READING FOR INFORMATION

MODULE ONE OVERVIEW: READING FICTION AND NON-FICTION

· What Is Fiction?
· What Is Non-Fiction?
· Samples of Fiction and Non-Fiction
· Considerations and Strategies for Reading Fiction and Non-Fiction
· KWL: A Strategy Used "Before," "During," and "After" Reading A Non-Fiction Text
· Review Lesson Plans
· Your Research Project
· Reading Assignment
· Points to Remember
· Additional Resources
· Written Assignment: For College Credit and 24 CRU Participants Only
· Quiz

MODULE 1OVERVIEW: READING FICTION AND NON-FICTION
In this unit, you will:
· Learn the difference between reading for entertainment (fiction) and reading for information (non-fiction)
· Examine sample lessons and learning strategies for teaching fiction and non-fiction

What Is Fiction?
Everyone knows about fiction. They have been reading it from their first storybook. They know that it is a fabrication and that they can usually identify with the characters in the story because they can see themselves trying to solve the problem of the story. In its simplest form, then, fiction may be defined as characters trying to resolve an issue across time to some conclusion. And the pattern of a story is much like real-life events and problems that people see daily; easy to follow; easy to believe.

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What Is Non-Fiction?
Non-fiction, on the other hand, does not lend itself to a simple definition. In a non-fiction piece, the reader searches for information or tries to remember information; or the reader wants to learn the opinion of someone else. Both the writer and the reader of non-fiction concern themselves primarily with information and opinion.What does that say about the ways that we read fiction and non-fiction? What does the reader have to do differently in reading non-fiction? To prompt your thinking about this issue, write a brief response in your comments.

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Samples of Fiction and Non-Fiction
Take a look at the following texts for young children. Ask yourself: "How would I think in order to comprehend each of these texts?"
Fiction: The Rabbit and the Lion
· Make a note to yourself on one way that you would teach children to comprehend the fiction text

Non-fiction: Big Red Tomatoes
· Make a note to yourself on one way that you would teach children to comprehend the non-fiction text.

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Considerations and Strategies for Reading Fiction and Non-Fiction
The fiction text follows a well-known pattern of thought. Every reader knows how to follow the characters through some events as they try to figure out the main issue. If readers were asked to give a summary of the story, they could give it quickly because they have a well-rehearsed mental framework to do so.The Three Little Pigs story can serve to illustrate the familiar framework of fiction.
Answer these questions and you will have summarized the story:
1. Who are the main characters?
2. What were the main characters trying to do?
3. How did they try to accomplish their ends?
4. How did it end or how did the characters resolve the major issue?
In simple language, almost any child could answer those four questions about The Three Little Pigsor about any other story appropriate for their age and experience. They approach fiction with a well-formulated interactive strategy for fiction, which is:Identify the characters and what they are trying to do.Then see what happens.

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Considerations and Strategies for Reading Fiction and Non-Fiction (Cont'd)
When it comes to non-fiction, however, young readers typically do not have a mental framework for giving a summary. That's because there are numerous frameworks for presenting non-fiction information. Look at the two samples below by clicking on the links. What does the reader's mind have to do to summarize the sample pieces?

MODULE 1 KWL:
A Strategy Used "Before," "During," and "After" Reading A Non-Fiction Text
Study the sample activity below that makes use of the general strategy of asking questions Before, During, and After reading a selection.

China: An Example Using KWL Strategy
KWL is an instructional strategy used before, during, and after reading. It consists of three components: K-What I know, W-What I want to know, and L-What I learned. This instructional strategy uses writing and reading to activate students' prior knowledge (K), help them generate questions on a specific topic or concept (W), and guide them in finding resources to answer their own questions (L).

K in KWL: What I know. Students can work in small groups or individually to generate as many ideas as possible concerning what they know about "China." Students jot down their thoughts in the "K" column of the KWL Chart. Upon finishing, students share their ideas with the whole class or in small groups.

W in KWL: What I want to know. Again, students work in small groups or individually to generate their own research questions. For example:

How many people live in China?
How big is China?
What do Chinese people like to eat?
What is the biggest city in China?
The role of the teacher is to set up a classroom library with materials, such as films, posters, books, and audiotapes so that students can begin their research. The students should also begin to collect materials such as news clips, book lists, and printouts of articles that may help them answer their questions. Each day, students may add their questions in the "W" column of the

KWL Chart.
L in KWL: What I learned. As students read each day, they should take time out to record what they have learned in the "L" column of the KWL Chart or to add new questions in the "W" Column of the KWL Chart. Then they can share what they have learned with the whole class or in small groups. Alternatively, KWL can be used by individuals as a monitoring strategy before, during, and after reading a place of non-fiction as well as fiction.

