Blog 9: Non-fiction in the classroom

An example of a non-fiction graphic organizer

I never realized what went into teaching how to read and write in the informational genre. After doing a lot of research for my genre expert project, I realized that there is a lot that teachers have to do in order to make sure that their students are able to read and understand all the information that is being presented in non-fiction books. I know for me, when I first started thinking about the genre, I thought it was about being able to pull facts out about the topic. In fact, in elementary school we used to read non-fiction books and then fill out a graphic organizer with all the facts that we learned while reading. We were taught to read the book like it was like every other genre we have been reading.

One activity that I do remember is an activity that Tompkins (2019) mentions within the informational chapter of her book. This activity has the students comparing how nonfiction books are similar/ different than fiction books.  We would use this activity as an intro into the unit since it helped us to understand that fiction was a story and nonfiction was facts. I now know that is not true! Non-fiction books can still have a setting, characters and tell a story while still giving you facts about a topic.  

(Tompkins, 2019, p. 235)

I feel like teachers don’t spend enough time teaching students how text features help them read and understand the text. Tompkins says that non-fiction books tend to have unique text features in them such as table of contents, headings, subheadings, margin notes, photos, and charts.  She says that “their purpose is to make the text easier to read and understand” (Tompkins, 2019, p. 223). I will be the first to admit that when I was reading a non-fiction book, I would skim over the page and not read half the text that was there. I never learned how important it was to look at all the features as you are reading.  I didn’t take the time to read the heading, sub headings and margin noted to know what the page was going to be about instead I just read the text that was on the page.

There can be a lot of information within these books that it is hard to know where to start. While researching the non-fiction genre, I found an article that gives teachers strategies on how they can teach their students to read this genre.  Courtney Shimek (2019) gives us 5 different strategies to help teach students to read and understand non-fiction picture books. They are; “ 

• Strategy 1:Read the Pictures
• Strategy 2: Track the Words
• Strategy 3: Focus on the Medium
• Strategy 4: Analyze the Back Matter and Peritextual features
•  Strategy 5: Highlight the Text in Visual Elements                                          “(Shimek, 2019, p. 520-521).

By reading the same book 5 different times, you are paying attention to a different detail each time. This helps for the students to see why it is so important for them to stop and read the headings and subheadings before they read the actual text on the page.  Depending on the age of the students in the class, you might want to split the strategies up so that you are modeling a different one each day.

In elementary school and even now days, I will choose to read a fiction book before choosing a nonfiction book. I feel like there is a stigma around non-fiction books that keeps students from not wanting to read them. Students tend to think that they are only supposed to read non-fiction when they are in the classroom and when they are doing research. They feel like they should be taking notes on every page rather than just enjoying just reading the book. When I look in a classroom library, I tend to see more fiction books on display for the students to see while the small selection of non-fiction books are tucked in a basket in the back. It is time that we change how we teach and use non-fiction books. Students need to see that they can read a non-fiction book whenever they want to and that there is no assignment that goes along with it. When I have my classroom, I’m going to make sure that I am displaying and reading both fiction and non-fiction books. I want to see students being excited to read non-fiction stories.

Shimek, C. (2019).  Sites of synergy: Strategies for readers navigating nonfiction picture books. The Reading Teacher, 72(4), 519-522.

Tompkins, G. E.  (2019). Teaching writing:  Balancing process and product (7^th ed.).  Upper Saddle River, NJ:  Merrill.

Blog 8: "To Bless, To Address, To Press"

One of my favorite parts in writing is when it can be shared.  I think that it is important that we as teachers give our students time that they are able to share the work that they are doing. Tompkins states that sharing is an important part of writer’s workshop. She adds “After the reading, classmates clap and offer compliments. They may also make other comments and suggestions, but the focus is on celebrating completed work writing projects…” (Tompkins, 2019, p.27).   In fact, Hicks encourages peers to respond to each other by saying “To bless is to simply offer praise.   To address means to ask specific questions about the ideas.  To press is to ask critical questions in order to help the writer move toward a stronger version or the writing or a clearer explanation of his/her opinion. (Hicks, 2009, p. 83).

There is a classroom that I will spend a lot of time in so to help out and I’m always so impressed by the amount of people that want to share their writing. They have ELA centers every day and one of the centers is usually a free write where they can choose what they want to write about. There’s always usually two or three people that want to share their writing at the end of the day because they are so proud of the work that they did. Not only am I taken back by the students wanting to share but also the way that the rest of the class reacts. At first they will all clap and say something that they really liked (To bless), then they ask specific questions about what they wrote (to address) and then they will add some suggestions of small things that they could change (to press).  I love seeing how great their classroom community is and that they all support each other along with wanting to help them grow.

