Since the 2019-2020 school year marks the 10th
Anniversary of this blog, on Fridays, I’m resurrecting and updating old posts
that sparked a lot of conversation or that still have a lot to offer people teaching
or writing nonfiction. Today’s essay is the second post in a six-part series
that originally appeared in spring 2016.
If
you read last Friday’s post, you know that I’m concerned by the negative
attitude many middle school students seem to have toward the research process.
Why do they feel this way? Probably because their initial experiences with
research weren’t authentic. After all, it’s difficult to create active,
self-driven research experiences for early elementary students.
And
so, over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing a series of activities that will
allow K-2 students to develop research skills, such as visual literacy and
information literacy, without actually doing research. As a result, they’ll be
ready to start doing authentic research in third grade.
To get the process
started, I recommend modeling visual thinking with read alouds that:
words can work together to tell a story or share information
enhance a story or make information relevant to children’s experiences by going
beyond the words
introducing visual literacy is especially helpful for English language learners
and children who haven’t grown up reading bedtime stories with their parents.
suggest starting with some simple books that encourage observation.
playful game-like wordless picture book that invites readers to look for a
walrus that has escaped from the zoo. Children will giggle at the silly
situations in which they spot the star of the story.
Rosenthal and Tom Litchenheld delights students with simple language and
cleverly crafted images that can be viewed in two different ways. Which way is
“right”? Readers must decide.
share some graphic picture books with simple text. Possibilities include Blackout by John Rocco and One Day, The End by Rebecca Kai Dotlich. While these books are
a blend of words and pictures, the images contribute a great deal to the storytelling.
the Wild by David M. Schwartz playful poems provide clues about camouflaged
creatures hidden in the pictures. By extracting key information from the text,
children can identify the mystery animals.
books in which the pictures go beyond the words, taking the story in delightful
new directions.
includes illustrations that add humor to the story by contradicting the text.
expository nonfiction text, but the illustrations show the imaginative thoughts
of a boy who appears to be reading the same book. This technique allows readers
to feel as if they’re experiencing the unique and unfamiliar redwood forest
ecosystem right along with the child in the story.
getting ready for research? Next week we’ll take a look at ways to help children
think critically about the images they see in picture books.
Most Popular Posts
Resignation
Re-thinking “E” Is for Everyone
We Need Diverse Nonfiction
The 5 Kinds of Nonfiction
Behind the Books: Does Story Appeal to Everyone?
10 STEM Picture Books
Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Melissa Stewart
Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Deborah Heiligman
Is It Fiction or Nonfiction? A Twitterchat
5 Kinds of Nonfiction, Book Lists
Topics