Writing Expository Nonfiction that Sings, Part 4
For the last few Mondays, 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. First, I discussed how starting with a question can help writers come up with a focused topic, which allows for […]
Behind the Books: Milford, CT PD Handout
Building Research Skills in K-3 Author-educator Melissa Stewart introduces scaffolded visual, information, and digital literacy activities to help K-3 students develop the observational, inquiry, and critical thinking skills required to evaluate print and digital resources for nonfiction reports. Supports Common Core RIT Standards 6 and 7 and Writing Standards 7 and 8. The content […]
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. […]
Behind the Books: Stepping Up to Research, Step 3
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 students care deeply about 2. Organize, categorize, and […]
Behind the Books: Stepping Up to Research, Step 2
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 students care deeply about 2. Organize, categorize, and compare observations. 3. […]
Behind the Books: Stepping Up to Research, Step 1
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 students care deeply about 2. Organize, categorize, and compare observations. […]
Behind the Books: Stepping Up to Research
About a year ago, Ellen Brandt, the school librarian at Westford Middle School in Westford, MA, shared this Wordle with me: And I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. I was stunned. Why did students think research was boring? It’s one of the things I love most about my job. In my quest for an […]
Team Note-taking
During a recent #TCWRP Twitterchat about informational writing, Julie Harmatz (@jarhartz), a fifth grade teacher in San Pedro, CA, made a suggestion that I just love—simultaneous notetaking in a google doc. Now that’s what I call fun and informative! Do any of you remember Ghostwriter, a popular PBS TV show that aired in the […]
Deadliest Animals: Putting It All Together, Part 2
To round out my discussion of Deadliest Animals, I’m providing some more examples of how the book changed during the design and layout process. I’ll also resolve the issue I first discussed back in May—how to end the book. The editors and I were struggling with that at the manuscript revision stage and decided to figure it out when […]
Deadliest Animals: Putting It All Together, Part 1
Most of the time, the changes that occur during the editing and design process are supposed to be confidential. But in the interest of providing you and your students with a teaching tool, National Geographic has generously granted me permission to share some examples from Deadliest Animals. I’ll present a few today and the rest […]