Non-Fiction Matters!

Teachers and Parents with the new Common Core State Standards in place for the 2012-2013 school year, Non-Fiction reading is going to be more and more important to the everyday learning of our students. Fourth and fifth grade students should be spending equal amounts of time reading "literary" text, or fiction  and "informational" text, or non-fiction.  So, how do we help our students and children be ready for the challenge? We need to be informed and ready at home and at school!

Specifically, what makes up the non-fiction reading genre? 

Non-fiction by definition means, "books that are factual and contain true facts about people, places and events." The types of reading included in the Non-fiction category include:  newspaper articles, magazines, websites, social studies and science textbooks, letters, journals, biographies, autobiographies, pictures, recipes, how to manuals and much more!

Why is Non-Fiction Reading Important?

Non-fiction reading is important to our students overall reading ability because as students enter into secondary education, the work force, and college more of their reading will be informational texts. As teachers and parents we must aim to teach students about determining importance of material. This is life skill that they will need for life situations of buying a car, buying a home, and choosing a career. This skill also relates to reading and understanding written material as well. Through Non-fiction reading practice students learn how to determine the importance in a text and how to use strategies to find the important parts of what they are reading. Students need a lot of practice in reading and understanding the language and vocabulary in textbooks. Many college students are lacking the ability to comprehend and understand the textbooks for courses or technical manuals for trade schools. Students need to know how a textbook is read through learning about text features.  The language in textbooks is increasingly more and more difficult so students need to have strategies and skills to help them understand the text through reading diagrams, charts, sub-headings, and pictures. Also, students need experiences reading newspapers and magazines for information, television guides, and instructional manuals to help them be prepared for life experiences outside the classroom. All of these reasons call for the teaching and exposure to Non-fiction throughout early childhood and beyond.

What are some strategies for teachers?

• Teach Text Structures: Teach students how to read parts of a text such as: table of contents, glossaries, indexes, charts, diagrams, headings and sub-headings, captions, pictures and more. 
• Read/Think Aloud: Teach students to stop, think and ask "thinking" questions as they read.
• Graphic Organizers: Organize factual information in KWL charts, T-charts, time lines, Venn Diagrams to Compare and Contrast a variety of information.
• Summarize, Summarize, Summarize: Teach students to pull out main ideas and details about specific text information and re-state in their own words.
• Organize your classroom library in fiction and non-fiction categories so students can self-select Non-fiction books to practice their skills.

What can parents do at home?

• Read Non-fiction: Read recipes, put things together with instruction manuals, kid-friendly portions of the newspaper, subscribe to children's magazines such as "Sports Illustrated for Kids", "Zoobooks", "Highlights", and Non-fiction picture books.
• Ask Non-Fiction Questions about what they read. See what they enjoy!
• Organize your at home library in fiction and non-fiction categories.
• Encourage your child to write a journal or diary.

Great Resource for all:

• Scholastic Non-Fiction Book List

So...get ready get set, READ NON-FICTION!