examples of whole-class, small-group, and independent instructional engagements;a comprehensive assessment rubric that will help teachers tailor instruction to the needs of all learners;an extensive resource section that includes lists of books in the exploration, grouped by readability levels;answers to the most commonly asked questions about teaching nonfiction writing. The appendixes include a self-assessment questionnaire, reproducible pages for exploring specific writing forms, and letters to parents. Children need to be introduced to the different purposes of nonfiction writing. They need to know how to plan, compose, revise, and publish nonfiction beyond narrative. Is That a Fact? guides you in achieving these goals with your students.

A guide to bringing nonfiction into the curriculum in third through eighth-grade classrooms, with strategies and ideas for reading nonfiction, conducting research, and writing reports.