Celebrate Nonfiction

Exploring the Joy of Nonfiction Reading and Writing

In the Classroom: Text Format in Expository Literature

After reading aloud When the Wolves Returned: Restoring Nature’s Balance in Yellowstone by
Dorothy Patent Hinshaw and my book Feathers:
Not Just for Flying, invite students to compare and contrast the two
books, using these guiding questions:

·        
How
is the main text in the two books different?

·        
Does
the secondary text perform the same function in both books?

·        
What
is the text structure of each book?

·        
What
do you think was each author’s purpose for writing her book?

·        
Does
the layered text format help the authors achieve their purpose? Explain your
rationale.

Next, read aloud An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Hutts Aston and Look Up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard by Annette LeBlanc Cate, encouraging students to discuss the following questions in small groups:

·        
How
is the format of the two books different?

·        
What
do you think was each author’s purpose for writing her book?

·        
Does
the format of each book help the author achieve her purpose? Explain your
rationale.

As the group discussions wind down, encourage each group to share its ideas with the rest of the class. 

CCSS.ELA—Literacy.CCRA.R.5:  Analyze the
structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger
portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to
each other and the whole.

 

CCSS.ELA—Literacy.CCRA.R.9: Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

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