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 […]
Teaching Nonfiction 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 and format, […]
Crafting Mega-fun Informational Writing: Voice
Like many expository literature titles, Mega-Predators of the Past has a strong, distinct voice. What exactly is voice in nonfiction writing? According to highly-regarded literacy educator Ruth Culham, voice is the personality of the writing, it’s how the writing makes the reader feel. I like to think of nonfiction voice as spanning a continuum from lively […]
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 […]
Resources for Educators: Nonfiction Voice
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 […]
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 […]
Writing Expository Nonfiction that Sings, Part 9
Since the beginning of the school year, each Monday, I’ve been posting about the importance of understanding the key elements of finely-crafted expository nonfiction and helping students identify those features as they read and include them as they write. For the first few weeks, I focused on the pre-writing process. Then, I turned my attention […]
NSTA Handout: Cross Curricular Connections for Science Books
Everyone knows that books about how plants grow and how animals use their unique body features and behaviors to survive can enrich science lessons, but they can also be used lots of other ways. Today, I’m in St. Louis at the National Science Teachers Association’s annual conference, participating in an amazing event that was the […]
It’s a Book! Seashells: More than a Home
I’m excited to announce that my new book, Seashells: More than a Home, illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen, has just entered the world. It’s a Junior Library Guild selection and has received a starred review in Booklist. The idea for this book popped into my mind when I saw Sarah gorgeous sketches for our book Feathers: […]