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KWL: A Strategy Used "Before," "During," and "After" Reading A Non-Fiction TextStudy the sample activity below that makes use of the general strategy of asking questions Before, During, and After reading a selection. China: An Example Using KWL Strategy
KWL is an instructional strategy used before, during, and after reading. It consists of three components: K-What I know, W-What I want to know, and L-What I learned. This instructional strategy uses writing and reading to activate students' prior knowledge (K), help them generate questions on a specific topic or concept (W), and guide them in finding resources to answer their own questions (L).

K in KWL:
What I know. Students can work in small groups or individually to generate as many ideas as possible concerning what they know about "China." Students jot down their thoughts in the "K" column of the KWL Chart. Upon finishing, students share their ideas with the whole class or in small groups.

W in KWL:
What I want to know. Again, students work in small groups or individually to generate their own research questions. For example:
How many people live in China?
How big is China?
What do Chinese people like to eat?
What is the biggest city in China?
The role of the teacher is to set up a classroom library with materials, such as films, posters, books, and audiotapes so that students can begin their research. The students should also begin to collect materials such as news clips, book lists, and printouts of articles that may help them answer their questions. Each day, students may add their questions in the "W" column of the
KWL Chart

L in KWL:
What I learned. As students read each day, they should take time out to record what they have learned in the "L" column of the KWL Chart or to add new questions in the "W" Column of the KWL Chart. Then they can share what they have learned with the whole class or in small groups. Alternatively, KWL can be used by individuals as a monitoring strategy before, during, and after reading a place of non-fiction as well as fiction.

MODULE 1 Review Lesson Plan (Cont'd)
During: What do I have to do to get the information I need. What questions do I have about this topic? Tunnels
The Great Migration

MODULE 1 Review Lesson Plan (Cont'd)
After: What have I learned about this topic?Tunnels
The Great Migration

We will return to more specific strategies for interacting with informational text as the course progresses. But now it is time for you put this general idea into practice and to watch kids as they deal with non-ficti

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Your Research ProjectGet a clearer sense of how the KWL strategy can be valuable for teaching non-fiction by using the two samples given below. You can do this with your class or with a couple of students. Show the children one of the two samples that follow, or select your own sample from a book in your library. Ask at least two children to read the selection, then to talk about the way that they read it.

K-2 Sample: Sea and Land Animals 3-6 Sample: The Age of Inventions
Report your observations of what the children did by using the following questions as guides.


1. What did the children do to get started?

2. Did they try to remember things as they went along? How did they propose to remember ideas? Prompt them to recall what they were thinking.

3. Was there any pattern to the manner in which they reported what they remembered? How did they sum up what they learned?

4. As a teacher make an explicit connection between what you observed children do when given non-fiction and how you can help them to improve their understanding of non-fiction by using the KWL strategy.

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Reading AssignmentTo deepen your understanding of reading and writing nonfiction, please read the article Sharing Informational Text with Young Children
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Points to Remember
1. Fiction entertains by involving the reader in a story line.
2. Non-fiction presents information in a variety of patterns.
3. The reader of non-fiction needs a variety of mental tools to find and hold the information that he or she wants.
4. In school and at work, the typical person reads significantly more non-fiction than fiction.5. KWL can be a useful strategy in assisting students to understand non-fiction.


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Additional Resources Please choose the type of resource you would like to view: Internet Resources ERIC Database Citations Other Printed and Non-Printed Resources

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Written Assignment: For College Credit and 24 CRU Participants Only(For those taking this course for extended professional development credit, please conduct the following experiment. For those taking this course for university credit, consult the guidelines of your university instructor.) In your course manual, read The Professional Growth Guide on Reading for Information (ERIC, 2002) and select two or more ideas that you find particularly helpful in guiding your teaching. Explain why you find those ideas useful.

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Quiz
If you are taking this course to receive professional development credit or university credit, you need to complete a quiz on the contents of this unit, including the reading assignments. The results of the quiz will be stored until you have completed all the units in the course. If you are not satisfied with the results of the first attempt, you may take a second quiz on this unit. Some or all of the questions on the second quiz will be different from the first one.

MODULE 1
Quiz
If you are taking this course to receive professional development credit or university credit, you need to complete a quiz on the contents of this unit, including the reading assignments. The results of the quiz will be stored until you have completed all the units in the course. If you are not satisfied with the results of the first attempt, you may take a second quiz on this unit. Some or all of the questions on the second quiz will be different from the first one.
http://www.indiana.edu/~reading/reading/a1-/next6.html