Exploring Nonfiction with Young Learners

Darla Taylor Miner has been an educator since 1989.  During her tenure, she has made curriculum and instruction a focus in order to increase student success, and has presented information on curriculum development at the State and National levels.Jill Zitnay's special interest in using research and data to make curriculum decisions, and inform teachers and improve student performance came out of teaching elementary and high school students for more than 20 years.  This experience plus her undergraduate degree in special education and graduate degree in reading enable her to instruct students and other educators in CT and nationally.Jill's special interest in using research and data to make curriculum decisions, and inform teachers and improve student performance came out of teaching elementary and high school students for more than 20 years.  This experience plus her undergraduate degree in special education and graduate degree in reading enable her to instruct students and other educators in CT and nationally.

Exploring Nonfiction with Young Learners explores the four basic nonfiction structures that the youngest learners are most likely to encounter: descriptive, recount/collection, procedural, and explanatory texts. This book also includes information to help teach four, more complex structures that younger readers sometimes encounter during read-alouds:   comparison, response, causation/cause and effect, and persuasive genres.This book is organized to help plan lessons using each type of nonfiction structure.  Strategies and suggestions for activities to use before, during and after reading are included. Templates and graphic organizers are also provided in order to facilitate planning, and offer additional resources. Detailed information about each text structure as well as mentor texts to illustrate each type is included.  Text structures, as well as text access features, are defined and located in easy reference charts.  Whole class and small group planning ideas are included throughout the book in order to allow for differentiation.  Additionally, assessment ideas, sample think-alouds, lesson planning templates, and sample lessons with completed graphic organizers are included for each text structure.

Introduction·Why Teach Nonfiction?·How Can I Use This Book?·What This Book CoversChapter 1:  What Makes Nonfiction Unique?·Nonfiction Text Structures·Nonfiction Text Access FeaturesChapter 2:  Why is Nonfiction so Difficult to Comprehend?·Understanding Cohesive Ties·Using Structure-Specific Signal Words·Activities to Teach the Use of Cohesive Ties and Signal WordsChapter 3:  Getting Ready to Teach Nonfiction·When to Teach Nonfiction·Materials·Before You Plan·Planning a Lesson·Lesson Components·Making Room for Independent ReadingChapter 4:  Before Reading·Determining the Structure of the Text·Building/Assessing Background Knowledge·Introducing Key Vocabulary·Learning Text Access Features·Modeling Comprehension Strategies·Before Reading PlannerChapter 5:  During Reading·Overall strategies·A lesson sample for each text structure·Model Text·During Reader PlannerChapter 6:  After Reading·Overall strategies·A lesson sample for each text structure·Integrating writing after reading-how it fits in; lesson examples·Blacklines; templates; organizersChapter 7:  Teaching with Text Structures·Descriptive·Recount·Procedural·Explanatory·More complex text structuresChapter 8:  Pulling It All Together/Additional Information·Assessment of learning·Planning TemplatesAppendix of Blacklines:  Graphic Organizers, TemplatesAbout the AuthorsBibliography of Books for the Classroom