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The Importance of Reading in Earnest: Non- Fiction for Young Children Job, Jennifer, PhD; Coleman, Mary Ruth, PhD . Gifted Child Today ; Thousand Oaks  Vol. 39, Iss. 3,  (Jul

2016): 154-163.

ProQuest document link

ABSTRACT  

Until recently, reading instruction for early grades has focused on fiction. However, the Common Core State

Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards both emphasize the reading of nonfiction texts to gain

specific skill sets for analyzing information. Research has shown that gifted students and children with culturally/

linguistically diverse backgrounds may find nonfiction texts more engaging to their interests than fiction.

Nonfiction can activate prior learning and encourage students to learn to categorize and synthesize information,

especially when combined with scientific inquiry. In this article, the authors explore the new standards-based

emphasis on reading nonfiction, the skills built by students' reading nonfiction with a focus on gifted students

from culturally/linguistically different and economically disadvantaged families, and we share one approach to

including nonfiction in elementary classrooms through the U-STARS~PLUS Science &Nonfiction Connections, a

program for recognizing and supporting underrepresented gifted populations.

FULL TEXT  

Headnote

Abstract: Until recently, reading instruction for early grades has focused on fiction. However, the Common Core

State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards both emphasize the reading of nonfiction texts to

gain specific skill sets for analyzing information. Research has shown that gifted students and children with

culturally/ linguistically diverse backgrounds may find nonfiction texts more engaging to their interests than

fiction. Nonfiction can activate prior learning and encourage students to learn to categorize and synthesize

information, especially when combined with scientific inquiry. In this article, the authors explore the new

standards-based emphasis on reading nonfiction, the skills built by students' reading nonfiction with a focus on

gifted students from culturally/linguistically different and economically disadvantaged families, and we share one

approach to including nonfiction in elementary classrooms through the U-STARS~PLUS Science &Nonfiction

Connections, a program for recognizing and supporting underrepresented gifted populations.

Keywords: gifted education, instructional strategies, underserved populations

With the growing emphasis on reading within the content areas, it is essential that we introduce young learners

early to high-quality nonfiction reading. Gifted students are traditionally thought to be readers. Indeed, one of the

defining characteristics of giftedness historically has been voracious and advanced reading at early ages (Martin,

1984). However, not all gifted students are early readers. Gifted children from culturally/linguistically different

backgrounds, children from economically disadvantaged families, and children with learning disabilities may

struggle with reading despite having high potential for excellence. Often, their gifts are not easily seen and must be

intentionally nurtured (Coleman &Shah-Coltrane, 2010b). Thus, a cornerstone of the U-STARS~PLUS is the

connection between literacy and science through the use of both fiction and nonfiction (Coleman &Job, 2014;

Coleman &Shah-Coltrane, 2010a).

In this article, we explore the new standards-based emphasis on reading nonfiction, the skills built by students'

reading nonfiction with a focus on gifted students from culturally/linguistically different and economically

disadvantaged families, and we share one approach to including nonfiction in elementary classrooms through the

U-STARS~PLUS Science &Nonfiction Connections (Coleman &Job, 2014).

Current Emphasis on Nonfiction in Standards- Based Education

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for language arts (Common Core State Standards Initiative [CCSSI],

2010), adopted by 45 states, emphasize the use of nonfiction texts in helping students become researchers as

they read. The CCSS also privilege nonfiction as the bridge to students' building of analytical writing skills. The

increased focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) curriculum in schools connects well with

the emphasis on reading nonfiction works (Zollman, 2012).

Traditionally, it has been common practice for up to 90% of literature read in the elementary classroom to be

fiction (Dreher, 1999). However, it has become increasingly apparent that relying on only fiction for young students'

reading contradicts the standards-based curriculum that has been a major component of school reform. As Moss

(2005) notes, the general purpose of literacy instruction for K-fourth grades is to "break the code" of phonemics

and reading for fluency, but from fifth grade on, students are expected to read for content. However, the skills-

based standards that have entered elementary school curriculum requires students to do much more than just

break the code of what they are reading. Young learners are now required to comprehend the content of their

reading and to work with this information to develop their own ideas.

