Nonfiction Nonfiction Extravaganza!Extravaganza!

Discovering the Core of our Discovering the Core of our Interests with Informational TextsInterests with Informational Texts

Denise Ousley-Exum, ELA EducationSomer Lewis, WSE Teacher in Residence

Do you recognize this kid?

Physically activePrefers hand-onSports

Enjoys arts & crafts, Construction, modeling, collecting

Information seekerLoves random factsFULLY focuses on one topic, then another

Fact finderDelights in taking things apartPicks things out, eye for detail

Or maybe this kid?Literacy procrastinator

Does not like to read or write storiesCan be a great talker

Fiction avoiderPrefers to live in the “real world”

Has own agendaUnique personal rhythmUnique time schedule

Displays idiosyncratic interestsPrefers the world outside of the traditional classroom

Info-Kids: How to Use Nonfiction to Turn Reluctant Readers Into

Enthusiastic Learners

Ron Jobe & Mary Dayton-Sakari

Type 1: Students who can read quite proficiently, “thank you very much,” just not inclined to bother. No interest in reading “The Necklace”

Prefers the Guinness Book of World Records or 101 Things Every Kid Should Know about the Human Body. But those titles are not in the teacher’s classroom library….

Two Types of Reluctant Readers

Type2: Students who truly struggle with reading, but must focus on non-literacy outlets to preserve personal self-concept

Format of informational texts is particularly helpful because content is processed with both textual and graphic cues

Two Types of Reluctant Readers

What if educators reframed the imageof the so-called “reluctant reader”?

What if that reader became not reluctant, but discerning?

What shifts might that inspire in self-concept? in evaluation? in the classroom libraries we build for our students?

Might we offer aSuggestion?

Engaging Students in Middle and High School Classrooms

Adolescents:

What do the love?

What do they fear?

What do they hate?

What do they do after school?

What do they dream about?

Engaging Students in Middle and High School Classrooms

The answers?

That is our curriculum.

Nonfiction Extravaganza!

Explore…

Post it…

Move on!

Nonfiction Extravaganza: Step One

For each collection of books at your table, please do the following:1. Explore

Look at as many books you can. Try to get to every book at each table. If a book’s subject is not your cup-of-tea, feel free to move on to the next title. Your group will have 8 minutes with each collection of books.

Nonfiction Extravaganza: Step Two

2. Post-itEach time you come across anything that catches your attention because it isinteresting, surprising, unbelievable, inspiring, gross, or amazing

Nonfiction Extravaganza: Post-it

Grab a post-it and copy the followingFact # 1,2,3 (and so on)Quote the bit that you want to rememberBook title and author(s)Page number (so you can find it again)Box #

Nonfiction Extravaganza: Post-it

Fact # 1 “50,000 tons, that’s 3 million miles of steel wire have been used since the slinky was first released in 1945. This is enough wire to go around the earth 126 times.”Wow!FAO Schwarz: Toys for a Lifetime by Stevanne Auerbach Pg 96Box 4

Language of Common Core Regarding Informational Text

Cite textual evidence

Draw inferences Determine central ideas

Analyze in detail Determine meaning Analyze structure

Determine POV and purpose

Integrate information

Trace, delineate, evaluate reasoning

Compare/contrast and analyze texts

Comprehend