Monday, December 9, 2013

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Jen Vincent at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye and Ricki Ginsburg at Unleashing Readers cohost It's Monday! What Are You Reading weekly on their blogs.   To see what others are reading and recommending each Monday, or to participate, be sure to head over to these blogs. Some of my very best reading recommendations come from this pathway!



I read Georgia Heard's Finding the Heart of Nonfiction about a month ago, and I have been planning to write a Monday post really detailing some of the important points of this book. However, I shared it with one of my teachers who has been reading it as she is teaching our informational writing unit. Per teachers' requests, I have ordered copies for each school and I keep hearing from teachers about how much they are enjoying and using it as they are teaching nonfiction writing units. I love that my teachers don't want to give up their copies of this book, but I don't want to wait longer on this post because I know so many people have moved into teaching nonfiction writing by this time of the year.

Without getting too specific, Finding the Heart of Nonfiction moves writers away from encyclopedia-like informational writing to more, for lack of better word right now, artistic informational writing. For example, Georgia Heard points out that you can learn about a tarantula from an encyclopedia article or from a narrative paragraph such as one that Jean Craighead George would have written; the narrative would be much more likely to have impact and be remembered. 

Finding the Heart of Nonfiction is full of specific lessons designed for workshop instruction and full of specific references and incredible mentor texts. I can't imagine that any elementary or middle school teacher wouldn't be inspired by Georgia Heard!

Along much sillier lines, I picked up a copy of The Klutz Book of Brilliantly Ridiculous Inventions by John Cassidy and Brendan Boyle at the Scholastic warehouse sale. I was thinking that I would give it to one of my nephews for Christmas because he is always making stuff, but my whole family has been previewing it. We have had a lot of laughter and conversations inspired by some of the inventions. How about "Beeping Back-up Shoes?" Or, "The Double Barreled Peanut Butter Jar"--who hasn't gotten peanut butter on their knuckles trying to get to the last of the peanut butter? I love that this book has my youngest daughter reading out loud to us and getting us all to notice our world harder, thinking about inventions that could make our daily lives easier. It's a great book for creating and inspiring innovators!

Happy reading!

8 comments:

  1. I'm reading Heard's book now with our primary teachers, Melanie. So glad to hear you all are enjoying it too! Since we do so much non-fiction work, it's been wonderful to have these discussions stemming from the book! Thanks for the heads-up on the Klutz book, too. It might be a good fit for a few on my list!

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  2. I bought Hear'd book at NCTE, and plan to read it over winter break - so good to know that your teachers are getting so much from it, Melanie. Writing readable and memorable nonfiction is an art form, and our kids get so much more from learning how to be writerly in their nonfiction work.

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  3. I wish I had thought to buy Heard's book when I was at NCTE. Truth be told, I didn't realize it was out yet. Now I know I am going to have to get my hands on it. Thanks for sharing about it today, Melanie.

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  4. The invention book sounds like so much fun! Thank you for sharing the Heard book also. It sounds like just what I need right now. I spent a long time today trying to design my introductory lessons to launch the informational writing unit. I need to get that book!

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  5. I started Finding the Heart of Nonfiction this afternoon, and you're right. Heard's words are so inspiring. I'm already thinking of ways of incorporating this work into our UOS, and improving my own writing. The invention book looks like the perfect addition to our 5th grade unit on inventors. Thanks for sharing!

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  6. I was distracted by your mention of a Scholastic warehouse sale. I sooo miss book sales. We used to have a library warehouse sale but for some reason it hasn't happened this year. The Georgia Heard book sounds really fascinating. Will have to check that one out. glad to hear that the teachers you recommended it to loved it.

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  7. The Klutz book sounds like a great idea for my crowd -- I will look out for it.

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  8. Finding the Heart of NonFiction sounds so great! Thanks for sharing!

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