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 […]
Why I Write Expository Nonfiction by Anita Sanchez
Today we continue the series in which award-winning nonfiction authors discuss the joys and challenges of writing narrative nonfiction and expository nonfiction with an essay by Anita Sanchez. Thank you, Anita. A food chain is simple: little fish are eaten by big fish, which are eaten by bigger fish, and so forth. An ecosystem is far […]
Video Mini-Lessons for Students at Shutdown Schools
Since many schools have been temporarily shut down in an effort to slow the coronavirus’s spread, I wanted to mention some of the educational resources available on my website. They include a half-dozen video mini-lessons that look at various aspects of informational writing, including research, text features, text structures, rich language, voice, and revisions. I […]
Book of the Week: When Rain Falls
Educators often ask me which of my books would work best in their classroom. So this year, I’ve decided to feature a book each week and highlight related teaching materials and strategies. It’s spring! Let’s celebrate by talking about When Rain Falls. This book is perfect for science lessons about weather, habitats, and animal adaptations. […]
Book of the Week: Under the Snow
Educators often ask me which of my books would work best in their classroom. So this year, I’ve decided to feature a book each week and highlight related teaching materials and strategies. Now that we are in the heart of winter, it seems like the perfect time to talk about Under the Snow. This book […]
Book of the Week: Titanic
Educators often ask me which of my books would work best in their classroom. So this year, I’ve decided to feature a book each week and highlight related teaching materials and strategies. When Titanic was published, I created a fun video interview about why I wrote the book, how I decided on the book’s structure, […]
Book of the Week: Feathers: Not Just for Flying
Educators often ask me which of my books would work best in their classroom. So this year, I’ve decided to feature a book each week and highlight related teaching materials and strategies. Feathers: Not Just for Flying is perfect for science lessons about animal adaptations and how animals use external body parts. It directly addresses […]
Behind the Books: Teaching Tools for Writing Informational Text
Back in February, when Feathers: Not Just for Flying was published, I blogged about the book-related resource that I created to go with it—a mini-lesson that consists of the book, a video, and a worksheet. Educators seem to really like it, so I decided to create another one for Beneath the Sun. This time, the […]
Behind the Books: Another Gift for Educators
When No Monkeys, No Chocolate came out last fall, I wanted to provide educators with a really useful teaching tool to accompany the book. I created this Revision Timeline so that kids (and teachers) could get a sense of how much time and energy goes into a book, even when it’s just 32 pages long. […]
Behind the Books: A Titanic Video
Ten days from today—April 14, 2012–will mark the hundredth anniversary of one of the most talked-about tragedies of all time—the sinking of the Titanic. And that means a whole slew of interesting books about the ill-fated ship are hitting bookstores and e-readers all over the world. What makes my book special? Because National Geographic, my […]