Nonfiction Unit of Study – Day One

What an amazing day of conversations! After sharing my writing territories with students,  I had some time to watch them as readers and writers in the library as they interacted with nonfiction text.

I watched carefully as different grade levels and groups of students browsed the information smorgasbord of topics, authors, and genre.

As I interviewed students about their process for selecting texts, their criteria for ensuring "just- right" match, one pattern began clear.  Over and over, I would hear comments like:

• "I need a book on snakes."
• "I want to know more about trucks, so I am looking for truck books."
• "I have to research the constitution, do you have a book on that?"

So what's missing? Not one reader mentioned their purpose for reading. Even when I asked:  What is your reason for wanting more information about snakes? What about trucks is most important for you to discover? What aspect of the constitution is the subject of your research?

Readers can only be assured that they have selected the "just- right" text when their purpose aligns with the content. So, that's where the conversation tomorrow will begin. As readers, we will consider and explore the following…

• How does your purpose for reading impact the kind of text you select?
• How does your purpose for reading impact the way you enter a text?
• How does your purpose align with the writers purpose?

I can't wait to see where the conversation takes us!

Photo on Flickr by mamamusings