 Reading  Writing  Speaking  Listening

Language Engagement Reading Writing Speaking Listening Over the course of a day, what is your experience with nonfiction?

“Unfortunately, little nonfiction, beyond personal narrative, is practiced in classrooms. Children are content to tell their own stories, but the notion that someone can write about an idea and thereby affect the lives and thinking of others is rarely discussed.” Donald Graves, 1994

Bringing nonfiction into the classroom—  Exposure and Access  Use in All Content Areas  Teach Nonfiction Text Features

 Key features support readers in navigating through resources  Provides access to rich content  Allows readers to access information efficiently  Provides readers with a deeper understanding of content  Extends information and student learning beyond the text  Organizes the information  Frontloads vocabulary, diagrams, tables

 To describe (descriptive reports)  To explain  To instruct  To persuade  To retell/nonfiction narrative  To explore and maintain relationships with others

 See a purpose for the writing and have an audience in mind.  See many models of different types of nonfiction writing for a variety of purposes.  See demonstrations of how to write different types for different purposes.

 Are given time and opportunity to engage in working with nonfiction texts.  Are allowed to take on responsibility for their learning.  Are given opportunities to learn from each other.  Are expected to learn.  Feel comfortable in having a try.

 Modified Inquiry Project  Mini-Research Projects  Interactive Editing  RAN Strategy  Morpheme/Contextual Vocabulary  Levels of Understanding  Directed Reading and Thinking Activity (DRTA)

 Exploration for a specific purpose  Uses a comprehensive framework  Modeled reading/writing  Shared reading/writing  Guided reading/writing  Independent reading/writing

 Read alouds & shared reading  Anchor Charts—shared writing  Interactive Writing  Writers Workshop

 Introducing nonfiction inquiry through mini- research engages kids without overwhelming them—later, long-term projects don’t seem so overwhelming  Learners are naturally curious—Teachers who invite kids to identify an interest and ask questions about it are rewarded with classrooms filled with excitement, enthusiasm, and wonder -Harvey, 1998

 A strategy used to teach writing to both proficient and struggling readers.  Writing instruction in both form and content.  A model for writing from any content area.  Using the reading of text as a model to cooperatively write new products.  A strategy that supports comprehension through discussion.  A way to teach students different writing types and styles -Swartz, 2001

 KWL Strategy:  What I Know  What I Want to Know  What I Learned RRAN Strategy: WWhat I Think I Know CConfirmed (Yes, I Was Right) MMisconceptions NNew Information WWonderings -Tony Stead, 2006

What I Think I Know ConfirmedMisconceptionsNewInformationWonderings Children state information they think is correct about a topic Children research to confirm prior knowledge Children research to discard prior knowledge Children research to find additional information not stated in prior knowledge Children raise questions based on the new information gathered

 Allows the writer to think about prior knowledge before drafting  Encourages the writer to research to confirm or disregard prior thinking  Helps the writer read to locate new information, not just prior thinking  Ensures accuracy of information because the writer is including only information that is confirmed prior knowledge or new information explicitly stated in the materials they are reading  The category “Wonderings” encourages the writer to read to locate specific information

What I think I know Now I know it’s true New facts I found out My Name________________ Name of Book _____________________

 The “key” to unlocking comprehension in any content area

 Use your knowledge of morphemes  to decode the following word.  What does it mean:  PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS

 Let’s see if context helps ( Vocab Strategy # 2)…  Because of his proximity to Mt. Saint Helens, he contracted PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS  Pneumono - related to the lungs  Ultra - transcending; super  Micro – small  Scopic– related to a viewing instrument  Silico- the mineral silicon  Volcano- eruption in the earth from which molten rock, steam, and dust issue  Coni ( konis) – dust  Osis – referring to a disease condition

 Text Explicit : “Right there” information  Text Implicit: “Think and Search” information  Experienced Based: “On My Own” information

 Strategy for expository text  Self-questioning  Students predict forthcoming information  Sets purposes for reading that are personally interesting  Questions not answered in  text are researched further

 Students survey the chapter topic by considering title, headings, illustrations, diagrams, etc.  Students write down questions that come to mind ( A running journal is useful)  As a class discuss various student generated questions  Students individually or buddy read the text, discuss answers in small or whole group  Students decide which questions where NOT answered, and where they might find the answers in further research

“Writing is not about what’s in our minds... it’s about what’s going on around us.” Tony Stead, 2006