Celebrate Nonfiction

Exploring the Joy of Nonfiction Reading and Writing

Beyond the 5 Kinds of Nonfiction: Blended Books, Part 3

For the
last few weeks, I’ve been taking a close-up look at blended books—titles that feature
characteristics of two or more categories in the 5 Kinds of Nonfiction
classification system. This week I’m continuing that discussion by focusing on books
that blur the line between narrative nonfiction and expository literature. 


Books with
a narrative writing style tell a story or convey an experience. They include
real characters, settings, and scenes. Books with an expository writing style
explain, describe, or inform in a clear, accessible fashion. 


Nearly all
narrative nonfiction includes expository bridges that transition from one scene
to the next and provide necessary background information, but many expository literature
titles are entirely exposition.


Books that
blend narrative nonfiction and expository literature contain roughly equal amounts of expository
and narrative text, with authors moving seamlessly from one writing style to
the other. 


Why do I think these books important? Because
they’re exactly what highly-regarded school librarian Jonathan Hunt had in mind
when he coined the term “gateway nonfiction.” These books have something for everyone, AND they can help all children build critical
reading skills.  

The expository sections of high-quality, high-interest blended books
will captivate fact-loving kids. The clear explanations and descriptions will feel
comfortable and familiar to them, giving these students the confidence and
motivation to tackle the narrative sections. And once these info-kids learn to
access and enjoy narrative text, they can discover
how characters—both real and imagined—exist in the world and successfully
overcome challenges.


Similarly, young narrative lovers will be drawn to the story-rich
sections of blended books, inspiring them to do the work necessary to digest
and comprehend the expository passages. As a result, they’ll be better equipped
to wrangle the complex expository texts they’ll encounter in middle
school, high school, and college, and in their future careers. 


And
that brings me to what I think is one of the most important attributes of the 5 Kinds of Nonfiction classification system. When students understand the
wide world of nonfiction books at their disposal, they can more easily identify
the characteristics of blended nonfiction that match their natural reading preferences
and learn to navigate the portions of the text outside their comfort
zone. 


Approaching
nonfiction in this way puts students in the driver’s seat. It helps them
understand their reading strengths and challenges, and it encourages them to stretch and grow as readers.


For me, that’s the end game. It’s what I hope for all children . .
. because before a child can become a
confident, lifelong reader,
they must first be able to successfully interact with a broad range of fiction
and nonfiction texts.




For more information about blended nonfiction and gateway nonfiction, be on the look out for 5 Kinds of Nonfiction: Enriching Reading and Writing with Children’sBooks, coming soon from Stenhouse Publishing. 


2 Responses

top 25 nonfiction blog award
Return to Blog Archive

Most Popular Posts

Topics
top 25 nonfiction blog award
Return to Blog Archive

Most Popular Posts

Topics

© 2001–[current-year] Melissa Stewart. All rights reserved. All materials on this site may be copied for classroom or library use but may not be reprinted or resold for commercial purposes. This website is COPPA compliant. If you are a child under age 13 and wish to contact Melissa Stewart, please use the email address of a teacher, librarian, or parent with that adult’s permission. Webhost Privacy Policy.