Think about this: Most—over 85 percent—of the reading we do as adults is nonfiction. Now, take a look through your classroom library. If you are like me, the majority of your books are fiction.

If you are interested in incorporating more nonfiction into your curriculum, there is probably no better book available for primary teachers than this one. As I read through the book, nearly every page sparked an idea, thought, or ah-ha moment. Here you will find lists, frameworks, suggestions. You will also find real teachers and real students engaged in meaningful learning.

The book is divided into two parts. Part One, "Teaching Nonfiction Writing" contains five chapters. In Chapter 1, "Opening the Doors to the World of Possibilities," Stead makes a convincing argument for the need to incorporate more nonfiction into the curricula. He tells about an experiment in which he recorded for an entire day all the types of reading, writing, listening, and speaking he engaged in. Not surprisingly, over 80 percent "fell outside narrative." When he recorded the type of interactions his son engaged in, the number rose to almost 90 percent. Included in this chapter is a handy chart which lists the purposes and types of nonfiction. (I copied this page and placed it in front of my planning book. I refer to it before I plan any activity or lesson.)

In Chapter 2, "An Approach to Teaching Nonfiction Writing," Stead describes in detail a 7-step nonfiction framework he created to do just that. The framework is described in the context of a real classroom unit of study. Thus the reader is able to see the framework in action.

Helping your students locate information is the subject of Chapter 3. "Independent research is not, for the most part, in our students' comfort zone," Stead writes. In this chapter he offers suggestions on helping your students identify and use sources ranging from books to the Internet to experts.

Chapter 4 moves seamlessly into "Interpreting, Recording, Publishing, and Sharing Information." Have and pen and paper handy when you read this chapter because it includes a plethora of possibilities and ideas.

This sections ends with a chapter on spelling. Here Stead succinctly describes the various stages of spelling from scribbling/drawing to conventional.

With a firm underpinning in the why and how, we now move into Section 2, "Explorations in Action." The first five chapters are devoted to: instructional writing, descriptive writing, scientific explanations, persuasive writing, and nonfiction narrative. Stead does a superb job at explaining each type, weaving in ideas, information, and inspiration. Again, he does this in the context of real classrooms. In the chapter on instructional writing, for example, we are in Susan Mustac's fist-grade classroom filled with scientists (students) as they begin an exploration of instructional texts through experiments.

The final chapter, "Your Questions Answered" is a wonderful way to end this exceptional book. You will probably find answers to all of the questions that popped up during your reading.

Appended are 27 pages of forms, letters, and more. An excellent bibliography rounds out the appendix.

Reading this book is like hitting the mother lode, everywhere you look are valuable nuggets of information. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by the Education Oasis Staff
©2004 Education Oasis  http://www.educationoasis.com