Celebrate Nonfiction

Exploring the Joy of Nonfiction Reading and Writing

Behind the Books: More about Mentor Texts

A few days ago, as
I was proofreading a report my husband had written for work, I looked past all
the technical jargon and started to think about how it was structured. (What
can I say. I’m obsessed with structure.) Like many expository nonfiction book for kids, it
had lots of subheads. It also had quite a few bulleted lists.

As I read through
those bulleted lists, a strange thought occured me. They had a lot in common with
the tidbits of text featured in The
Guinness Book of World Records, The Time for Kids Big Book of Why, and Eyewitness Books. Marc Aronson and his Uncommon Corps colleagues call these data books. I call them fast-fact books.

Okay, I admit it,
the content in my husband’s report wasn’t nearly as interesting as a Guinness
title, but the connection was clear to me. And then lightning struck. Fast-fact
books would make great mentor texts for students learning to write
business-style reports. Making bits of information as concise and interesting
as possible is an important skill for all students to develop. I’d love to see
what happens when students give it a try.

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.