Celebrate Nonfiction

Exploring the Joy of Nonfiction Reading and Writing

Expository Nonfiction: Use It as Mentor Texts

Today, I’m continuing the series of posts I’m
writing with educator Marlene Correia. As you can see, the final item on the 5 Ways to Share Expository Nonfiction
with Students infographic focuses on mentor texts for informational writing.

All of the nonfiction
children’s books being published today can be divided into five major categories, and four of them have an expository writing
style.

—Traditional nonfiction is a great place to begin the
research process because these survey books provide a broad overview of a
topic.

—Browseable nonfiction can work well later in the
research process when students have focused their topic and are looking for
more specific information.

—Active nonfiction is a perfect addition to makerspaces
because it can help students learn a skill.

—And when it comes to mentor texts for writing workshop,
expository literature is the best choice.

Unlike other kinds of expository
nonfiction, expository literature presents a narrowly-focused topic in a
creative way that reflects the author’s zeal for the subject. As writers craft
a manuscript, they select a format and text structure that complements their
unique approach to the content. They experiment with voice and enrich their
prose with language devices. The result is finely-crafted text that delights as
well as informs. This is the kind of experience we want young nonfiction
writers to have too.

Here are some activities that can help students gain a
greater understanding of four key text traits associated with high
quality expository writing:

 Innovative Format
http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2017/03/in-classroom-text-format-in-expository.html



Text
Structure
http://strohreads.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-power-of-picture-book-melissa_14.html



Strong
Voice
http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2016/09/tcrwp-handout-power-of-voice-in.html

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