Rave Review: Fiction or Nonfiction?
Posted by Amy Erickson on 08 Apr 2009 | Posted in: Planning and Curriculum, Teachers and Teaching
Isn’t it great to get away from your routine every once in a while? Recently I did just that. I spent the day at the North Carolina Reading Association Conference. Conferences have a way of reenergizing me, and this one was no exception. The enthusiasm of the presenters and their passion for working with kids was contagious. Plus, I love chatting with teachers in between sessions. As you know, we educators always have plenty to talk about!
One topic that came up in conversation was using nonfiction in the classroom. A third-grade teacher said her students gravitate toward fiction rather than nonfiction. I was surprised by that, because many teachers say the opposite is true for them. It’s ideal to spark students’ interest in a variety of genres, of course, but I’m curious to hear what kinds of books capture your students’ interest. Do they head to the nonfiction collection every chance they get, or are they hooked on fiction? And if you use lots of nonfiction in your classroom, what books captivate your students?
Here’s one of my top picks, along with some quick and easy ideas to use with it. I’m looking forward to hearing what nonfiction titles are your classroom favorites!
Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones
by Ruth Heller
This selection presents perfect opportunities for integrating science into reading.
Prior knowledge: Read the title and show students the front cover. Ask them what they think the title means. After students share their ideas, read the book aloud.
Listening for details: During a second reading, have students name the animals that lay eggs. List the animal names on a sheet of chart paper.
Animal classification: Give each child a copy of clip art cards similar to the ones shown and a paper divided into six equal-size boxes. Instruct him to label the first box as indicated. Then ask him to glue the cards in different boxes and illustrate and label corresponding examples. (from April/May 2009 Mailbox® magazine, grade 1)
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I am desperately needing help with themes for athletes, retro week, art encounters, and around the world. I need small group ideas, center ideas and songs for 3 and 4 year olds. any ideas, resources, websites would be wonderful. Thank you so much. Tammy in Iowa!!!
Thank goodness the quality and quantity of children’s literature has improved so dramatically over the last two decades! My second graders generally love anything well written and/or illustrated, but I must say groups through the years decidedly gravitate toward non-fiction. Kids are like the rest of us though, they grow and change in what they like. Even my “little scientists” enjoy a little Roald Dahl!
I’ve organized our curriculum around a different unit each month, alternating between a science or social studies concentration. I’ve accumulated a fairly sizable personal library and flood the classroom with a mixture of quality fiction and non fiction supplementing the current theme. I read aloud from at least one of these supplemental books each day and display them for the kids to choose from during silent reading time. Kids are also encouraged to check these books out like a real library. They show me which book they’d like to check out and I enter it on a computer list. They love to watch me type as their list grows! I print the list for them each quarter.
Two of our favorite non-fiction authors are Gail Gibbons and Seymour Simon, but there are many others. I’ve had the best luck finding books by searching a site like Amazon with whatever topic we’re studying. I’m always amazed at the number of books I’ve never seen before! I often get books through half.com, sales at local brick and mortar book stores, and school book orders. Consider making a wish list on Amazon and tell your students’ families about it. Perhaps they’d like choosing from the list for gifts to the classroom!
Thanks for sharing the sample of your Ruth Heller lesson. I’ll share it with my first grade partners!