As I was reading through all my peers’ blog posts, there was one that really stood out to me. I really Kristina’s blog entry about providing feedback.  She talks about how by proving feedback to the writer, the reader and the writer are communicating. They are talking about the piece by saying what they like and what questions they might have. One thing that she said that stood out to me was “The reader is a fresh pair of eyes for the writer, they are able to provide an unbiased opinion of the writing piece and give critical feedback that will help the writer make improvements to their writing” (Wells, 2019). I couldn’t help but think back to one of my blogs that I have written where I talk about feedback. I love when I get another set of eyes to look over something that I have written and give me feedback on how to make it stronger.

Another idea that I loved as I read the blog post, was the idea of having student- student conferences to talk about their writing. I know that the kids I work with would much rather meet with another student to talk about their writing rather than meet with me.  However, I always run into the issue of making sure that they are staying on task.  I would love to ask Kristina how she would implement these conferences in her classroom. What do you do to model them and how do you make sure the students are focused on what they are supposed to be doing? I definitely want to make sure that my students have the time to share their work with their peers and receive feedback on how they can make their pieces stronger.

Hicks, T. (2013).  Crafting digital writing.  Portsmouth, NH:  Heinemann.

Tompkins, G. E.  (2019). Teaching writing:  Balancing process and product (7^th ed.).  Upper Saddle River, NJ:  Merrill.

Wells, K. (2019, February 22). Entry 5 [blog post]. Retrieved from https://kristinawells-lted618-spring2019.blogspot.com/2019/02/entry-5.html

Blog 7: Similarities between writing genres

I wasn’t a huge fan or writing in elementary school. Along with not being a great speller, I had a hard time with organizing my ideas and choosing the right words to express those ideas. I saw writing as a fun thing to do or something to look forward to. Throughout elementary school, all of the writing pieces that we would do, would fall under the same genre.  They would all fall into the narrative genre. I felt like I was doing the same writing assignment over and over again. We would talk about the other genres very briefly but would never have any time to practice writing in them.

While reading for this week’s class and for my genre project, I couldn’t help but notice that there are some similarities throughout all of the genres when you look at the text features within the text. I first started by reading Tompkins’s chapter on poetry (chapter 7).  Tompkins (2019) lists 6 different poetic devices that can be added to poems (alliteration, comparison, onomatopoeia, personification, repetition and rhyme. Tompkins says “They create strong images when they repeat sounds within a line or stanza, imitating sounds, use the unexpected comparison, repeat words and phrases, and choose rhyming words” (Tompkins, 2019, pg. 159).  I remember spending a lot of time learning about rhyming. I learned that poetry is when the lines are short and that all the ending words in the lines rhyme. Even though rhyming does help to create an image in your head, some of the most beautiful poems I have read have a lot of personification in it.  Personification not only helps to create an image but I also get a sense of the feeling that the poet is putting into their poem

I then went on to read Tompkins’s chapter on narrative writing (chapter 8). As I was reading the narrative devices explained in the chapter I couldn’t help but think how they relate to the poetic devices I just read. The 6 narrative devices that Tompkins (2019) list are; comparison, hyperbole, imagery, personification, symbolism, and tone.  She adds “authors use narrative devices to make their writing more vivid and memorable; without these devices, writing can be lifeless and dull” (Tompkins, 2019, pg. 179). Right off the bat, I noticed that comparison and personification were repeated, they both are listed as poetic and narrative devices. I thought that it was cool how the two devices are used the same way when writing in different genres. Comparison is by comparing two things to create an image while personification is used to give human characteristics to an animal as a way to connect the reader to the text.  

All of the devices that Tompkins mentions in the poetry chapter and narrative chapter, are devices that help to give energy and excitement to the reader. Both writing genres play around with the way that words are written to help create an image for the reader as they ae reading the text. I think that the two writing genres are very similar because they are both focused on engaging the reader with the story that is being told. After seeing how similar the genres are and how they share some features, I wish that my teachers took the time to let us write in the poetry genre. I truly think that the best way to learn about each genre, is to write in each genre. That way, you can truly see how similar the different genres are. When I have my own classroom, I plan on having my student write a little in each genre so that they can personally see all the ways they are similar and different.

Tompkins, G. E.  (2019). Teaching writing:  Balancing process and product (7^th ed.).  Upper Saddle River, NJ:  Merrill.