Once Upon a Fact

This timely book explores the debate about how best to engage children in the writing of nonfiction and suggests many instructional strategies for K6 classrooms. Using transcripts and descriptions of childrens actual writing practices, the authors show that children willingly embrace nonfiction writing when the genre is given an important place in the classroom. Drawn from the authors classroom-based research study with third graders, this groundbreaking volume: Explores in detail the intertextual patterns that children adopt when writing nonfiction reports. Documents the ways in which peer and teacher influence fuel and direct childrens writing. Identifies four types of nonfiction writersstrategic, experience-only, memory-only, and textboundand presents case studies with excerpts from interviews and nonfiction reports. Offers a set of instructional guidelines for supporting and extending expository writing, including sample lessons and curricular activities.