Is That a Fact?: Teaching Nonfiction Writing, K-3

Is That a Fact?: Teaching Nonfiction Writing, K-3

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<I>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.</I><BR>—from the Foreword by Tomie dePaola<BR><BR>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 <I>Is That a Fact? Teaching Nonfiction Writing K-3,</I> 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.</p><p>Nonfiction inspires enthusiasm in young children because they can choose topics that are of interest to them personally. <I>Is That a Fact?</I> 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.</p><p>Part One provides a complete overview of teaching nonfiction writing in the primary grades and includes:</P><UL><LI>practical ways for organizing nonfiction resources within the classroom;</LI><LI>how to assist children in collecting information for research;</LI><LI>ideas for helping children keep their sense of voice when writing nonfiction;</LI><LI>a chapter on spelling, with examples of how to guide students at each stage of spelling development;</LI><LI>strategies for assessment and evaluation that guide teaching and learning engagements.</LI></UL><p>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:<UL><LI>examples of whole-class, small-group, and independent instructional engagements;</LI><LI>a comprehensive assessment rubric that will help teachers tailor instruction to the needs of all learners;</LI><LI>an extensive resource section that includes lists of books in the exploration, grouped by readability levels;</LI><LI>answers to the most commonly asked questions about teaching nonfiction writing.</LI></UL><p>The appendixes include a self-assessment questionnaire, reproducible pages for exploring specific writing forms, and letters to parents.</p><p>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. <I>Is That a Fact?</I> guides you in achieving these goals with your students.