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Re:beyond accuracy and engagement comes inquiry
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From: Claudia Pearson <pearsoncrz_at_earthlink.net>
Date: Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:32:23 -0600
NF for younger readers: Sarah Campbell does a fantastic job, her Wolfsnail and Fibonacci Numbers in Nature are excellent texts which inspire young stu dents to take another look at the world around them. I'd also recommend Hea ther Montgomery's books. Love her new one about animal mysteries.
Claudia Pearson coRA SCBWI SouthernBreeze pearsoncrz_at_earthlink.net www.LookAgainPress.com
----- Original Message -----
From: To: schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu;ccbc-net@lists.wisc.edu Sent: 3/2/2012 9:41:32 AM Subject: Re:
beyond accuracy and engagement comes inquiry
Terrific subject. And you are right, there is nothing more difficult than b alancing context and flow in all nonfiction for younger readers, of any age . This is especially so because we have, I hope, passed beyond the age of t he sidebar -- when the default solution to this problem was a thin retangle printed on top of some colored background. But I would suggest that we als o add another element to our consideration -- not just organization, visual s, narrative, and context: inquiry. That is, the challenge of nonfiction is no longer simply to present what we know to readers in an engaging fashion . We are now also attempting to spark them to begin their own research, the ir own questioning which may well lead them to challenge or question anythi ng we have to say. In a sense inquiry is the answer to context -- because o nce we inspire a young reader to want to know more, then our book does not have to claim to say everything. It just has to say enough to get him or he r into the game. For anyone who wants to read more about inquiry and NF in the elementary grade s I recommend Myra Zarnowski and Susan Terkel, "Nonfiction that Highlights Inquiry," Journal of Children's Literature v. 36, # 1 and of course last year's Horn Book special issue on Nonfiction.
Marc Aronson
Message-----
From: Megan Schliesman To: ccbc-net, Subscribers of Sent: Fri, Mar 2, 2012 10:25 am Subject:
March Topic: It's Not Just the Facts
During the month of March on CCBC-Net, we're having a two-part discussion o n non-fiction: It's Not just the Facts.
First Part of Month: Non-Fiction for Younger Readers: When it comes to gre at non-fiction for children and teens, accurate information alone isn†™t enough. We’ve think the best books incorporate everything from terrific organization and compelling visual matter to a narrative thatв Ђ™s hard to put down. But in the case of books for younger readers ther e is also another key question: how do you make a person or place or event that readers have most often never heard of relevant and engaging? During t he first part of March, we’ll look at creative approaches to non-fi ction in picture books. Second Part of Month: Books for Older Readers: We’ll continue our discussion of non-fiction by contemplating what makes a terrific non-ficti on book for older children and teens. Once again, we believe it goes beyond the facts to the feat of presenting well-researched information in a manne r that is coherent, compelling, and creative. Share your favorite non-ficti on books for older children a nd teens, and your reasons why you think they succeed, during the second half of March.
Megan
Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison 600 N. Park Street, Room 4290 Madison, WI 53706
608/262-9503 schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu
www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
Date: Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:32:23 -0600
NF for younger readers: Sarah Campbell does a fantastic job, her Wolfsnail and Fibonacci Numbers in Nature are excellent texts which inspire young stu dents to take another look at the world around them. I'd also recommend Hea ther Montgomery's books. Love her new one about animal mysteries.
Claudia Pearson coRA SCBWI SouthernBreeze pearsoncrz_at_earthlink.net www.LookAgainPress.com
----- Original Message -----
From: To: schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu;ccbc-net@lists.wisc.edu Sent: 3/2/2012 9:41:32 AM Subject: Re:
beyond accuracy and engagement comes inquiry
Terrific subject. And you are right, there is nothing more difficult than b alancing context and flow in all nonfiction for younger readers, of any age . This is especially so because we have, I hope, passed beyond the age of t he sidebar -- when the default solution to this problem was a thin retangle printed on top of some colored background. But I would suggest that we als o add another element to our consideration -- not just organization, visual s, narrative, and context: inquiry. That is, the challenge of nonfiction is no longer simply to present what we know to readers in an engaging fashion . We are now also attempting to spark them to begin their own research, the ir own questioning which may well lead them to challenge or question anythi ng we have to say. In a sense inquiry is the answer to context -- because o nce we inspire a young reader to want to know more, then our book does not have to claim to say everything. It just has to say enough to get him or he r into the game. For anyone who wants to read more about inquiry and NF in the elementary grade s I recommend Myra Zarnowski and Susan Terkel, "Nonfiction that Highlights Inquiry," Journal of Children's Literature v. 36, # 1 and of course last year's Horn Book special issue on Nonfiction.
Marc Aronson
Message-----
From: Megan Schliesman To: ccbc-net, Subscribers of Sent: Fri, Mar 2, 2012 10:25 am Subject:
March Topic: It's Not Just the Facts
During the month of March on CCBC-Net, we're having a two-part discussion o n non-fiction: It's Not just the Facts.
First Part of Month: Non-Fiction for Younger Readers: When it comes to gre at non-fiction for children and teens, accurate information alone isn†™t enough. We’ve think the best books incorporate everything from terrific organization and compelling visual matter to a narrative thatв Ђ™s hard to put down. But in the case of books for younger readers ther e is also another key question: how do you make a person or place or event that readers have most often never heard of relevant and engaging? During t he first part of March, we’ll look at creative approaches to non-fi ction in picture books. Second Part of Month: Books for Older Readers: We’ll continue our discussion of non-fiction by contemplating what makes a terrific non-ficti on book for older children and teens. Once again, we believe it goes beyond the facts to the feat of presenting well-researched information in a manne r that is coherent, compelling, and creative. Share your favorite non-ficti on books for older children a nd teens, and your reasons why you think they succeed, during the second half of March.
Megan
Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison 600 N. Park Street, Room 4290 Madison, WI 53706
608/262-9503 schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu
www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
---Received on Fri 02 Mar 2012 11:32:23 AM CST
