Cover; Title Page; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; ABOUT THE AUTHOR; ACKNOWLEDGMENTS; PROLOGUE; CHAPTER 1 "IT'S NOT A STORY"-CHILDREN RESPONDING THROUGH NONFICTION; Introduction; What Is Genre?; Developing Knowledge about Genre; The Horizontal Curriculum; A Plea for the Unconventional; CHAPTER 2 "'I HOPE YOU FEEL BETTER' AND RAINDROPS AND RAIN CLOUDS"-NONFICTION COMPOSITION IN THE PLAY OF YOUNG CHILDREN; The Beginnings of Nonfiction: Composing as Gesture; Assessing What Children Know about Genres Other than Stories; CHAPTER 3 COMPOSING CHOICES: REPRESENTING RESPONSE TO EXPERIENCE
Response as ChoiceWhere Does Nonfiction Fit?; A Collection of Composing Choices; Endnote; CHAPTER 4 "WHAT HAPPENS TO THE BEE?"-CHILDREN COMPOSING NONFICTION IN CLASSROOMS; The Range of Response; Jack; A Nonfiction Investigation in Third Grade; Questioning for Composing; Questions for Teachers; CHAPTER 5 THE ROLE OF READING IN NONFICTION COMPOSITION; Reading as Response; Selecting Texts for Focused Reading; Focused Reading; Reading and Composing; Toward Nonfiction Creativity; CHAPTER 6 ASSESSMENT AS A NONJUDGMENTAL PROCESS; Following and Fostering Change; What about Standards?; Beyond Charts
In the EndREFERENCES; INDEX
Summary
This book pulls together the experiences of teachers and children in pre-school through Grade 3. It demonstrates that nonfiction composing is a highly creative process for young children. It provides suggestions for writing assignments, focused reading, and assessment. The theme that underlines this book is that joy and creativity are inherently part of nonfiction and non-narrative composing with young children
