NONFICTION

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UNIT 10

• NONFICTION
• (INFORMATION BOOKS)

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NONFICTION TODAY

• Describes books of information and fact
• Facts are uppermost
• Storytelling may be used as an expressive
  technique
• 60-70 of most library collections in elementary
  schools public libraries
• Increase in nonfiction for very young children

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NONFICTION

• May tell story and include fact
• Fact is uppermost in nonfiction -- story
  uppermost in fiction
• Story is expressive technique

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Nonfiction in Childrens Lives

• Learn best when involved want to learn more
  about a topic (intrinsic motivation)
• Learn by fitting new information into coherent
  framework
• Learn best when curriculum is integrated
• Good teachers use both text and supplemental
  books to help children learn

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Criteria for Evaluating Nonfiction

• Integrity
• Style
• Presentation of the Content

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Integrity

• authors who are honest with readers and reveal
  their viewpoint
• facts are distinguished from theory and use
  qualifying phrases such as many scientists
  believe
• avoid anthropomorphism (giving human traitsto
  plants or animals)
• present balanced viewpoints
• look at authors qualifications to write on the
  subject

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Integrity

• Support generalizations
• Cite authors expertise or sources

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Style

• How information is presented
• Tone reveals significance or meaningfulness of
  authors work and authors relationship to subject

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Presentation of Content

• Organization -- need table of content, glossary,
  subject and author indexes and appendices
• Unity -- logical development of concepts and
  transitions to guide reader from one topic to
  another
• Comprehensibility -- concepts and language
• Layout -- design should have diagrams, maps,
  sketches, graphs, visual support

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• Books of nonfiction are changing in layout
  because children are accustomed to visual
  stimulation of television

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NONFICTION ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

• Science
• Social Studies
• Mathematics
• Language Study
• Music and Art
• Need to help children learn to read critically
• Need to help children verify information and
  compare sources

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Learning to Read Critically

• Schemata we develop as we learn to read, and red
  to learn, influence all subsequent knowledge.
• Thinking readers -- critical readers -- evaluate
  new information in light of what already know
• Compare sources -- instead of acceptance
• Make judgments

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Reading Critically

• Discriminate fact from opinion
• Learn to question
• Avoid look it up in the textbook. . . . . what
  does the book say. . . .
• Verify Information - check against real life
• Compare Sources -- several books