• Home
  • Books
    • Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger
    • Giant Rays of Hope: Protecting Manta Rays to Safeguard the Sea
    • A River’s Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn
    • Planet Ocean
    • Eavesdropping on Elephants
    • Neema’s Reason To Smile
    • Zoo Scientists to the Rescue
    • Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem
    • Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
    • Ebola: Fears and Facts
    • Jingle the Brass
    • Nugget on the Flight Deck
    • Surviving Animal Attacks
    • Elite Operations series
    • Energy Lab series
    • QuickReads Fluency Library
    • Books for English language-learners
    • Writers write all kinds of things
  • Author Visit Programs
    • FAQs
    • Calendar
  • Blog
  • Educator Resources
    • STEM + Literacy Activities
    • Teacher Guides
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
    • LitLinks
    • KidLit creators who make kids want to read
  • Writer Resources
    • Writing Classes
    • Manuscript or Proposal Critiques
    • How I got my start
  • Who is Patricia Newman?
  • Contact
    • Stay In Touch
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
Patricia NewmanPatricia Newman
Sibert Honor Children's Book Author & Environmentalist
  • Home
  • Books
    • Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger
    • Giant Rays of Hope: Protecting Manta Rays to Safeguard the Sea
    • A River’s Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn
    • Planet Ocean
    • Eavesdropping on Elephants
    • Neema’s Reason To Smile
    • Zoo Scientists to the Rescue
    • Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem
    • Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
    • Ebola: Fears and Facts
    • Jingle the Brass
    • Nugget on the Flight Deck
    • Surviving Animal Attacks
    • Elite Operations series
    • Energy Lab series
    • QuickReads Fluency Library
    • Books for English language-learners
    • Writers write all kinds of things
  • Author Visit Programs
    • FAQs
    • Calendar
  • Blog
  • Educator Resources
    • STEM + Literacy Activities
    • Teacher Guides
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
    • LitLinks
    • KidLit creators who make kids want to read
  • Writer Resources
    • Writing Classes
    • Manuscript or Proposal Critiques
    • How I got my start
  • Who is Patricia Newman?
  • Contact
    • Stay In Touch
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
Middle school student reading PLASTIC, AHOY!

LitLinks: 5 ways to use nonfiction kidlit in the classroom

March 8, 2023 LitLinks, LitLinks-Grade 3-5, LitLinks-Grade K-2, LitLinks-High School No Comments
LitLinks Logo-2022

BY PATRICIA NEWMAN


Many of the teachers I speak with are not finding the info-licious new nonfiction by a diverse array of authors about a huge array of topics being published today. Enriching teachers’ knowledge of nonfiction would support the current emphasis on informational reading and writing in state ELA curriculum standards and help teach content area curriculum in science, math, and social studies. More importantly, a knowledge of nonfiction would honor the growing body of research which indicates that the younger the child, the greater their preference for nonfiction.

Research into kids’ reading habits

For example, when kindergarten teacher Marlene Correia tracked her students’ library check-outs for three and one-half months, she discovered that they selected significantly more nonfiction than fiction. Researcher Katherine A. J. Mohr found that more than 80% of first graders chose to read NF. Another study shared on NPR found that children ages four to seven were “significantly more likely to prefer fact over fiction” and for some of these children, true texts are the gateway to literacy (Caswell & Duke, 1998; Hynes, 2000). A three-year study published in Teacher Librarian concluded that more than 40% of students in grades one to six opted for NF books when reading for pleasure. And a recent Australian study of 7- and 8-year-olds recently found that 55% of girls and 51% of boy like reading nonfiction “a lot.” As Heather Simpson, the Chief Program Officer of Room to Read notes, “Children want their nonfiction books, adults may be their barriers.”

NONFICTION PD WORKSHOP

Kids love NF!

Today’s nonfiction has grown and evolved from the traditional “all about books” we read as kids. The NF published now delights as it informs, and the abundance and range of titles is breathtaking.

The NCTE’s new position statement on the Role of Nonfiction Literature (K-12) states “Contemporary nonfiction for young people plays a crucial role in the reading and writing lives of K–12 students. It is a rich and compelling genre that supports students’ development as critically, visually, and informationally literate 21st-century thinkers and creators… Today’s nonfiction literature offers readers a richer and more diverse range of topics, authors’ and illustrators’ notes that help readers to understand the source material and creative processes behind the book, captivating page turns, and beautifully designed formats that build a multimodal experience that is both informative and compelling (Gill, 2009; Isaacs, 2011). Reading nonfiction is not simply about taking in information. It is a deeply enriching aesthetic experience.”

