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Chapter Books: Writing Nonfiction from the Heart
Chapter Books: Writing Nonfiction from the Heart
Bend I: Becoming Nonfiction Authors: Writing Chapter Books from the Heart
Essential Question:
What do writers add and revise in information chapter books to prepare them for publishing?
I can write nonfiction chapter books about topics I know and care about!
I can write nonfiction chapter books about topics I know and care about!
December 9
Session 1: Becoming Nonfiction Authors: Choosing Topics from the Heart
Writers, today I want to teach you that the best nonfiction books are on topics that the author not only knows about, but also cares about too. When nonfiction writers choose topics they know and care about, they can write a ton right from the start.
You will be writing informative/explanatory texts in which you will introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.
December 10
Session 2: Making Plans to Write: Subtopics as Chapters
Today I want to teach you that nonfiction chapter book writers are special because they have a bunch of different things to teach about their topic. They make a plan before writing by thinking of one thing they can teach, then another, then another.
December 11
Session 3: Rereading to Write—and Teach!—Even More
Today I want to teach you that nonfiction chapter book writers teach a ton in each chapter. After they write a chapter, they reread, squeezing more information out of their topics. To do that, they think, "What else can I teach about this topic?" and then they write more and more and more about it.
December 12
Session 4: Remembering to Include Ending Punctuation
Today I want to remind you that there’s something super important that information writers remember to do when they’re starting a brand-new chapter or squeezing a topic to add more. They remember to punctuate! Writers say a sentence, write the whole sentence without stopping, and then they add the end punctuation.
December 13
Session 5: Including Text Features to Add Information in the Way That Teaches Best
Today I want to teach you that when nonfiction writers want to add more to their writing, they don’t only reread and add more writing at the bottoms of their pages. Instead, they think, ‘What’s the best way for me to teach this information?’ Then they add that information in the way it’ll teach best.
December 16
Session 6: Expert Words Tell Even More about Your Topic
Today I want to teach you that nonfiction writers don’t use just any words. Instead, they use and teach the expert words that go with their topic. And nonfiction writers let readers know what those expert words mean.
December 17
Session 7: Writers Edit to Fix Up Spelling
Writers, today I want to remind you that the bank of words you already know how to spell can help you edit the spelling of new words. Writers reread and find words that don’t look right, and then they use what they know about how other words are spelled to fix them up.
December 18
Session 8: Writers Set Goals and Make Plans
Whenever someone wants to get good at something, wants to improve, they set a goal. Today, I want to teach you that writers are no different. They work hard to improve their writing by setting goals and then making plans to work toward those goals.
Celebration and Reflection
At the end of Bend I, children will reflect on what they learned and have an opportunity to set goals using the “Information Writing Checklist” as a tool and have a “Meet the Author” celebration.
Writing for an Audience
Bend II: What do writers revise in their writing when they consider different audiences?
I can write with a specific audience in mind.
Session 1: Authors Imagine What Their Readers Will Want to Know “Today I want to teach you that when writers write for an audience—a specific person or group of people—they often reread their writing, pretending to be that audience. They notice the places where their reader will have questions and then they revise to make sure the writing will be clear to that audience.”
Session 2: Writing with Readers in Mind “Today I want to teach you that the most important thing that nonfiction writers do is share their knowledge. They decide who their audience will be—with whom will they share— and they keep that audience in mind the whole time they are writing, even before they begin drafting, when they are still planning how the book will go.”
Session 3: Including Description to Help Readers Picture the Topic “Today I want to teach you that writers work hard to hold their readers’ interest. One way that writers hold their readers’ attention is they think, ‘How can I help my readers picture this?’ Then, they study their topic— sometimes making a picture in their minds—and write about it with lots of descriptive details so the reader can imagine it too.”
Session 4: Using Strong Verbs to Make Writing Lively “Today I want to teach you that another way nonfiction writers hold their audiences’ interest is by using specific action words. They think about exactly how something moves or what something does and then they use the best words they can think of to describe those actions.”
Session 5: Teach and Spell Expert Words “Today, I want to remind you that when you go to write fancy expert words in your nonfiction writing, you can use spelling tools to help you spell these words as best you can.”
Session 6: Writing to Make Readers Care “Today I want to remind you that when writers have important goals, it can help to find other writers who work toward those same goals. So if we want to learn how to make readers care, we can study other writers who succeed in doing that, and can learn from what they do.”
Session 7: Conclusions Give Readers an Idea to Keep “Today I want to teach you that when writers reach the end of their book, they don’t just toss it aside. They write a conclusion to their book that wraps up with a big idea about the topic, letting readers know why it’s so important.
Session 8: Setting Goals to Make Nonfiction Books Better “Today I want to teach you that checklists and other tools for ways to write well can be way more powerful than you think. Checklists and other reminders don’t just give a tip for one thing you can do, one day, in one part. Instead, they remind you of work you can do over and over, page after page, chapter after chapter, day after day.”
Session 9: A Trip to the Editor “Writers, today I want to remind you that when nonfiction writers are getting ready for publication, they reread it as an editor—and, often, their partner does too!—to check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation to make their piece easier for readers to understand.”
Session 10: Final Touches “Today I want to teach you that writers look at published books in the genre they are writing in for great examples of how to fancy up their books. They think about their audience and fancy up their books using the same moves that professional writers use.”
Celebration and Reflection
Toward the end of Bend II, students will be reminded to set goals for their writing once again, using the “Information Writing Checklist,” and then take those goals across a book, from chapter to chapter, before setting new goals. To celebrate, students will become book fairies! After fancying up their books to publish, they’ll wrap one and gift it to their intended audience.
Writing Nonfiction for Viewers and Listeners
Bend III: How do writers teach in other formats, such as podcasts and videos?
I can create other formats of nonfiction texts, such as podcasts and videos.
Session 1: Introducing New Kinds of Nonfiction: Podcasts and Videos “Today I want to teach you that just like people can say ‘I love you’ in a variety of ways, so too can writers shape information about a topic into a variety of kinds of texts.”
Session 2: Leaning on Authors as Mentors “Today I want to teach you that when writers want to write a kind of text they have never written before, they don’t do that work alone. A writer can always find a mentor. You just need to find texts that are like those you want to write, and let the authors of those texts mentor you.”
Session 3: Writers Use Reminders to Craft New Texts “Today I want to teach you that learning to write well involves trying new things, but it also involves remembering to do everything you learned earlier. Sometimes it helps to have ways to remind yourself of the things you already know to do.”
Session 4: Partners Offer Feedback “Today I want to teach you that writing partners can give each other feedback to help them set and meet goals. One way you can do this is by using the checklist to guide you. You can look to see what your partner is doing well and what he or she may need to practice.”
Celebration and Reflection
The end of Bend III is celebratory in nature. Students will record one final piece and prepare a Nonfiction Chapter Book Expo by creating a listening and viewing gallery in the classroom. Students will set up a device with a sign nearby that shares a bit about what their podcast or video teaches. Then, invited guests will have an opportunity to walk from station to station, listening to or viewing the nonfiction texts the writers created and leaving feedback.
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