Celebrate Nonfiction

Exploring the Joy of Nonfiction Reading and Writing

Resources for Educators: Nonfiction Read Alouds

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 on books I’ve written and describe various
stages of my creative process in detail, while others provide more general
information  and highlight books written
by a wide variety of nonfiction authors.  


On Mondays this year, I’m going to be sharing some of these resources and
providing ideas for how they might be used in the classroom. Today, I’m going
to focus on
Nonfiction Read Alouds.


When it comes to read alouds, most teachers turn
to fiction, but nonfiction read alouds can be just as powerful.
If you read a book to
students every day, I recommend selecting a nonfiction title twice a week.
Because narrative nonfiction has so much in common with fiction, I suggest
focusing more attention on expository titles.


When I talk to teachers
who are hesitant to read nonfiction aloud, I hear the same three questions over
and over: 


—How do I locate appropriate nonfiction titles?

—How do I read nonfiction aloud in a way that
engages students?


—How do I encourage and facilitate student
responses to a nonfiction read aloud?
The resources on this page of my website address
these excellent questions. You’ll also find 50 recommended titles—25 have an
expository writing style, and 25 have a narrative writing style.


This page also includes Read Alouds Guides that can assist you in sharing 15 of
my books with your students. 


You may also want to try the Sibert Smackdown and March Madness
Nonfiction
, two fun activities that can be done with your
class or even with your whole school. 

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top 25 nonfiction blog award

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