1. Writing Creative Non-Fiction
4-6
CNF or NF
Teacher guide and materials
This activity is for the older students - 4-6
And these instructions work for Creative Non-Fiction as well as Regular Non Fiction
You have a teacher guide that covers this.

2. Based on Research
Discuss with your students how every non-fiction and creative non-fiction book is based on research.
Using reputable sources

3. Read the story first and ask the students to make notes on what facts would have come from research

4. On Volcanic Eruption Pre-Eruption Earthquakes Steam and Ash Bulge
Immediate aftermath

5. About Plants and Animals
What trees looked like
How animals died
How gopher survived
What gopher dug through
How ants and mice and amphibians survived
How plants returned to the mountain
How animals returned to the mountain

6. Research Informed the Writer
Animals hadn’t seen Steam and Ash
Gopher safe in his burrow
Gopher will have enough to eat
Deer Mice Have food
Knew 1857/Life Span
Gopher six foot under
Roots and bulbs survived
Researched what they eat

7. Features From Illustrations
Trees on the mountain before and after
What gopher tunnels looked like
Species that survived on logs
Species of birds and bugs that returned
Had to tell illustrator what kinds of trees
Illustrator did her own research

8. Repetition
Hot, Dry, Landscape
Hard Crusty Ash
Should be intentional

9. Passing Time Rumblings go on for days Insects return right away
Days turn into weeks and weeks into months
As months turn into years
Months and years pass

10. Details to Grab Reader Amphibians used gophers’ tunnels to travel
Spiders flew in on silken threads
Gophers kept on working even though things were much harder
I hope

11. Research!!!
Emphasize to your students that this was all result of research

12. Materials Internet Research Internet Research Highlighted
Research Document
Outline
What you’ve been provided
Can ask students to do their own research or give them the copies of websites I’ve provided.
Reputable.
Ask students to highlight or maybe this is the document you give them and ask them to read the whole thing but notice what’s important. There is one of these provided for each animal.
ASk students to create a research document. Samples are provided.
Take info in highlighted document and make notes in their own words
Rearrange the notes into an outline.

13. Outline Notes for Illustrators Interesting details to grab readers
Diet
Hibernation
Life Span
Reproduction
New Vocabulary
As they look at the research the headings for the outline should jump out at them.
Details to use to bring the readers in

14. Be Selective Not all research is necessary
For this story don’t need to know where animals range is, where they live, because they’ll be at MSH

15. Collaborative Story What would bear be doing on May 18?
Would bear have a baby?
What do bears do in normal life?
What do they eat?
What did the mountain look like before?
How does a bear walk, behave?
First write a collaborative story with students using the bear research
Brain storm with students

16. Let’s Do It!