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Unit 2 – High Interest Nonfiction Text
What do strong readers of nonfiction do?
Strong readers…
Strategy- Skill
 Read a lot of nonfiction, especially multiple books about
the same topic
 Rev up their minds for reading – by previewing a section
by checking out its text features (captions, headings, bold
print, diagrams, charts, table of contents, glossary), and
then thinking, “What do I think this text is mostly going to
be about?”
 Revise their thinking about a book, based on new
information from the reading
 Organize what they are learning into “boxes” and “bullets”
– main ideas and supporting details
 Read with a pencil, so that you can jot notes about main
ideas & details, or summarize what you read
 Read, noticing when you add new information about a
topic to information you already know about that topic
 While they are reading, think and revise their thinking, in
order to decide, “What is this (section of text) all about?”
It may help to think, “The author wants to teach me that…”
 Talk about texts to “grow ideas” about them – texts might
change our minds, and affect our lives.
 Think about whether a text is narrative nonfiction
(biographies, texts with mini-stories, letters, diary entries)
or expository nonfiction (facts, all-abouts) – and how to
navigate through both parts of these texts
 Remember that all authors write their books to convey
ideas, and readers must always be on the lookout for the
unifying idea behind the texts we read – they must make
meaning out of all of the parts of the books.
 Notice how figurative language (like similes and
metaphors) help us to think and envision more deeply
about books.
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Strategy- Skill
 When reading biography, think about, “ Somebody….
wanted… but… so…” (traits, struggles, motivations,
problems) – and grow theories about what was really
important about that person’s life
 Remember that biographies are usually “disaster” or
“achievement” stories – in which characters solve their
problems or make decisions about how to proceed. Often,
there are lessons to be learned from the life events of the
character.
 Expect that narrative nonfiction books will teach us facts
about a subject, as well as about the stories in them.
 Notice that some nonfiction text look different a mix of
narrative and expository text structures. In a hybrid text,
we should stop and pay attention to a letter, diary entry or
photograph, and ask, “What is this section or letter teach
me? How does it fit in with what I have already read? Why
would the author include this?”
 Think about how the author thinks and believes. Readers
are aware that authors want to teach you things and instill
feelings. What does the author want me to feel or think?
How did the author go about trying to make me feel and
think in that particular way?
 Notice and look for an author’s point of view and biases.
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