Moss (1991, 2005) identifies the necessity of content-area literacy in students' learning, which she identifies as,

A cognitive and social practice involving the ability and desire to read, comprehend, critique, and write about

multiple forms of print, including textbooks, novels, magazines, Internet materials, and other sociotechnical sign

systems conveying information, emotional content, and ideas to be considered from a critical stance. (p. 47)

In today's information-based society, children must be conversant with many forms of print materials, including

narrative stories, reports, blogs, magazine articles, online posts, technical reports, and numerous other modes of

communication. For today's students, literacy is defined much more broadly, and relying on only fiction creates a

barrier to understanding other forms of print communication (Doiron, 1994). In addition, content-area literacy

includes knowledge needed for academic discussions, such as understanding vocabulary that one uses to talk

about math (e.g., fraction, sum), science (e.g., hypothesis, life cycle), and history (e.g., chronology, culture).

Reading nonfiction helps students to build this vocabulary within the academic content areas (Lutz, Guthrie,

&Davis, 2006; Moss, 2005; Palmer &Stewart, 2005). This type of literacy also prepares students to tackle more

complex interdisciplinary projects where they need to draw on knowledge of various content areas and use

multiple ways of thinking (Doiron, 1994; Feng, VanTassel- Baska, Quek, Bai, &O'Neill, 2005).

Currently, 43 states are implementing the CCSS in some form. These standards have a distinct focus on

informational and nonfiction text (CCSS, 2010). Teachers are required to introduce not only storybooks in the

kindergarten classroom but also informational texts as well. Informational texts are described as:

* Biographies and autobiographies

* Books about history, social studies, science, and the arts

* Technical texts, including directions, forms, and information displayed in graphs, charts, or maps

* Digital sources on a range of topics (CCSS, 2010)

The CCSS utilize qualitative, quantitative, and task-matching measures of text complexity for choosing texts for

students, asking teachers to choose texts based on interest level, Lexile scores, and knowledge demands-all

factors lending themselves to nonfiction work. In addition, the skills taught through the CCSS require teachers to

integrate nonfiction into their classrooms beginning in kindergarten. A third of the new kindergarten literacy

standards are devoted to "Informational Text," with standards such as, "With prompting and support, identify the

reasons an author gives to support points in a text" and "With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in

and differences between two texts on the same topic" (CCSS, 2010).

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS; 2013) also emphasize the skill sets students need to accurately

comprehend and analyze nonfiction works. The NGSS are designed around three dimensions: practices (behaviors

for scientific inquiry), crosscutting concepts (across all domains of science), and disciplinary core ideas.

Supporting science learning with nonfiction literacy is essential for fulfilling the NGSS framework. Nonfiction texts

give students a broad background in the concepts they are studying and allow them to investigate in depth that

which they find through their own inquiry in experiments (Short &Armstrong, 1993). Nonfiction texts also teach

students how to organize around patterns and systems, as is noted by the NGSS. As scientists use texts to

mediate and inform their own inquiry, nonfiction texts may teach students to do the same in their own work

(Pappas, 2006).

Encouraging Gifted Student Readers Through Nonfiction

Despite common conceptions of gifted students as avid readers, nearly 20% of gifted students express negative

attitudes toward the act of reading (Martin, 1984). Among the reasons they state for disliking reading, disinterest in

the material and finding the literature to be a waste of time are most cited. Indeed, Leal and Moss (1999) find that

elementary school-aged gifted children primarily want to read out of a desire to learn as well as to be entertained.

For high-potential students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, ambivalence for reading may be more

complex. For many of these students, reading may be difficult, they may not have a reading culture at home, and in

spite of their abilities they may be behind their peers in acquiring reading skills (Kirk, Gallagher, &Coleman, 2015).

Blair (2014) notes that in homes challenged by economic hardship, children may be exposed to higher stress, may

face food insecurities, and may experience greater levels of disorganization than students from more economically

secure households; all these challenges can hinder academic success. Other difficulties may present obstacles for

literacy in particular.

