From: HUMMINGRK at aol.com <HUMMINGRK>
Date: Thu, 4 Apr 2002 17:27:57 EST

Monica wrote:




Literature of many types makes reading a pleasure and expands the imagination. Teaching children to think about books is the key. (Come to think of it, teaching children to think about life is really the key!)

During author visits, I play a game with K-3 classes to begin our discussion of "what makes good nonfiction?" I grab a stack of books from the school LC
(many familiar to the children) and ask the group to call out "fiction" or
"nonfiction" as I hold up each book and read aloud the title. Photo of a truck on the cover? Nonfiction. Animals wearing clothes? Fiction. Magic School Bus? Hmmm. Fictional characters presenting facts. Nonfiction. The game highlights differences between fiction and nonfiction. When it comes time for the students to write their own nonfiction books, they feel more creative and open to a variety of topics and styles. My only requirement for their book is: a reader must learn something from it (details of a soccer match, where pandas live, their best friend's favorite color...).

Lee Sullivan Hill Clarendon Hills, IL
Received on Thu 04 Apr 2002 04:27:57 PM CST