Writing Non-Fiction: Mentor Texts & Craft Strategies

1. February 2010 Writing Non-Fiction: Mentor Texts & Craft Strategies

2. Why Non-Fiction? • Often neglected in explicit teaching • Grade Level Content Expectations • Real World • Reciprocal relationship between texts children read and write • Develops ability to organize knowledge and think about the world • Understand various features of non-fiction texts: headings, captions, bold-print, etc.

3. Dorfman & Capelli’s Top Ten:

4. Dorfman & Capelli’s Top Ten:

5. Three Principles of Teaching Informational Writing • Use reading to support writing—reading and writing are inextricably linked. • Help children make information they’ve gathered their “own.” • Teach that informational text has purpose and features that are different from other forms. --Duke and Armistead, 2003

6. Grade Level Content Expectations • Writing Across The Grades • W.GN.03.03 write an informational piece including a report that demonstrates the understanding of central ideas and supporting details using an effective organizational pattern (e.g., compare/contrast, cause/effect, problem/solution) with a title, heading, subheading, and a table of contents.

7. The Genre Project • Michigan Genre Project • Informational Reading and Writing Overview: Page 5 • Various Informational Genre: Page 82 The format for the general description is organized by the following subheadings: • Definition • Purposes • Characteristics • Grade Level Instructional Scope for Reading (Comprehending) • Grade Level Instructional Scope for Writing (Composing)

8. W.GN.00.03 write a brief informational piece such as a page for a class book using drawings, words, word-like clusters, and/or sentences. W.GN.01.03 write an informational piece that addresses a focus question (e.g., What is a family?) using descriptive, enumerative, or sequence patterns that may include headings, titles, labels, photographs, or illustrations to enhance the understanding of central ideas. W.GN.02.03 write an informational piece including a magazine feature article using an organizational pattern such as description, enumeration, sequence, or compare/contrast that may include graphs, diagrams, or charts to enhance the understanding of central and key ideas.

9. W.GN.03.03 write an informational piece including a report that demonstrates the understanding of central ideas and supporting details using an effective organizational pattern (e.g., compare/contrast, cause/effect, problem/solution) with a title, heading, subheading, and a table of contents. W.GN.04.03 write an informational comparative piece that demonstrates understanding of central and supporting ideas using an effective organizational pattern (e.g., compare/contrast) and informational text features. W.GN.05.03 write a position piece that demonstrates understanding of central ideas and supporting details (e.g., position/evidence organizational pattern) using multiple headings and subheadings. W.GN.06.02 write a personal, persuasive, or comparative essay that includes organizational patterns supporting key ideas.

10. Nonfiction Genre Study • Read aloud samples of the genre in focus. • Immerse Students in the genre—including student samples. • Chart features and characteristics-these create the study • Develop mini-lessons appropriate to the study and student needs • Revisit! Katie Wood Ray

11. When students are taught to see how writing is done, this way of seeing opens up To them huge warehouses of possibilities for how to make their writing good writing. --Katie Wood Ray