Despite the importance of reading in the content areas, research shows that students spend less than 4 min a day

reading nonfiction (Goodwin &Miller, 2012). The focus of reading with young children is on fictional literature such

as stories and poems, and 90% of general literacy curriculum in elementary school is composed of fictional books

(Dreher, 1999). The emphasis on fictional reading is exacerbated because primary school libraries often carry

relatively few informational texts compared with fictional texts (Goodwin &Miller, 2012; Harvey, 2002; Palmer

&Stewart, 2003). The almost exclusive focus on fictional narratives in elementary classrooms may contribute to

the dislike some gifted students feel toward reading. Students tend to prefer nonfiction reading to fiction when

given the choice (e.g., Leal &Moss, 1999; Martin, 1984; Moss, 2005).

Nonfiction encourages students to read by activating their prior knowledge and allowing them to explore their own

interests. Nonfiction also acts as an authentic way of introducing content material into the classroom, answering

student questions in straightforward ways (Camp, 2000), which is another important teaching strategy for diverse

students (Blair, 2014). Moreover, studies in nonfiction reading (Kletzien &Dreher, 2004; Pappas, 1993) have shown

that students as young as kindergarten age can access nonfiction texts as well as they can fiction texts,

debunking the myth that fiction is necessary in early years because children can only process narrative literature in

those years.

Reading preferences among gifted students may trend toward nonfiction, but they still prefer books with specific

elements of literature. Gifted students show strong preferences for nonfiction selections that have narrative

elements, such as The Magic Schoolbus series (Leal &Moss, 1999; Stein &Beed, 2004). They also like books with

numerous visual aspects (such as photos and graphs) and special features highlighting unusual facts (Doiron,

1994; Reutzel &Cooter, 2009). Just like fiction, nonfiction chosen for the elementary classroom is most effective

when it is well written and engaging (Bamford &Kristo, 1998; Camp, 2000; Reutzel &Cooter, 2009).

The type of nonfiction discussed here should not be confused with traditional textbooks. Textbooks may

contribute to students' dislike of nonfiction if relied on exclusively, as they may present information in a dry and

boring way, offering few interesting structures (Rice, 2002). Much of the nonfiction for young children centers on

trade books that combine some elements of fictional literature with a strong content focus.

Using nonfiction in the classroom opens up curricula to critical literacies and skill sets that may not otherwise be

activated. In sum, Dorn and Soffos (2005) identify the goals of reading nonfiction as

* Inquiry

* Activation of prior knowledge

* Identification of complex text features and structures

* The connection of inquiry purposes with navigating text

Feng et al. (2005) find that integrating nonfiction with science instruction develop students into learners who

could read for sustained periods of time, navigate rigorous curricula, and write persuasively, a craftrequiring

evaluation of various facts and sources. Lutz et al. (2006) also find that integrating reading with science

instruction increases students' growth in reading comprehension and strategy use. These are crucial skills for the

young student.

Building Skills Through Nonfiction

Although we read all fiction books in much the same way, taking in its entirety for the story, reading nonfiction can

occur in many different ways; for example, skimming for content, skipping to a part to find necessary information,

and deep reading for high-level concepts (Dorn &Soffos, 2005). We also need different skill sets when we are

reading nonfiction. Figure 1 shows the different skill sets needed for reading fiction and nonfiction.

Reading nonfiction builds academic vocabulary, connects students to real-world questions and content, and

assists in cross-curricular learning (Flowers &Flowers, 2009). Implementing nonfiction curricula allows for multiple

modes of thinking, as well as smoother pathways to learning and self-efficacy, teaching students how to search

out the information they are interested in learning (Duke, Bennett- Armistead, &Roberts, 2002).

Nonfiction and Vocabulary

One of the strongest arguments for teaching literacy through nonfiction is its ability to build vocabulary for

students from linguistically/culturally different and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. In STEM topics, for

example, students need to have appropriate scientific language (Zollman, 2012) and by reading nonfiction science

books about animals, for instance, student see words such as "species," "herd," and "migration" used in authentic

ways. Exposure to these books allows them to grasp the vocabulary in context and to use their language in future

learning.

