Today I’m looking at text structure, which
I’ve blogged about many, many times before. My ideas about nonfiction text
structure have been constantly evolving for the last several years.
The books below are classified according to
the major structures espoused by Common Core with
a range sub-structures for kinds of books that are currently widely represented
in high-quality children’s literature.
For example, as I see it, 80 to 85 percent of
all trade nonfiction has a sequence text structure, so subgroupings are helpful
in examining all the ways authors are experimenting and innovating.
Description/Explanation
A Black Hole Is Not a Hole
by
Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano
The Beetle Book by Steve Jenkins
Creep and Flutter by Jim Arnosky
Dolphins! by Melissa Stewart
Frogs by Nic Bishop
Lightship by Brian Floca
Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes by Nicola Davies
Sequence
Chronological narrative
Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet
The Boy Who Loved Math by Deborah Heiligman
Buried Alive by Elaine Scott
The Day-Glo Brothers by
Chris Barton
Marvelous Mattie by Emily Arnold McCully
Noah Webster & His Words by
Jeri Chase Ferris
Planting
the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai by
Claire A. Nivola
Pop:
The Invention of Bubble Gum by Megan McCarthy
The Secret World of Walter
Anderson by Hester Bass
What to Do About Alice? by Barbara Kerley
Episodic narrative
Ballet for Martha by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan
Brave Girl by Michelle Markel
When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan
Braided narrative
Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming
Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming
Bomb by Steve Sheinkin
The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming
Titanic: Voices from the
Disaster by Deborah Hopkinson
We’ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson
Journey narrative
If Stones Could Speak by Marc Aronson
Lost Treasure of the Inca by Peter Lourie
Quest for the Tree Kangaroo by
Sy Montgomery
Saving the Ghost of the Mountain by
Sy Montgomery
Cycle narrative
Beneath the Sun by Melissa Stewart
A Drop of Water by Gordon Morrison
Frog in a Bog by John Himmelman
Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley
Redwoods by Jason Chin (due to the art)
Vulture View by April Pulley Sayre
Chronological expository
Bugged:
How Insects Changed History by Sarah Albee
Poop
Happened!: A History of the World from the Bottom Up by Sarah Albee
Why'd
They Wear That?: Fashion as the Mirror of History by Sarah Albee
Cumulative expository
Here Is the Tropical Rain Forest by
Madeleine Dunphy
No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart
Older Than the Stars by Karen C. Fox
How-to expository
Dessert
Designers: Creations You Can Make and Eat by Dana Meachen Rau
How
to Swallow a Pig by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
The
Klutz Book of Paper Airplanes by Doug Stillinger
Roald
Dahl's Revolting Recipes by Josie Fison and Felicity Dahl
Try
This! 50 Fun Experiments for the Mad Scientist in You by
Karen Romano Young
Compare & Contrast
Dueling spreads
Frog or Toad? How Do You Know? by
Melissa Stewart
Mosquito Bite by Alexandra Siy
Neo Leo by Gene Barretta
Those Rebels, Tom & John by
Barbara Kerley
List books
Born in
the Wild by
Lita Judge
Born to
Be Giants: How Baby Dinosaurs Grew to Rule the World by Lita Judge
Eye to Eye by Steve Jenkins
Feathers: Not Just for Flying by
Melissa Stewart
Move by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
My First Day by Steve Jenkins & Robin
Page
Just One Bite by Lola Schaefer
Earth: Feeling the Heat by Brenda Z. Guiberson
Frog in a Bog by John Himmelman
A Place for Butterflies by Melissa Stewart
When Rain Falls by Melissa Stewart
Problem- Solution
The Great Monkey Rescue by Sandra Markle
A Place for Bats by Melissa Stewart
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
Mesmerized by Mara Rockliff
Stay: The True Story of Ten Dogs by Michaela Muntean
Q & A Books
The Great Monkey Rescue by Sandra Markle
A Place for Bats by Melissa Stewart
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
Mesmerized by Mara Rockliff
Stay: The True Story of Ten Dogs by Michaela Muntean
Q & A Books
Bone by Bone: Comparing Animal Skeletons by Sarah Levine
Sterling's Good Question series
Creature Features by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
Hatch! by Roxie Munro
Hello Bumblebee Bat by Darrin Lunde
Scholastic's Question &
Answer series
What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? by
Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
Wow...what an awesome list! And put into text structure. Thanks Melissa 👏
ReplyDeleteThank you Melissa! What a great help this is.
ReplyDeleteSuch a terrific list Melissa! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this list! As a writer and educator, this is helpful to use for mentor texts.
ReplyDeleteWow! Just Wow! Thank you for this amazing list.
ReplyDeleteDear Melissa! I needed an inspiration to start writing nonfiction. I just learned about you and your amazing work. You are the inspiration I was looking for. Thank you for sharing your talent in so many different ways!
ReplyDelete