A Second Grader’s Awesome Observation
Last week, I received a wonderful letter from a second-grade teacher in Washington State. She was excited to tell me what happened when she shared Whale Fall: Exploring an Ocean-floor Ecosystem with her class. After reading it aloud, she asked students what they noticed about the book. And one response blew her away: “The creatures start […]
Nonfiction Writing Mini-lessons
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 […]
Crafting Mega-fun Informational Writing: Text Features
As you can see in the sample below, most of the spreads in Mega-Predators of the Past present information in five different ways—main text, main illustration, a comparison box, a caption box, and a Mega Fact File. Why did I include so many text features? Because I had a lot of goals for the book, and […]
A Deep Dive into Nonfiction by Kim Haines
After reading school librarian Meredith Inkeles’s blog post about students writing book reviews for nonfiction books, fourth grade teacher Kim Haines was inspired to combine that lesson with a variety of other activities that I’ve share on this blog, on my website, and in 5 Kinds of Nonfiction: Enriching Reading and Writing Instruction with Children’s Books […]
Using the 5 Kinds of Nonfiction to Teach Craft Moves
In most schools, students are plunging into their informational writing unit at this time of year, so I thought it might be helpful to share the table below, which appears on p. 54 of 5 Kinds of Nonfiction. While the book discusses each of these craft moves in detail—with half a chapter on text features […]
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 […]
Resources for Educators: Text Features
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 […]
MSLA Handout: Innovative Activities for Teaching Nonfiction Reading and Writing
Author-educator Melissa Stewart shares fun, practical ideas for helping K-5 students develop information literacy skills as they read award-winning nonfiction books and produce their own informational writing. Attendees will go home with creative ways to support student learning in the library and via collaboration with classroom teachers. READING Nonfiction Smackdown! Upper elementary students read two […]
5 Faves: Expository Nonfiction Recommended by Cathy Mere
When I was in school (okay, many years ago), we did a research report nearly every year. Teachers were pretty explicit about their process (which wasn’t always the same), and we just had to learn to follow the rules to get a good grade. It was a simple, albeit time-consuming, game. Across years of […]
Time for Text Features Video Mini-lesson
Today is the official publication date of Pinocchio Rex and Other Tyrannosaurs, which I co-wrote with tyrannosaur expert Steve Brusatte. Working with Steve has been a joy. He’s so knowledgeable and so enthusiastic. Together, we’ve created a book that offers an up-close look at Pinocchio rex, a fascinating newly-discovered dinosaur (with a long snout) AND reveals the […]