SCBWI Handout: Writing STEM Picture Books

3 Tips to Get Started

Starting with a Question

https://twowritingteachers.org/2017/05/26/stewartnfques/

 

Making a Personal Connection

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2017/05/behind-books-concept-and-connection.html

 

Hooking Your Readers

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2013/11/behind-books-hooking-young-readers.html

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2015/03/behind-books-tinkering-with-my-tools.html

6 Key Elements of Nonfiction Writing

 

Category

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2015/10/behind-books-look-at-life-stories.html

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2015/10/behind-books-look-at-survey-books.html

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2015/10/behind-books-look-at-specialized.html

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2015/10/behind-books-look-at-concept-books.html

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2015/11/behind-books-choosing-nonfiction.html

http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2017/05/guest-post-melissa-stewart-on-concept.html

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2016/01/behind-books-writing-sciencenature.html

 

Writing Style

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2015/12/behind-books-two-kinds-of-expository.html

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2015/12/behind-books-two-kinds-of-narrative.html

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2016/10/breaking-mold.html

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2016/08/mta-handout-nonfiction-triumvirate.html

 

Text Structure

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2017/01/behind-books-shopping-for-text-structure.html

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2016/06/behind-books-q-the-forgotten-text.html

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2016/01/behind-books-text-structure.html

http://www.melissa-stewart.com/pdf/Understanding_Text-Structures.pdf#zoom=70

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2014/03/deadliest-animals-look-at-structure.html

Format

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2017/03/in-classroom-text-format-in-expository.html

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2017/03/behind-books-importance-of-format-in.html

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2011/05/behind-books-does-your-books-format.html

Voice

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2016/09/tcrwp-handout-power-of-voice-in.html

http://www.melissa-stewart.com/sciclubhouse/teachhome/mini_lessons.html

Point of View

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2017/05/in-classroom-point-of-view-in.html

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2017/01/behind-books-whats-point-of-view.html

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2015/02/behind-books-nonfiction-point-of-view_4.html

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2015/02/behind-books-nonfiction-point-of-view.html

 

If you’re writing a Life Story . . .

• Narrative writing style
• Probably sequence (chronological) structure
• Probably running text
• Voice reflect personality of subject
• Third-person narration (first-person controversial)

If you’re writing a Concept Book . . .

• Probably expository writing style
• Sequence, compare & contrast, Q & A, cause & effect, problem—solution, or invent your own
• Think carefully about text format
• Voice reflects topic and approach
• Third-, second-, or first-person narration