Celebrate Nonfiction

Exploring the Joy of Nonfiction Reading and Writing

MSLA Handout: 5 Kinds of Nonfiction: Rethinking Your Book Collection

Most children’s literature enthusiasts are naturally drawn to stories and
storytelling, including fiction and narrative nonfiction But up to 42 percent of
elementary students prefer expository nonfiction. This session breaks down the five
categories of nonfiction children’s books, offers tips for updating book
collections, and provides strategies for integrating a variety of nonfiction
texts into reading and writing lessons.

Background
I’ve
written about the 5 kinds of nonfiction for School
Library Journal:

https://www.melissa-stewart.com/img2018/pdfs/5_Kinds_of_Nonfiction_SLJ_May_2018.pdf

And I’ve discussed
the 5 kinds of nonfiction in this video created for Colby Sharp’s
vlog:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4vd1XEPu6E

Narrative vs. Expository Sample Texts

 Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley and Nic Bishop (Scholastic, 1999)

Frog or Toad? How Do You Know? by Melissa Stewart
(Enslow, 2011)

Citations for Articles about Student Preference for
Expository Nonfiction

Caswell,
Linda J. and Nell K. Duke. “Non-Narrative as a Catalyst for Literacy
Development.” Language Arts, 1998, p. 108-117.

Doiron,
Ray. “Boy Books, Girl Books: Should We Re-Organize Our School Library
Collections?” Teacher Librarian. 2003, p. 14-16.

Hynes,
Myrna. “‘I Read for Facts’: Reading Nonfiction in a Fictional World.” Language
Arts, 2000, p. 485-495.

Mohr,
Kathleen A. J. “Children’s Choices for Recreational Reading: A Three-Part
Investigation of Selection Preferences, Rationales, and Processes.” Journal
of Literacy Research. 2006, p. 81–104.

Repanskey,
Lisa L., Jeanne Schumm, and Jacqueline Johnson. “First and Fourth Grade Boys’
and Girls’ Preferences for and Perceptions about Narrative and Expository
Text.” Reading Psychology (2017. P. 1–40.

Characteristics of the 5 Categories and Activity for
Students

https://www.melissa-stewart.com/img2018/pdfs/5_Kinds_of_Nonfiction_Activities.pdf

Nonfiction Continuum
http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2018/05/in-classroom-gateway-nonfiction-and.html

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