Last week, I questioned
the methodology of a recent study that makes this bold claim: “Stories are
about 22 times more memorable than facts alone.

I’ve been giving the
study more thought and I’ve decided that the researchers, Arya & Maul,
should do more than just choose their texts more carefully. They should also
test subjects at a variety of grade levels.

The 2012 study
included 209 students in grades 7 and 8. I think they should also look at
students in grades 3 and 4.

What I’ve seen
firsthand and heard echoed by educators is that, generally speaking, nonfiction
seems to be a more popular choice among elementary readers than middle grade
readers. And we all know that the most popular nonfiction at, let’s say, grades
2-4 are fact-filled, browse-able titles like The Guinness Book of World
Records.

I strongly believe
that elementary-aged children gravitate toward facts because it’s their “job”
to understand the world. On the other hand, tweens and teens are in a different
place developmentally. It is there “job” to find their own placer in the world.
Given this, it would make a lot of sense for them to gravitate toward narrative
nonfiction and fiction.

But here’s what I
think it really comes down to. Every kid is different, so I think it’s critical
to expose all children to a wide range of texts and see what works best for
each individual.

As I clearly state in
this post last February, I’m
not claiming that story never works. I’m saying that it doesn’t always work.
There’s no single, easy answer.