Eyewitness Books for High School Readers by Margaret Altman
During a recent conversation on Facebook, school librarian Margaret Altman shared some of the great ways she uses the Eyewitness Books in her high school collection. I was so impressed, that I asked her if she’d write a blog post with some of her ideas, and I’m delighted that she agreed. I’m a big fan of the […]
We Still Need Diverse Nonfiction
Last fall, I wrote a post entitled “We Need Diverse Nonfiction” to highlight the unfortunate lack of nonfiction, especially the four categories of nonfiction with an expository writing style (active, browseable, traditional, expository literature), by BIPOC. Since then, I’ve continued to keep track of BIPOC authors everyone should be aware of. Here are some authors you may […]
Resources for Educators: 5 Kinds of Nonfiction
More and more, teachers are requesting educational resources that go beyond traditional teachers guides and activity sheets. So while I do still have those kinds of materials on my website, I’m also offering resources that delve deeply into the nonfiction reading and writing process from an author’s point of view. Some of these resources focus […]
5 Kinds of Nonfiction Interactive Teaching Tool
Last Friday, I wrote a blog post describing all the exciting things that are happening for the 5 Kinds of Nonfiction—a classification I developed to help teachers, students, writers, editors, reviewers (everyone, really) make sense of the wonderful world of children’s nonfiction being published today. The very next day, 5 Kinds of Nonfiction: Enriching Reading and Writing Instruction […]
5 Kinds of Nonfiction: The Journey Continues
When I first started to think about classifying the wonderful world of nonfiction children’s books way back in 2012, I had no idea that I was embarking on a journey of exploration and discovery that would continue for years. Along the way, I’ve had many rich conversations and developed cherished friendships with teachers, librarians, editors, […]
Welcome to the 2020-2021 School Year
Social media. Some people love it. Some people hate it. And some people have mixed feelings. Sure, it can be a time suck, but it’s also a powerful tool for sharing ideas. I’ve learned so much from blog posts written by educators, Twitter conversations with teachers and librarians, and discussions within Facebook groups focused on […]
Beyond the 5 Kinds of Nonfiction: Blended Books, Part 3
For the last few weeks, I’ve been taking a close-up look at blended books—titles that feature characteristics of two or more categories in the 5 Kinds of Nonfiction classification system. This week I’m continuing that discussion by focusing on books that blur the line between narrative nonfiction and expository literature. Books with a narrative writing […]
Beyond the 5 Kinds of Nonfiction: Blended Books, Part 2
Last week, I began a close-up look at blended books—titles that feature characteristics of two or more categories in the 5 Kinds of Nonfiction classification system. This week I’m continuing that discussion by focusing on books that blur the line between browsable nonfiction and expository literature. These titles feature a colorful, eye-catching design with such […]
Beyond the 5 Kinds of Nonfiction: Blended Books, Part 1
Over the past few years, dozens of teachers and librarians have worked with students to sort books using the 5 Kinds of Nonfiction classification system. Again and again, they’ve reported that students are excited to think about nonfiction in this way. Children as young as 7 were able to sort books effectively, and most students […]
Exploring Active Nonfiction Through the Ages by Tom Bober
A few weeks ago, school librarian Tom Bober tagged me on Twitter so I could see the great activity his students were doing to think more deeply about the 5 Kinds of Nonfiction in general and Active Nonfiction in particular. I knew other educators would want to give Tom’s idea a try, so I asked […]