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Alvin Granowsky, Ed.D.
Author, Consultant, and former Director of Reading/Language Arts, Dallas, Texas, and Greensboro, North Carolina
in collaboration with
Using Nonfiction in the Primary Grades
byAlvin Granowsky, Ed.D.
Author, Consultant, and former Director of Reading/Language Arts, Dallas, Texas, and Greensboro, North Carolina
in collaboration with
|
Carmelita K. Williams, Ed.D. Professor Emerita, Department of Early Childhood/Elementary Education, Norfolk State University |
Jerry L. Johns, Ph.D. Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus, Department of Literacy Education, Northern Illinois University |
| Reviewers | |
|
Alvin Granowsky, Ed.D. Curriculum Coordinator/Public Affairs Officer Kaiserslautern District, D.O.D.D.S., Germany |
Alvin Granowsky, Ed.D. Secondary Reading & Speech Coordinator Plano Independent School District, Plano, Texas |
I. Why Teach Nonfiction in the Primary Grades?
Children are fascinated by the real world. Upon seeing pictures of a frog, a snake, or an alligator, a child in kindergarten or first grade is sure to ask, "Where do they live? What do they eat? Do they bite?" The answers to questions like these can be found in nonfiction.
Despite children's natural interest in nonfiction, early literacy instruction has traditionally focused on fiction--specifically stories, poems, and rhymes. Often nonfiction is not introduced until children are more skilled in reading and are reading to learn--rather than learning to read (Spor and Schneider, 1999).
