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DB: Nonfiction Books
Nonfiction books are an essential resource for students and educators. In the past,
nonfiction books have not been used widely in schools. Fiction books have been more commonly
used for instruction. Nonfiction comes in many genres and formats. When I think back to my
school years, I remember nonfiction was commonly seen in science class. For instance, The
Magic School Bus was a cartoon based on nonfiction stories. We rarely turned to nonfiction
sources in other domains such as English and mathematics. As a kid, I grew up in the ghettos of
Las Vegas – being able to travel and get world experiences was not in the cards for me. My
favorite subject in school was science and this is where I found children’s encyclopedias.
Through reading, I was able to gain the background knowledge that I needed to become a
successful student. The students and families from the journal article Engaging English Learners
and Their Families: The Power of Non-Fiction Text and the Participatory Approach, also
benefited from nonfiction being taught across the whole curriculum, as well as the teachers
sending nonfiction reading home to be shared with their families (2019). By using the students’
interests and concerns, the educators selected nonfiction readings to send home in order to
increase the odds that the families will read the selected texts. The study showed that students
made large improvements in school across the curriculum when the teacher implemented
nonfiction readings throughout the text and by sending home a selected reading.
Both the textbook and the article that I chose emphasize the importance of having
nonfiction readings throughout the entire curriculum. In the article’s discussion of the
differentiation needed for each EL student, the teacher implemented several of the instructional
strategies that the textbook identified. The article reaches beyond the scope of the textbook. The
textbook’s only focus is on the student and how to best instruct them. The article ‘pushes past the
school’ to bring the learning home. By sending nonfiction reading material home with students,
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they extended the learning to home. By offering reading passages that are of importance to the
students and their family, the teacher is ensuring that the student can get more practice with the
vocabulary and expand the background knowledge of both the student and their families.
In my last full time classroom setting, one of the students (w/ASD) was obsessed with
dinosaurs. When planning activities to have this student complete, we determined that real life
could offer the most educational benefit for this student. We spent a lot of time exploring
nonfiction reading. By exploring nonfiction text throughout the curriculum, we were able to
expand his background knowledge, vocabulary, and interests. Eventually, my student started to
recognize and read some of the words we had seen in our readings.
References
Song, H., & Buchanan, D. L. (2019). Engaging English Learners and Their Families: The Power
of Non-Fiction Text and the Participatory Approach. The Reading Matrix: An
International Online Journal, 19(1), 47–62. https://eric.ed.gov/?q=source%3a
%22Reading+Matrix%3a+An+International+Online+Journal
%22&ff1=eduGrade+2&id=EJ1214431
Tompkins, G. E., Rodgers, E., Rodgers, A. (2021). Literacy for the 21st Century, 8th Edition.
[[VitalSource Bookshelf version]]. Retrieved from vbk://9780135893418
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Reply to Elizabeth Lane:
Elizabeth, I enjoyed you post. I completely agree that
Nonfiction text can be used to help students that do not
have the means to travel or get experiences. By using
Nonfiction text, we expose our students to essential
knowledge they need. I love that you started reading
nonfiction history books to your PreK class. I agree that if
we started reading historical nonfiction books to younger
students, it could have a huge impact on student’s social
study skills later in life. They would be getting exposure
to geography, important people, and historical events.
If we think about children’s developmental levels,
starting with nonfiction books is the logical choice. At first
children learn through real life examples. They need the
concrete pictures and ideas, then as the children age and
mature in their cognitive abilities they can move to more
abstract pictures and ideas. Following this logic, it would
be beneficial to all students to be exposed to nonfiction
when a new idea is introduced.
Reply to Dr. Amsler:
Dr. Amsler, I am surprised that we are almost done
with this course, and this is the first time cross-curriculum
planning has been mentioned. When I was teaching in
PreK, I found it quite easy to include literacy into other
content areas. The harder task was locating the books to
intertwine into the curriculum without ‘breaking the
bank’. I found a program through my local library that
allowed me to check out as many books as I needed for
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my classroom. This helped me greatly while I built up my
classroom library.
I tie literacy into content areas as well as other
physical spaces. For example: themed books and
‘suggested writings’ are present in play areas such as in
the block center, in addition to books about architecture
(famous buildings, homes, and architects, etc.), as well as
fiction stories on the subject. For writing, I add “blueprint
paper” and some journal pages for students to write
about their favorite buildings or architects. They can write
or draw about the building they create or one they have
learned about.
Instructions
After reading your selected journal article specifically geared for teaching
nonfiction across the curriculum, write a thread that includes the following:
A brief summary of the teaching nonfiction across the curriculum
article that you selected
Comparison/contrast with content with the Tompkins text
Comparison/contrast with your own experiences related to reading
instruction
Citation of an article in current APA format including URL if
applicable.
You will complete three Discussions in this course. For each Discussion, you will post one
thread of at least two paragraphs and 450 – 500 words by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Thursday of the
assigned Module: Week. You must then post two replies of at least two paragraphs and 150 –
200 words on Sunday of the assigned Module: Week. For each thread and reply, support your
assertions with scholarly citations in current APA format.
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