Nonfiction and higher level thinking

Working with nonfiction literature allows students to display all six levels of intellectual behavior in Bloom's

taxonomy. Nonfiction particularly lends itself to classification and organizational activities that require

understanding, application, and analysis (Camp, 2000; Doiron, 1994; Dorn &Soffos, 2005), all necessary areas of

emphasis for direct instruction for students of diverse backgrounds (Blair, 2014). In using the facts they take from

nonfiction to develop graphic organizers and categorize information, students build their analysis skills (Camp,

2000; Dorn &Soffos, 2005). They move from narrative ways of thinking (e.g., "This happened, then this happened")

that constitutes "remembering" in Bloom's taxonomy to conceptual thinking ("I can explain what a life cycle is")

that constitutes the higher levels of Bloom's (Lutz et al., 2006).

Nonfiction also gives students the opportunity for high-level questioning, allowing them to investigate their own

interests as well as their own preconceived notions of what they may have thought they had known about the topic

(Martin, 1984; Stein &Beed, 2004). In addition, nonfiction opens the door for students from diverse backgrounds to

share their prior knowledge with their peers, encouraging all the students in the class to value diversity and

multicultural backgrounds.

Casteel and Isom (1994) identify a strong connection between science processing skills and nonfiction literacy

skills, with overlaps in gathering and organizing data, drawing conclusions, and constructing responses. Nonfiction

introduces students to complex modes of thought, such as using evidence to prove a theory and explaining a

concept through deductive reasoning, that are not typically explored in fiction (Doiron, 1994; Livingston, Kurkjian,

Young, &Pringle, 2004). Once students are in this conceptual mode of thinking, they can interact with their peers in

working with these concepts and show more independence in learning (Kletzien &Dreher, 2004; Lutz et al., 2006),

as well as better social skills and self-esteem (Rice, 2002).

Building writing skills

Perhaps one of the most significant paradoxes in elementary education is that although we rely on narrative fiction

in teaching children to read, the majority of writing that we ask them to do (both in early grades and later on) is

expository writing (Bryce, 2011). One of the components of expository writing that reading nonfiction teaches

children is using organizational features (Palmer &Stewart, 2005). Much of the instruction concerning nonfiction

literature centers on learning to identify and use complex text elements (e.g., headings, tables of contents,

glossaries, graphs) and various text structures (e.g., chronological, categorization, characterization, cause-effect,

problem-solution; Dorn &Soffos, 2005). Reading nonfiction prepares students for writing their own inquiry-based

products (Kletzien &Dreher, 2004; Tower, 2000) in ways that nonfiction does not.

The evaluative skills operationalized by students in using nonfiction texts are especially critical in preparing

students from diverse backgrounds for gifted curriculum in inquiry-based science. According to Blair (2014), many

students from diverse backgrounds need direct and explicit instruction in literacy skills that students from middle

socioeconomic status backgrounds have already acquired before entering school. If a student has not developed

his or her evaluative skills, deciding on content for a research project may prove itself impossible (Tower, 2000).

U-STARS~PLUS: One Approach to Nonfiction for Young Learners

The U-STARS~PLUS Science &Nonfiction Connections (Coleman &Job, 2014) integrates high-quality nonfiction

texts with inquiry-based science. The materials include 33 complete lessons for Grades kindergarten through 3,

each exploring one nonfiction book on the same topic as a corresponding U-STARS~PLUS Science &Literature

Connections (Coleman &Shah-Coltrane, 2010b). The topics cover a wide range of scientific topics, including

ecosystems, astronomy, animals and insects, and scientific processes. Each lesson provides a list of the topics, a

generalization of the major idea for inquiry, a summary of the book, and the Science &Literature Connections

(Coleman &Shah-Coltrane, 2010b) correlation. The lesson plans are aligned with the CCSS and the NGSS.

Each lesson provides a concept map to outline the major ideas and understandings that students can garner from

the nonfiction book. Concept maps are a significant tool line helping students "learn how to learn" (Novak, 1990, p.

29). Concept maps assist students in meaning making and problem solving (Novak, Gowin, &Johansen, 1983).

Concept maps also help teachers develop instruction that builds from one idea to the next (Beyerbach, 1988).

Teachers can use the concept maps to develop materials beyond what is provided in the Science &Nonfiction

Connections (Coleman &Job, 2014) book depending on the levels and needs of the students. Teachers in the

younger years may rely on reading storybooks from start to finish, but they can read sections of nonfiction books

aloud as well, especially as they relate to class content. Many of the books in the U-STARS program have narrative

organization that work well with read aloud while others, like the one featured in the lesson plan below, are more

research oriented.

