NCTE Handout: Giving Fact-loving Kids a Voice: Using Expository Nonfiction as Mentor Texts
Description: You may not love expository nonfiction, but many of your students do. It motivates fact-loving kids to read and write, and it can help ALL students develop informational writing skills. In this session, five highly-regarded educators share creative ideas for using finely-crafted expository nonfiction children’s books in writer’s workshop. Here is a list of […]
5 Faves: And That’s a Wrap!
Throughout this school year, thirty-three smart, dedicated educators—classroom teachers, school librarians, public librarians, reading specialists, literacy coordinators, and more—have contributed lists of their 5 favorite expository nonfiction titles to this Monday strand of my blog. Thank you! I know how busy all of you are, and I really appreciate the time you devoted to this […]
40 STEM Summer Reads to Encourage Outdoor Exploration
It’s not quite summer vacation here in Massachusetts, but I know that many kids across the country are already done with school for the year. Here are some great books that they might enjoy reading over the next couple of months. Bird Talk: What Birds Are Saying and Why by Lita Judge Beneath the Sun by […]
5 Faves: Expository Nonfiction Recommended by Elise Katz
As a Children’s Librarian who conducts storytimes for preschool children, ages 3-6, I often include a nonfiction book in my thematic programs. Sometimes I read the text, but often I summarize facts, while showing photographs or illustrations. Usually, these books are meant to provide a factual background to a storytime theme, e.g. Holi Festival, Children’s […]
Behind the Books: Spotlight on Middle Grade Nonfiction
Last week, I blogged about two middle grade nonfiction books that I’m excited about—Dog Days of History: The Incredible Story of Our Best Friends by Sarah Albee (National Geographic,2018) and Made for Each Other: Why Dogs and People Are Perfect Partners by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent (Crown, 2018). Because they take a different approach to a […]
10 Great Books for Young Engineers, Inventors, and Tinkerers
Ada Lace Sees Red by Emily Caladrelli The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba, Bryan Mealer, and Elizabeth Zunon The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer’s Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors by Chris Barton and Tony Persiani Energy Island: How One Community Harnessed the Wind and Changed their World […]
5 Faves: Expository Nonfiction Recommended by Catherine Flynn
The nonfiction available for kids today is as diverse as the world itself. Well-written texts with full-color photographs and illustrations bring the world into our homes and classrooms, sparking and satisfying curiosity in children of all ages. Choosing just five books with an expository writing style was quite a challenge! For every book on this […]
5 Faves: Expository Nonfiction Recommended by Angie Moore
Reading nonfiction books during library storytime is still somewhat new to me, and it is not easy to keep the attention of 3-5 year-olds, but books like these have made it so much fun…for me and my students! A Butterfly Is Patient by Dianna Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long This book is one of many […]
5 Faves: Expository Nonfiction Recommended by Alyson Beecher
Psst! Come closer… I have a little secret to share or maybe a confession. I started this post in August, but with the start of the school year and new responsibilities at work, I ended up putting it on hold. Over the past year, I have been reading and loving everyone’s 5 Faves. When Melissa […]
5 Faves: Expository Nonfiction Recommended by Cathy Potter
Giant Squid: Searching for a Sea Monster by Mary M. Cerullo and Clyde F. E. Roper (Capstone Press, 2012). Cerullo and Roper chronicle the search for the elusive giant squid in this compelling science mystery. Photographs, illustrations and sidebars full of interesting squid facts make this a high-interest title for readers all ages. Look […]