I write to discover what I know.
―Flannery O’Connor
Creating Space for Informational Writing
I love being a nonfiction writer. It’s taken years for me to come to terms with this passion of mine. Nonfiction is just so, well, unglamorous. It hides behind the mask of being a workhorse, hiding behind the utilitarian mask of decisive practicality and staunch facts.
It’s easy to perpetuate this stereotype as we teach kids to write nonfiction. We focus on finding credible facts from reliable sources. We make it about the process and the structure and the formality of nonfiction writing.
Although there are many rituals I adhere to in my work as a nonfiction writer, these are not the things that matter most. For me, it’s about curiosity and the thrill of learning new things. I love wrangling words into sentences that surprise the reader because they are rooted in facts while also being delightfully crafted.
That’s why this week’s theme resonates with me. We look at informational writing in creative ways. Hannah Tills and Josie Stewart open the doors to informational poetry, while Melissa Quimby unlocks a planning structure to make essay writing come alive.
In the Leaders Lounge, Suzy Kaback releases the first installment of her series about using AI with teacher candidates. Her article is inspired by a third-grade teacher who uses an imaginary student to engage her class and teach procedures and routines with an imaginary proxy. No matter your teaching assignment, Suzy’s article will make your mind spin with new ideas.
Shine on,
Ruth Ayres
Editor in Chief
Andrea Smith builds interest in nonfiction in her fourth-grade classroom community through her constantly changing Information Board.
Kimberly Gorelik shares nine must-see TED Talks for National Poetry Month.
Do you wish you had more time to share new books with your students? We know you don’t need fluff or pretty activities. Instead we get to the heart of what you need to thoughtfully share new books in your classroom.
NEW! Our book guides are created and vetted by in-the-field educators. They hold true to the tenets of giving students choice and voice in their reading lives, while empowering a teacher to expand the representation of books shared with students. Click here to see all of our new book guides.
Beneath by Cori Doerrfeld is a story about a girl navigating loss by learning from her grandpa how to notice what is beneath the surface during a walk through nature.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
Hannah Tills and Josie Stewart teach students to write informational poetry. They remind us that poetry can serve as a mentor text in many units and does not have to be siloed in its own unit.
Melissa Quimby offers time and intentional planning to build students’ confidence and capacity as essay writers.
Tara Barnett and Kate Mills share a practical process for using an informational mentor text to support students as readers and writers. Download a note sheet to support students in noticing text structure.
In this encore video, Christy Rush-Levine helps Ezekial draft his literary analysis.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
Inspired by a third-grade teacher, Suzy Kaback uses AI to generate an imaginary student to engage her teacher candidates as they mediate teaching and learning through a proxy. This is the first installment in a series about using AI with teacher candidates.
Matt Renwick offers three ways ChatGPT can support the work of instructional coaches.
Ruth Ayres is reminded by her own coach of the importance of doing things that make us come alive. Likewise, instructional coaches have the opportunity to help others find the things that make them come alive.
Quote It:
Goodness is the only investment that never fails.
—Henry David Thoreau
That’s all for this week!