Teachers of students with gifts and talents have numerous tools they may use to differentiating the curriculum to

meet the capacities of those students. Among those tools are curriculum compacting, tiered assignments, learning

centers/stations, independent/small group projects, and questioning for higher level thinking skills (Kirk et al.,

2015). The Science &Nonfictions Connections (Coleman &Job, 2014) curriculum utilizes these differentiation

strategies in both its "Thinking Questions" sections and its follow-up activities. It is important to note that Science

&Nonfiction Connections is supposed to supplement and extend the teacher's current science curriculum units,

rather than act as stand-alone activities. The teacher can differentiate for her student needs by using only certain

levels of the Bloom's questions or choosing to have students complete a project in a small group rather than

individually or as a class.

The "Thinking Questions" sections of each lesson follow the revised Bloom's taxonomy (Armstrong, n.d.),

described earlier, to promote higher levels of thinking and deeper understanding of the concepts. The questions

ask students to improve the nonfiction reading skills discussed earlier, including classification and ordering.

Students are also asked to categorize facts and interpret charts and graphs, diversifying their reading skills. The

questions prepare students for deeper scientific inquiry as they analyze the text that they have read.

The lesson plans culminate in follow-up activities for students to complete individually or in groups, depending on

the teacher's plans and the standards she is addressing in the unit. The activities are science-focused but

interdisciplinary, asking students to draw on skill sets from language arts, math, and fine arts. The activities are

high-level and allow students to exhibit their creativity and talents in their work. These activities build students'

capacities in several areas, including inquiry processing, creative and persuasive writing, engineering, and data

interpretation. The lesson plans meet several NGSS and CCSS (2010) for literacy and mathematics. The sample

lesson below illustrates each component of the lessons and provides a template for teachers wishing to develop

similar lessons for nonfiction books.

Integrating Nonfiction in Ms. Brown's Second-Grade Classroom

Ms. Brown believes that teaching nonfiction is essential. Because she has a limited amount of time, her preferred

approach is to integrate content!! Her students love learning interesting things about their world, and science is a

big favorite with them. Ms. Brown, however, loves teaching reading and writing, and she is less confident in

science and math so the integrated format of U-STARS~PLUS is a win-win for her and her students. In her recent

unit on "Weather All Around Us," she was delighted to find both fiction and nonfiction readings she could use with

her class. She utilized elements of the U-STARS~PLUS program to extend her unit with the objective of

understanding the causes and effects of weather patterns, which are standards in the NGSS.

She started her unit by reading Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, a favorite book of hers, and guided the

students though a discussion of what weather is by using the questions provided through all stages of Bloom's

taxonomy (Science and Literature Connections; Coleman &Shah-Coltrane, 2010b). Using the ideas in the lesson for

the Kids Book of Weather Forecasting, she assigned her students a weather log to document the daily weather for

3 weeks (Coleman &Job, 2014; Coleman &Shah-Coltrane, 2010a). On the second day, she did a book-talk walking

through the Kids Book of Weather Forecasting. She shared the authors and illustrator, walked through the table of

contents, and reading the first few pages and asked the basic knowledge-level questions, which acted as a

formative assessment to check for understanding. She talked about how this book is a nonfiction book that is

chock-full of facts and information and showed her students the index and how it can be used to locate some fun

facts. She indicated that the book was going to be in the science learning center that would open on the third day

and that students were going to have a chance to use the book for research and activities.

On the next day, she introduced the science learning center. In the science learning center, Ms. Brown put the book

and some question cards she developed using the Thinking Questions from the lesson (see below). She asked that

her students use the index to locate the answers to the questions and place the page number beside their

answers. The other activity she decided her students would love doing was making weather instruments. She

selected the Rain Gauge, Barometer, Wind Vane, Anemometer, Beaufort Scales, and Psychrometer and asked each

student to use their center time to research these (using the Kids Book of Weather Forecasting) and to select the

instrument they would like to make. She placed her students in "expert" cooperative learning groups based on their

choice of weather instrument. The cooperative learning groups were responsible for building their instruments,

