nErDcampMI Handout: 5 Kinds of Nonfiction: Rethinking Your Book Collection

Most children’s literature enthusiasts are naturally drawn to stories and storytelling, including fiction and narrative nonfiction But up to 42 percent of elementary students prefer expository nonfiction. This session breaks down the five categories of nonfiction children’s books and provides tips for re-balancing school and classroom libraries and integrating expository nonfiction into lesson plans.

Background
I’ve written an article about the 5 kinds of nonfiction for SLJ:

https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=understanding-teaching-five-kinds-nonfiction

I’ve discussed the 5 kinds of nonfiction in this video created for Colby Sharp’s vlog:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4vd1XEPu6E

 

Narrative vs. Expository Sample Texts

Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley and Nic Bishop (Scholastic, 1999)

Frog or Toad? How Do You Know? by Melissa Stewart (Enslow, 2011)

 

Citations for Articles about Student Preference for Expository Nonfiction

Caswell, Linda J. and Nell K. Duke. “Non-Narrative as a Catalyst for Literacy Development.” Language Arts, 1998, p. 108-117.

Doiron, Ray. “Boy Books, Girl Books: Should We Re-Organize Our School Library Collections?” Teacher Librarian. 2003, p. 14-16.

Hynes, Myrna. “‘I Read for Facts’: Reading Nonfiction in a Fictional World.” Language Arts, 2000, p. 485-495.

Mohr, Kathleen A. J. “Children’s Choices for Recreational Reading: A Three-Part Investigation of Selection Preferences, Rationales, and Processes.” Journal of Literacy Research. 2006, p. 81–104.

Repanskey, Lisa L., Jeanne Schumm, and Jacqueline Johnson. “First and Fourth Grade Boys’ and Girls’ Preferences for and Perceptions about Narrative and Expository Text.” Reading Psychology (2017. P. 1–40.

 

Characteristics of the 5 Categories and Activity for Students

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2018/03/classifying-nonfiction-activities-for.html

Using Expository Literature as Mentor Texts

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2018/05/in-classroom-no-more-all-about.html

https://www.booklistonline.com/Books-and-Authors-Talking-with-Melissa-Stewart-Terry-Young/pid=9097027

http://strohreads.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-power-of-picture-book-melissa_14.html

http://www.melissa-stewart.com/pdf/Nonfiction%20Text%20Structure%20Book%20Maps.pdf#zoom=70

http://www.melissa-stewart.com/pdf/Text_Structure_Swap_1.pdf

http://www.melissa-stewart.com/pdf/Text_Structure_Swap_2.pdf

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2016/02/behind-books-colorful-revision.html

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2017/05/in-classroom-language-devices-in.html

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

 

Nonfiction Continuum
http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2018/05/in-classroom-gateway-nonfiction-and.html

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/2018/04/classifying-nonfiction-continuum.html