Informational and Nonfiction Texts

The Importance of Students Reading and Gaining Experience With Informational Text Within an Early Childhood Classroom

In early childhood classrooms across the United States, there is no shortage of engaging and well written fictional texts for students to read, experience, and learn from, but educators must include informational and nonfiction titles in their classrooms as well. Although the main purpose of informational text(s) is to inform and/or describe a specific topic (Robertson, 2020) to the reader, the importance of including this genre of book in an early childhood classroom is not limited to teaching students about a particular content area that an informational book may discuss. There are many benefits to having literary activities that include, and providing students with, informational texts in early childhood classrooms, the first being that “research has shown that early experiences with and instruction in the use of informational texts support students' comprehension of these types of texts” (Dreher & Ray, 2009). As students advance academically, they must be able to fully comprehend and engage with informational texts, this can be difficult for students due to the higher level of vocabulary and the content-heavy focus, so by providing early experiences with nonfiction content, giving them opportunities to develop and practice their reading comprehension skills, not only benefits them within your classroom but also begins to “build a foundation for later reading in the content areas and for lifelong learning” (Parkes & Mooney, pg. 85). In addition to developing reading comprehension skills, reading informational texts with students also promotes language development and help improve writing abilities because they “ provide powerful models for writing for different purposes and audiences” (Parkes & Mooney, pg. 110) and “present many opportunities to learn new concepts and vocabulary” (Reading Rockets, 2012). Lastly, students need to have experiences with informational texts because they can foster a love of reading. Parkes and Mooney elaborate on this idea in “Read It Again!”, stating that “for many children, nonfiction opens the door to seeing a purpose for reading ... they use nonfiction resources to pursue their interests and hobbies, books and reading become an integral part of their lives, both in and out of the classroom” (pg. 85). Fostering a love of literature in students will help them stay engaged during, and feel excited about, reading in [your] early childhood classroom, as well as the grade levels that follow. Moreover, providing students with opportunities to work with informational texts can remind students that “they can make a difference in the face of conflict, suffering, or injustice and inspire kids to simply speak up on the behalf of a friend or advocate for small changes inside their community” and/or have a “more informed understanding or a desire to inquire more deeply into topics or issues that matter to them” (Bellingham, pg. 109).

Text Selection: Examples of Informational Texts for Early Childhood Classrooms 

Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers Illustrated by Shawn Harris 

The book Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers is a fun and refreshing take on historical nonfiction that is perfect for students of all ages. Her Right Foot tells the story of how the Statue of Liberty

came to the United States and became a national symbol of freedom and hope while investigating the meaning behind a, seemingly small, detail of the statue: Lady Liberties' right foot. The powerful themes presented in Her Right Foot revolve around the symbolism of the Statue of Liberty, that it represents freedom and stands to welcome all people to the United States, people born in the United States and immigrants alike because, as Egger states in the book, the Statue of Liberty is an immigrant too. Students will learn lessons in tolerance, acceptance, and kindness through this story. Although fictional narratives are more commonly used to introduce and teach children about practical topics, while nonfiction texts are viewed as a vehicle to discuss academic content, students may understand moral themes better when they are presented through informational texts because “ the books feature real places, people, things, and events, they are often easier to relate to and understand than fantasy topics” (Parkes & Mooney, pg. 85). This book also provides ample opportunities for class conversation, the facts are presented colloquially and the author presents thought-provoking questions throughout the text, the “nonfiction component is clearly separated from the story but cleverly weaves in facts and questions that support and extend the story information” (Parkes & Mooney, pg. 86). Her Right Foot has positive, powerful themes, factual and rich content, and it encourages active student engagement with the text. An enjoyable read for people of all ages, Her Right Foot would make a great addition to any classroom library.