using these to collect and document the weather for 2 weeks, analyze their data, create charts/graphics to show

their data, and summarize and report their findings. After the 2 weeks, she planned to re-form the cooperative

learning groups, using the jigsaw technique, to include one member with each type of weather instrument. The

task of these new groups would be to explore the relationships and weather patterns across the data. She would

use the application and analysis questions in the lesson to jumpstart the discussions. In this Unit, her students

would be reading nonfiction and practicing research techniques; creating hands-on instruments; collecting,

compiling, analyzing, and reporting data; writing reports; and making presentation. At the end of the unit, the

students compiled their work into a weather portfolio, and Ms. Brown was able to check for the math, writing, and

science skills outlined in the standards that accompanied the activities. She also gave the common assessment

developed by her school to test for understanding of the unit as a whole.

Throughout the unit, her students would be practicing content skills in reading, writing, and math, and using the

process skills of research, cooperation, observation, and measurement. They would be using higher level thinking,

problem solving, and creativity-and best of all, they would be having fun while learning!!

The following figures show the sample lesson Ms. Brown used to supplement her unit on weather. It is an example

of the types of lessons and activities found in Science &Nonfiction Connections. At the end of the sample lesson,

Figure 2 shows how each activity and lesson connects with CCSS and NGSS.

Sample Lesson: The Kids Book of Weather Forecasting (Breen &Friestad, 2008)

(This lesson is reprinted with permission from U-STARS~PLUS Science &Nonfiction Connections, by M. R.

Coleman &J. Job, 2014, pp. 47-52. Copyright 2014 by the Council for Exceptional Children)

The Kids' Book of Weather Forecasting

Written by: Mark Breen and Kathleen Friestad

Illustrated by: Michael Kline

Published by: Ideals Publishing Corporation, 2008

Pages: 141

Lexical Score: NA

ISBN: 978-0-8249-6823-6

Major Topics

Weather, atmosphere, energy from the sun, weather forecasting

Generalization

Students will learn that weather affects all living things in positive and negative ways.

Summary

Weather affects everyone every day. Measurements of the air, sun, wind, and rain can help us understand and

forecast the weather. Simple measurement instruments we can make ourselves allow us to collect data, analyze

the information, look for patterns, and make predictions for future weather. Observing the weather is fun, helpful,

and important.

Science &Literature Connections Book Correlation

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs Written by: Judi Barrett

Thinking Questions Based on Bloom's Taxonomy Knowledge/remember

What does a meteorologist do? List the four main components of weather (air, sun, wind, water). What is the

atmosphere? Define weather and climate. Tell what is measured by each of the following instruments: rain gauge,

hygrometer, psychrometer, barometer, and anemometer.

Comprehension/understand

How does weather affect us every day? Why is it important to have accurate forecasting for weather events?

Describe a time when a weather forecast was helpful to you or your family.

Application/apply

How do special instruments help us forecast the weather? What instruments are key to weather forecasting

(thermometer, rain gauge, hygrometer, psychrometer, barometer, and anemometer).

Analysis/analyze

How are weather patterns related to climate and seasons? Why are the seasons different on the same day

depending on where in the world you live? Compare the seasons in your town today with those in the opposite

hemisphere. (If you are in the Northern Hemisphere, what is the weather like for you? What season is it in the

Southern Hemisphere?) Why might people want to travel to another hemisphere for their winter vacation?

Synthesis/create

If you could design a new weather instrument, what would it be and what would it do? How does the overall

weather pattern affect the clothes we wear? Can you create an allweather outfit? How about an all-weather house?

Evaluation/evaluate

What is your favorite season? What criteria did you use to pick your favorite season? Compare and contrast your

criteria with someone else's. What human activities add to our changing climate (e.g., polluting, cutting down trees,

using water)? If people continue to abuse the environment, what do you predict will happen to the global climate?

Follow-Up Activities

* Keep a weather log for 1 month looking at cloud cover, rainfall, temperature, wind, and other weather factors that

interest you. Use your weather log to identify patterns for the month. Compare your data with data from a previous

year (see almanacs, print or online, for example, http://www.almanac.com/weather/history) to see how your

month differs. Compare your averages for the month with averages from several past years (e.g., average rainfall

and temperature). Is your month's data similar to other years? How do they differ?

