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.
--from the Foreword by Tomie dePaola
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 Is That a Fact? Teaching Nonfiction
Writing K-3, 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.
Nonfiction inspires enthusiasm in young children because they can choose
topics that are of interest to them personally. Is That a Fact?
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.
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.
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. Is That a Fact? guides you in achieving
these goals with your students.