The Seashore by Gallimard Jeunesse and Elisabeth Cohat

The Seashore by Gallimard Jeunesse and Elisabeth Cohat is a fantastic nonfiction book to read

and provide to students within an early childhood classroom. “The Seashore” is a true nonfiction book that utilizes a sequence text structure, meaning the author uses numerical or chronological order to list items or events (Akhondi, Malayeri & Samad, 2011), to teach young readers about the habitats on the seashore and the various types of wildlife that can be found there. Like many nonfiction texts, this book is not a narrative, “does not have to be read from cover to cover, readers can use the table of contents and index to jump right to the information they are most interested in”(Reading Rockets, 2011), which is one of the many reasons why this book is an amazing classroom resource. The illustrations and style of text in The Seashore showcase what nonfiction books for children should include, clear and large illustrations and “letter size and type, especially for younger children, should be large and simple” (Stephens, 2008).

Moreover, the illustrations within this book are clearly labeled, this “helps readers understand what they are looking at in pictures and diagrams” (Parkes & Mooney, pg. 98). When readers understand what the illustrations are and how they connect to the written text, they hold more meaning and become another tool for students to learn from. The Seashore is a fantastic text that can be utilized as a learning tool during teacher-led lessons or provided to students in a classroom library for independent reading, this versatility, along with the text structure and content, makes this book an ideal choice for any classroom library.

BEE: A Peek-Through Picture Book by Britta Teckentrup

The last book I want to share with you all is BEE: A Peek-Through Picture Book by Britta Teckentrup. The author utilizes simple, rhyming text to walk the reader through a day in the

lives of bees while discussing the process of pollination at an introductory level. I selected this book because it showcases another variation of how informational texts can look. The facts within BEE: A Peek-Through Picture Book are well researched and written in a thoughtful, comprehensible way, creating a positive reading experience for “emergent as well as developing and fluent readers with opportunities to apply their fledgling understandings about print while expanding their world knowledge” (Parkes & Mooney, pg. 85). This book shares many characteristics with nonfiction texts even though it is not categorized under that genre, for example, the illustrations are large and work alongside the text to convey the information to the reader (Parkes & Mooney, pg. 95), providing students with a valuable, immersive reading experience, as well as an opportunity practice and develop their decoding skills. Lastly, BEE: A Peek-Through Picture Book can by early childhood educators for

reading aloud, independent and small group readings, or as a layering tool during class lessons. Moreover, Bellingham, author of The Artful Read Aloud, supports the use of informational texts as a layering tool in her writing stating that the use of a “picture book to launch units in science, social studies, and other content areas is a perfect tool for igniting their interest and giving them some background knowledge right away with a book that includes gorgeous pictures and content-rich vocabulary” (pg. 92), reinforcing my point that BEE: A Peek-Through Picture Book is high quality, multi-purpose text, ideal for early childhood classrooms. 

 

Instructional Strategy - Guiding Questions: 

There are many instructional strategies educators can utilize when introducing and reading informational texts with their students, these techniques are implemented to foster language development, print awareness, and to “ promote understanding and enjoyment of informational text”(Gambrell & Marinak, 2009). In this post, I am going to introduce you all to the guiding questions instructional method and discuss how it would support student reading comprehension over the book Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers, one of the informational texts I discussed above. Guiding questions are provided to students, written or orally, to give reading purpose and “encourage students to go back and re-read the text to support their answers to questions” (Gambrell & Marinak, 2009), teaching students how to critically read informational texts to reach understanding. Guiding questions can, and are commonly used, to help students comprehend a specific text they are reading, but they also teach them how to read, assess, and find answers within informational texts, skills they will need as they advance academically.  Educators can write their own guiding questions for their students, but because the book Her Right Foot has a problem-solution text structure, meaning the author poses a problem or question to the reader and later provides the answer (Akhondi, Malayeri, & Samad, 2011), the author has included guiding questions within the text itself. These questions prompt students to think about what they have read and make inferences about where the story is going. Additionally, several of the guiding questions presented by the author encourage the reader(s) to discuss the text, teachers can utilize these prompts for in-class discussion and allow their students to share and analyze their responses with their peers. Moreover, the guiding questions presented in Her Right Foot will help students in “developing the language, strategies, and skills needed to read informational materials with greater ease”, and “as children become more competent in their ability to comprehend informational text, they will be more motivated to choose to read informational texts” (Gambrell & Marinak, 2009, which will benefit them within their current classroom and as they advance academically. 

For more information about the guiding questions, instructional method click here!