* Build weather instruments shown in the book and use them to track and log the weather. Look for patterns in the

weather and compare them with past years. How do the shapes of these tools help them do their job?

* Design a new weather instrument. Draw or sketch your instrument to show how it works. What does it do and

why is it important? Write out a plan to try and convince a company to make and sell your product.

* Write a poem, song, or short story using weather as the theme. What kinds of weather are you describing? How

does it make you feel? What happens during different kinds of weather?

* Create all-weather clothes, homes, or vehicles. What will you need to have to adjust the temperature, moisture,

wind, and sun exposure? Make a model or sample of your design and explain how it works.

* Research climate change and the causes associated with it. Write a newspaper article stating your view and

giving data to show how and if people are contributing to climate change.

Conclusion

The increased emphasis on nonfiction literacy in the CCSS (2010) provides a welcome opportunity for teachers to

engage students with informational texts, texts that they may prefer over fiction books. Research has shown the

importance of using nonfiction literacy skills to support building strong scientific inquiry skills in primary grades

(Bryce, 2011; Casteel &Isom, 1994). The use of nonfiction may be of particular benefit for gifted

culturally/linguistically different and economically disadvantaged students. Elementary schools need to ensure

that their libraries and classrooms provide students with high-quality, interesting nonfiction trade books to

encourage their reading progression and diversification. The U-STARS~PLUS Science &Nonfiction Connections

(Coleman &Job, 2014) offers teachers one approach for integrating science and nonfiction reading in their

classrooms.

Conflict of Interest

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or

publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Sidebar

"As scientists use texts to mediate and inform their own inquiry, nonfiction texts may teach students to do the

same in their own work."

References

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AuthorAffiliation

Jennifer Job, PhD1 and Mary Ruth Coleman, PhD2

From 1Oklahoma State University, and 2Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center. Address correspondence

to: Jennifer Job, PhD, Oklahoma State University, 254 Willard Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA; email:

[email protected].

For reprints and permissions queries, please visit SAGE's Web site at

http://www.sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav.

Copyright ©2016 The Author(s)

Bios

Jennifer Job, PhD, is an assistant professor of curriculum studies in the School of Teaching and Curriculum

Leadership at Oklahoma State University. She serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Curriculum

Theorizing. Her articles have been published by the High School Journal, National Teacher Education Journal,

Gifted Child Today, and Critical Literacy: Theories and Practices. She assisted Mary Ruth Coleman on the U-

STARS~PLUS project for 3 years. Currently, she is the co-founding instructor for the PowerUp! project in Oklahoma

City, a program promoting self-advocacy in students with exceptionalities.

Mary Ruth Coleman, PhD, is a senior scientist, Emerita at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at

the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She served three terms on the Board of Directors for the Association

for Gifted (TAG), one of which she was president, and three terms (9 years) on the Board of the National

Association for Gifted Children. She was the president of the Council for Exceptional Children in 2007. She has

authored numerous publications and is a coauthor with James Gallagher of the seminal textbook, Educating

Exceptional Children-14th Edition. She currently directs U-STARS~PLUS-a multi-state effort to address the under

representation of racially, ethnically, and linguistically different students within gifted education.

DETAILS

Subject: Gifted children; Students; Core curriculum; Books

Publication title: Gifted Child Today; Thousand Oaks

Volume: 39

Issue: 3

Pages: 154-163

Number of pages: 10

Publication year: 2016

Publication date: Jul 2016

Section: FEATURE

Publisher: SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC.

Place of publication: Thousand Oaks

Country of publication: United States, Thousand Oaks

Publication subject: Children And Youth - About

ISSN: 10762175

e-ISSN: 2162951X

Source type: Scholarly Journal

Language of publication: English

Document type: Feature

Document feature: References Tables Diagrams

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1076217516644635

ProQuest document ID: 1792730918

Document URL: http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fschol

arly-journals%2Fimportance-reading-earnest-non-fiction-

young%2Fdocview%2F1792730918%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D12085

Copyright: Copyright SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC. Jul 2016

Last updated: 2017-11-23

Database: Social Science Premium Collection,ProQuest Central

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