Nonfiction. Not fiction. The opposite of Fiction. Those are my
first thoughts when trying to decide if a book is nonfiction or not. My mind
automatically goes to the real, the informative, and the informational types of
text. Nonfiction texts are ones that students can refer to in hopes of
answering any questions they may have about a topic. Nonfiction texts are the
factual, the actual, and include things that are real.
When considering what book to use for this
blog, I ended up on a bumpy path. At times, it can be hard to determine whether
a book is nonfiction or whether it is more of a science related book. A couple
of sure fire ways to determine if a book is nonfiction or not are to check for
a table of contents, check for an index or glossary, and browse through the
pages and look for facts. Also, most times, the copyright page will include
what type of book you have. Other elements of nonfiction literature include the
format (size and shape), visual information, book covers, and accuracy.
Recently, nonfiction books have included increasing amounts of visual images,
illustrations, and pictures to help increase learning throughout the text. This
is extremely important because it allows students to see what the facts and
information is actually talking about. The format, size, and shape make a huge
difference in a nonfiction text. For example, I chose the book, Ballenas
Whales, for this blog, and
when looking at the format of this book, it is long and chunky, similar to the
shape of a whale. This element, format, allows the book to reflect the type of
information it is providing. After taking all these elements into considering, I
had no trouble finding the perfect nonfiction text, Ballenas Whales by Carol K. Lindeen.
This book has a double dose of
informational or nonfiction information pouring out of it. This book is
versatile in the sense that it appears to Hispanic readers and American
readers, while benefiting both. This book is packed full of useful information
relating to whales, and its text is written in English and then on the same
page is translated into Spanish. This type of book allows English readers to
learn bits of Spanish and see the correlation between English words and Spanish
words, since they are right there on the same page. This type of book also
helps young Hispanic students improve their English by seeing the English words
on the page with their more native language.
This nonfiction text, Ballenas Whales, can be
considered an Enumerative structured piece of text. This means that the text
has a main idea (whales) and then breaks off into numerous subtopics. The
subtopics throughout this book are Whales, Swimming, and Under the Sea. Then
the book offers a glossary, internet sites, and an index. This book talked
about the broad topic of whales for a page or so, then moved into the different
components of whales and what makes them so intriguing and interesting to learn
about.
Ballenas Whales included loads of facts about whales
that I was reminded of when reading through the children's book. Some of this
information was that whales are mammals, whales breathe air, and they have
blowholes on the top of their head. Also, they have extremely smooth skin and
blubber under their skin to keep them warm. Another interesting fact is that
small whales are about as long as jump ropes and bigger whales can be the size
of a large airplane. Whales move their tails up and down to help them swim
through the water. There are many, many, many more facts in this book to go
along with the ones listed.
This book incorporated so many interesting
facts about whales while appealing to English readers and Hispanic readers all
on the exact same pages. This book was informational, engaging, visually
pleasing and easily maneuverable. I would absolutely recommend this book to my
students and have this book in my own classroom library!
Another great post! I really enjoy the way you write Monica! You do an excellent job at introducing us to nonfiction and its elements, as well as tieing in how those elements are used in your book. This is definitely a book I would have read at a younger age because I was interested in learning about all sorts of animals (I loved getting the Zoo Books!). I would certainly want this book in my classroom, not only for its content, but because it is both in English and in Spanish (a great book for those ELL students). Great post!
ReplyDeleteMonica,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Courtney! You are a phenomenal writer and do a great job of putting your thoughts and opinions into words.
First off, your definition of nonfiction was perfect. It is "not fiction." It is basically a genre of negation, and it encompasses all books that are completely factual and accurate.
I also love that the book you chose appeals to both English students as well as Hispanic students. There really aren't enough books that are versatile like this, so this is a rare find! Your summary of this book was also great! I am already interested in marine life and the oceans, but your summary really makes me want to check out this book on whales! Keep up the good work!
Great post! I like that you write down how you think of nonfiction. I feel that nonfiction can also be science books because science is based on facts. I really like that you found a book that could be so versatile. You could give this book to an English speaking student or a Spanish speaking student. With boys liking informational texts more, it might just appeal to the Spanish speaking boy in your class one day.
ReplyDeleteMonica, such an awesome post! I love that you found a book that can benefit a Hispanic reader and/or an English reader. You chose a definition of non-fiction that is easy to remember. I, too, say "not fiction" every time I think about what non-fiction is. I enjoy reading your posts! Again, great job!
ReplyDeleteMonica,
ReplyDeleteI really learned a lot from your blog. I like how you discussed the characteristics to look for in a book to determine if it is a nonfiction book or not. I feel that for some children, they think that all nonfiction books are boring so they just kind of throw them to the side. If a nonfiction book has intriguing photos or activities in the book it will keep the child's attention. The book you chose and the pictures you placed in your blog are very interesting and I feel that this would be a perfect book for a child learning about ocean wildlife.