In this article Tony Stead examines the importance of the nonfiction read aloud as part of ongoing daily instruction. He highlights the need to empower students in both academic achievement, and as life long lovers of nonfiction, through focused informational literature.
Many teachers struggle when selecting appropriate nonfiction materials and Tony gives helpful tips in what to look for in the selection process. He further provides a valuable list of nonfiction texts he has successfully used in the classroom. Valuable guidelines are provided in how to read selected literature to students to provide motivation and interest.
The article also provides readers with a powerful strategy called the Reading and Analyzing Nonfiction Strategy (R.A.N.) This strategy encourages students to gain literal understandings, and raise questions and inferences from information read. It is an excellent means to get students to respond to what they are reading apart from simply listing memorized facts.