Most state ELA state standards currently
emphasize five major nonfiction text structures— description, sequence, compare
& contrast, problem-solutions, and cause and effect. But the truth is
that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to text structure.
Some books include a one-of-a-kind text
structure that perfectly reflects its concept and content. One of my favorite
examples is Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in
Nature by Joyce Sidman, which has a brilliant spiraling text structure.
are two common nonfiction text structures that I wish would receive more
attention—list and question and answer. I’ll be discussing list books today and
Q & A titles on Friday.
and contrast category, but I never felt 100 percent comfortable with that
decision. Over the summer, I read two articles written by academic educators
who consider list books to be their own separate category, and I like their way
of thinking.
main idea is presented on the first double-page spread. Then each subsequent
spread offers one or more examples that support that idea. In many cases, a
list book has a concluding spread that links back to the opening or offers a
fun twist on the topic, leaving readers with a sense of satisfaction.
A list text
structure works especially well for books that focus on plant or animal
characteristics, adaptations, or behaviors, but it can be used in other ways too.
Here are some great examples:
Adventures to School: Real-Life Journeys of Students from Around the
World by Miranda Paul and Baptiste Paul
Birds of Every Color by Sneed B.
Collard III
Bugs Don’t Hug: Six-legged Parents and Their Kids by Heather
L. Montgomery
An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Hutts Aston
Ward
Is for Blobfish: Discovering the
World’s Perfectly Pink Animals
by
Jess Keating
Pipsqueaks,
Slowpokes, and Stinkers: Celebrating Animal Underdogs by Melissa Stewart
Seashells: More than a Home by Melissa Stewart
Women Who Changed the World by Chelsea Clinton
This Is How We Do It:
One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from Around the World by Matt Lamothe
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
5 Responses
I find it interesting that many of the professional science books I read are in essence list books — many are collections of scientific studies on a shared topic.
That's an interesting observation, Heather. You're right. And sometimes they throw in bits of narrative by focusing on a few scientists-as-characters as a sort of glue. This is different from children's books, which generally put the person first and focus much more heavily on the narrative. Fascinating. I need to give this some more thought. Thanks so much for expanding my thinking.
Such an interesting way to look at it, and so many wonderful books here 🙂
List and Q & A are about my favorite text structures–I'm drawn to these two styles of books.
This helps in writing a new book I'm working on. Thank you!