1. Role of Nonfiction in Developing
Reading and Study Skills
By exposing students to informational texts, students
have the opportunity to develop the following reading
and study skills:
Gather information
Organize and summarize information
Synthesize what they have learned
Locate facts
Analyze vocabulary
Determine fact from fiction
Determine fact from opinion
Compare/contrast information
Use information to determine accuracy of texts
2. Using Nonfiction in the Classroom
Pre-reading During Reading After Reading
Activate and build Locating information Answering questions
background knowledge Recording information Summarizing
Motivate learners Skimming the text Recording what was
Setting a purpose for learned
Reading purposefully
reading to answer questions or Reporting what was
Discuss the access discover information learned
features (table of Discussing content
Summarizing
contents, index, Visualizing Applying/extending
glossary, etc.) the contents
Creating vocab lists
Provide an overview
Rereading
of the text
Answering questions
3. Challenges of Informational Text
Readers have insufficient prior knowledge
about content area topics
Readers are unfamiliar with the
organizational text structures of expository
writing.
Authors of content area materials tend to us a
dense style of writing and include many ideas
in a short space.
The writing can lack logical connectives and
transition words, which hinder understanding.
4. Effective Nonfiction Read-Alouds
Select nonfiction that you are interested in and ones
that captivate your students’ interests.
Utilize a variety of nonfiction materials in your read-
aloud sessions.
Prepare for the read-aloud by reading the selection
prior to reading it to the students.
Provide a meaningful, purposeful introduction to the
selection before reading aloud (e.g., discussing the
author, style of writing, content, key vocabulary,
organization of text, etc.)
Depending on your purpose, decide whether to read
the entire text, read only parts of the book, or read
the text out of order.
