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Exploring Nonfiction with Young Learners explores the four basic nonfiction structures that the youngest learners are most likely to encounter: descriptive, recount/collection, procedural, and explanatory texts. This book also includes information to help teach four, more complex structures that younger readers sometimes encounter during read-alouds: comparison, response, causation/cause and effect, and persuasive genres.
This book is organized to help plan lessons using each type of nonfiction structure. Strategies and suggestions for activities to use before, during and after reading are included. Templates and graphic organizers are also provided in order to facilitate planning, and offer additional resources. Detailed information about each text structure as well as mentor texts to illustrate each type is included. Text structures, as well as text access features, are defined and located in easy reference charts. Whole class and small group planning ideas are included throughout the book in order to allow for differentiation. Additionally, assessment ideas, sample think-alouds, lesson planning templates, and sample lessons with completed graphic organizers are included for each text structure.
List of contents
Introduction
·Why Teach Nonfiction?
·How Can I Use This Book?
·What This Book Covers
Chapter 1: What Makes Nonfiction Unique?
·Nonfiction Text Structures
·Nonfiction Text Access Features
Chapter 2: Why is Nonfiction so Difficult to Comprehend?
·Understanding Cohesive Ties
·Using Structure-Specific Signal Words
·Activities to Teach the Use of Cohesive Ties and Signal Words
Chapter 3: Getting Ready to Teach Nonfiction
·When to Teach Nonfiction
·Materials
·Before You Plan
·Planning a Lesson
·Lesson Components
·Making Room for Independent Reading
Chapter 4: Before Reading
·Determining the Structure of the Text
·Building/Assessing Background Knowledge
·Introducing Key Vocabulary
·Learning Text Access Features
·Modeling Comprehension Strategies
·Before Reading Planner
Chapter 5: During Reading
·Overall strategies
·A lesson sample for each text structure
·Model Text
·During Reader Planner
Chapter 6: After Reading
·Overall strategies
·A lesson sample for each text structure
·Integrating writing after reading-how it fits in; lesson examples
·Blacklines; templates; organizers
Chapter 7: Teaching with Text Structures
·Descriptive
·Recount
·Procedural
·Explanatory
·More complex text structures
Chapter 8: Pulling It All Together/Additional Information
·Assessment of learning
·Planning Templates
Appendix of Blacklines: Graphic Organizers, Templates
About the Authors
Bibliography of Books for the Classroom
About the author
By Darla Miner and Jill Zitnay