The 5 lessons

Cross-curriculum learning with FUNKY FUNGI
LitLinks: How to use funky fungi to teach across your curriculum
Teaching point of view with
GOOD EATING:
THE SHORT LIFE OF KRILL
LitLinks: Show students how to play with point of view to improve informational writing
Poetry with
THE WOLVES AND MOOSE
OF ISLE ROYALE
LitLinks: How to inspire nature poetry with predator-prey relationships
Practicing writing and observation with
A RIVER’S GIFTS: THE MIGHTY ELWHA RIVER REBORN
LitLinks: How to introduce students to your local river basin
Making a word bank for rich writing with
FRANZ’S PHANTASNAGORICAL MACHINE
LitLinks: How to integrate STEM and writing with a word bank

Click for more LITLINKS STEM + Literacy activities

Tags: STEM+LiteracySTEM+Literacy Natural ScienceSTEM+Literacy Physical Science
No Comments
Share
3

You also might be interested in

WIWA male Helena 2020_09_05_0709
Many Wilson's Warblers depend on shade-grown coffee plantations to make it through the winter.

LitLinks: 3 great ways to discover how complexity improves the habitats of migrating birds

May 11, 2022

GUEST BLOGGER SNEED B. COLLARD III Migrating birds need complexity[...]

Sink or float? 14855986900_4314c52264_b

LitLinks: Will it sink or float? Let’s find out.

Jun 15, 2022

GUEST BLOGGER MICHELLE CUSOLITO, M. Ed. Background information Deep-sea submersibles[...]

Fibonacci-sequence

LitLinks: How to explore Fibonacci numbers with flowers

May 29, 2024

GUEST BLOGGER ERIN DEALEY The inspiration for JUST FLOWERS came[...]

Leave a Reply

Your email is safe with me.
Cancel Reply

Click the logo to have LitLinks delivered to your inbox

LitLinks Logo-2022

Author Visits

https://youtu.be/zj6n-RFOcPA?si=8WCTnyXbTiwYumYo
https://youtu.be/ziN0UrqaDYI

Earth Day Every Day Newsletter Archive

Earth-Day-Every-Day-newsletter-banner

Post Categories:

Blog Archive

Top Posts

LitLinks: How to share our ocean connections with kids and teens

LitLinks: Let’s learn to decode photos in STEM nonfiction

LitLinks: How Elephants Can Make Your Sound Unit ROAR!

LitLinks: Easy ways to build students’ science communication skills

Proof that science connects kids to the larger world

Recent Comments

  • Danna Smith on LitLinks: Did you know goats can teach children about homonyms? I love this series of books!
  • Raven Howell on LitLinks: Did you know goats can teach children about homonyms? Absolutely love this piece you wrote! Thanks for sharing your…
  • Annie Lynn on LitLinks: 3 easy ways to use animals to introduce onomatopoeia Wonderful idea to link sounds and musical instruments to nature…
Empowering young readers to act

Latest Blog Posts

  • LitLinks: How to use conservation to invigorate student writing
    LitLinks: How to use conservation to invigorate student writing
  • LitLinks: How playing with existing ideas might lead to new ones
    LitLinks: How playing with existing ideas might lead to new ones
  • LitLinks: How to create a sniffing map to explore our sense of smell
    LitLinks: How to create a sniffing map to explore our sense of smell

Connect with me on social media

Action Shots

Check out the STEM Tuesday Blog

© 2025 — Patricia Newman

  • Home
  • Books
    • Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger
    • Giant Rays of Hope: Protecting Manta Rays to Safeguard the Sea
    • A River’s Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn
    • Planet Ocean
    • Eavesdropping on Elephants
    • Neema’s Reason To Smile
    • Zoo Scientists to the Rescue
    • Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem
    • Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
    • Ebola: Fears and Facts
    • Jingle the Brass
    • Nugget on the Flight Deck
    • Surviving Animal Attacks
    • Elite Operations series
    • Energy Lab series
    • QuickReads Fluency Library
    • Books for English language-learners
    • Writers write all kinds of things
  • Author Visit Programs
    • FAQs
    • Calendar
  • Blog
  • Educator Resources
    • STEM + Literacy Activities
    • Teacher Guides
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
    • LitLinks
    • KidLit creators who make kids want to read
  • Writer Resources
    • Writing Classes
    • Manuscript or Proposal Critiques
    • How I got my start
  • Who is Patricia Newman?
  • Contact
    • Stay In Touch
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
Prev Next