Teaching nonfiction writing K–3
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. Nonfiction inspires enthusiasm in children because they can choose topics that interest them personally. Is That a Fact? explores a variety of authentic purposes for writing nonfiction, such as describing, instructing, persuading, explaining, and more. It shows how to introduce each purpose using a variety of forms from letters to captions to interviews. (K-3) 264 pp.
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.
