Experience Nonfiction Writing Cindy Matthews. Why focus on non-fiction writing? With the exception of attendance, opportunities to develop skills and.

Experience Nonfiction Writing

Cindy Matthews

Why focus on non-fiction writing?

‘With the exception of attendance,

opportunities to develop skills and

abilities in non-fiction writing is the

“number one factor” associated with

improved test scores.’ (Reeves, 2002 in LNS monograph, March 2008)

Impact of a whole-school focus on non-fiction writing

• improves achievement in ALL subjects

• improves performance on writing tests, extended response items & multiple choice tests

• engages students in higher level thinking, reasoning and analysis

Reeves, p. 84

Writing is Thinking Made Visible

clarifyinginventingjustifyingrefiningproposingrecallingsummarizing inquiring

investigatingplanningreflectingchallengingprovingrevising (adding, changing, deleting)

decidingsolvingelaboratingconsideringpersuadingarguingsequencing

Nonfiction Writing forms

In small groups, use the “blocks” to cue your thinking, and generate a list of forms of nonfiction writing.

A-B-announcement-apology-brochure-biography

Example:

Non-Fiction Writing Forms

• Personal/Recount• Procedural/Sequential• Descriptive• Informational/Report• Persuasive/Expository• Comparative/Explanation

Authentic and effective writing has aclear purpose, and there are many purposes for writing.

Non-fiction writing delivers its purpose through many text forms.

Purpose Audience

MediumForm

Purpose:Explain the experiment for

others to follow the instructions.

Audience:other students of your grade,

the teacher

Medium:poster or

written page

Form:Procedure

Purpose:Argue the benefits of

daily exercise.

Audience:your peers,

particularly those who don’t exercise

Medium:magazine article

Form:Persuasive Exposition

Purpose:Tell about our school’s

experience watching the inauguration speech

together.

Audience:your parents,

Medium:letter

Form:Recount

Creating opportunities for Nonfiction writing in the library

What activities in the library could provide opportunities for students to apply their non-fiction writing skills?

Keyword Development: Word Frames

Write a word in the centre.

Opposite(&cross it out!)

Definition

Silly sentence(to remember it!)

Picture

Opinion Development: Put Yourself on the Line

Opinion Development: 4 Corners

Humans are the most important species on earth. Our rights are the most important.

The government is considering selling a

portion of Algonquin Park to a lumber

company. The lumber company is planning to

clear cut the area. David Suzuki has hired

your environmental firm to produce a

presentation arguing against their plan.

(Gr. 4 Habitats / Gr. 7 Ecosystems)

Placemat

Supporting Nonfiction Writing

Critical Literacy

Five Core Concepts

• 1. All media messages are constructed.

• 2. Media messages are constructed using a creative language with its own rules.

• 3. Different people experience the same messages differently.

• 4. Media have embedded values and points of view.

• 5. Media messages are constructed to gain profit and/or power.

Five Key Questions 1. Who created this message?

2. What techniques are used to attract my attention?

3. How might different people understand this message differently from me?

4. What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented in or omitted from this message?

5. Why was this message sent? (Source: Center for Media Literacy (CML))

Media Literacy

Visual Literacy

•T -chart•web•series/time line•Venn• tree chart•mind map- flow chart•fishbone

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Explicit Teaching for Writing Independence

from Flickr Creative Commons

from Flickr Creative Commons

Research Literacy

RESEARCH

Research

LITERACYREADINGWRITING

Literacy

Reading

WritingPHYSICALSMALL MOTOR SKILLSHAND EYE CO-ORDINATION

Physical

Small motor skills

Hand eye coordinatio

n

AFFECTIVEPERSERVERANCECONFIDENCE

Affective

ConfidencePerseveranc

e

METACOGNITIVEHOW TO LEARN SELF-REFLECTION

Metacognitive

Self Reflection

How to Learn

THINKINGANALYZING MAKING CONNECTIONSSYNTHESIS

Thinking

Making Connections

Analysis

Synthesis

The Complexity of Research

TECHNOLOGICAL/COMPUTERSEARCHINGCOMMUNICATING

Technological

Searching

Communication

Article Reading

Composition: So You Think You Can Write!

thesis /opening position

argumentsfacts / logic research

reiterateposition

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Report Writing using digital images

Comic Life

plasq.com

Report Writing using Blogs

Making Feedback VisibleIncludes question, jot notes, citations, graphic organizers, essay with conclusion

Purpose is clear, details provided, organization easily understood, visual aids, fitting medium

Demonstrates new learning, connections to subject content

Here There

Making Feedback Visible: Science Report

I have included each of the sections, but not my question.

My purpose is clear, I included images and many details.

I learned about how politics and science stuff connects.

Includes question, jot notes, citations, graphic organizers, essay with conclusion

Purpose is clear, details provided, organization easily understood, visual aids, fitting medium

Demonstrates new learning, connections to subject content

Here There

Making Feedback Visible: Science Report

I have included each of the sections, but not my question.

My purpose is clear, I included images and many details.

I learned about how politics and science stuff connects.

Includes question, jot notes, citations, graphic organizers, essay with conclusion

Purpose is clear, details provided, organization easily understood, visual aids, fitting medium

Demonstrates new learning, connections to subject content

Here There

Maria Carty, Pembroke, 2007

MOE resources

MOE resources