READING NONFICTION

“Just as we teach children to use math manipulatives by giving them “free explore” what they are and how

they work, giving them time to explore nonfiction provides them (and you) with experiences to build on

when more explicit teaching begins.” p143

MOST NONFICTION BOOKS ARE

ORGANIZED SO THAT IT IS EASY FOR

READERS TO FIND

INFORMATION.

MODEL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN

FICTION AND

NONFICTION

FICTION: SETTING,

CHARACTERS, A PROBLEM, SOME

EVENTS THAT CONNECT TO

THE PROBLEM, AND A

RESOLUTION

NONFICTION “JUST AS WITH

NARRATIVE TEXT, TEACHING CHILDREN

THAT EXPOSITORY TEXT HAS

PREDICTABLE CHARACTERISTICS

AND FEATURES THEY CAN COUNT ON

BEFORE THEY READ ALLOWS THEM TO

CONSTRUCT MEANING MORE EASILY AS THEY

READ.” P145

WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN READING

NONFICTIONText Features

TABLE OF CONTENTSENFORCE HOW IT TELLS US THE ORDER IN WHICH THE INFORMATION CAN

BE FOUND.Table of Contents

Chapter 1........... 4Chapter 2...........12Chapter 3........... 20Chapter 4........... 38Chapter 5........... 57

GLOSSARY THE DICTIONARY OF IMPORTANT WORDS FOUND IN A BOOK.

STRESS THE WORDS ARE ARRANGED IN

ALPHABETICAL ORDER.

INDEX IS A LIST OF SUBJECTS. IT IS ARRANGED IN ALPHABETICAL

ORDER WITH PAGE NUMBERS. IT IS USUALLY FOUND IN THE BACK OF

THE BOOK.

Titles and Subheadings Explain how these tell readers

what you will be reading about.

Maps

Labels

Photographs These help with our Mental

Images.

Captions

Alabama State Capital in Montgomery

BOLDED WORDS and Highlighted words show the reader that it is important.

Nonfiction reading is reading to LEARN.

WHEN READING NONFICTION ….

Slow down so you can think about information.

Reading nonfiction is like a slideshow where you have to

stop and think after each slide.

STOP frequently and take notes.

“Students do not make predictions about the kinds of things they expect will happen.

They make predictions about the kinds of

things they expect to learn.”

Release Responsibility:•Ask children to bring a nonfiction book they haven’t read and make

predictions about what they expect to learn.

• Spread fiction AND nonfiction materials and with partners or in a group have them discuss, “Is this fiction or nonfiction? How do we

know?”•Create a large Class Venn Diagram

that shows the two books’ differences and similarities. (ANCHOR

CHART)