Celebrate Nonfiction

Exploring the Joy of Nonfiction Reading and Writing

Behind the Books: Stepping Up to Research, Step 4

According to new findings from the Teachers College Reading
and Writing Project at Columbia University, the best nonfiction writing occurs
when early-elementary research experiences are scaffolded as follows:

1. Organize and categorize
information 
     (a) based on personal experiences
     (b) on a topic they care deeply
about   

2. Organize, categorize, and
compare observations.

3. Conduct guided research.

 

4. Conduct cold research.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been looking
at each of these steps in detail and suggesting activity ideas.

For step 4, students choose a topic
they’re passionate about and conduct research with the support of their classroom
teacher, literacy coach, and school librarian. 
By now, they have the skills they need to find facts in books and online
articles. They may also be ready to consider other kinds of sources. Encourage
students to think outside the box.

For example, if students are
writing about an animal, can they observe it in its natural setting? If the
animal lives in your area, they may be able to find it and watch it. They may
also be able to locate a webcam that shows the animal going about its daily
routine.

If students are writing about a
social studies topic, can they visit a local historical society or museum? What
can they learn from artifacts? Can they interview people who are knowledgeable about
their topic?

The more creatively students think about their research process,
the more invested they will become in their topic, and their enthusiasm will
definitely shine through in their written report.

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