In the classroom, I tried to read
aloud at least two nonfiction books
each week. At first it was difficult to
select nonfiction books. There were so
many to choose from, including some
recommended by the librarian, but I
couldn’t find books on topics of interest
to me. A colleague reminded me
that it was important to focus on the
interests of the children. They wanted
to read books about dangerous bugs,
monster trucks, the butterfly life
cycle, and famous athletes. In addition
to reading more nonfiction books
aloud, I added a few bins of nonfiction
and informational texts to the classroom
library. I also included things
like cereal box covers, brochures from
amusement parks and museums, magazines
like Sports Illustrated for Kids,
and colorfully illustrated children’s
cookbooks. Researchers suggest
that approximately half of classroom
libraries and reading instruction for
primary grades should revolve around
nonfiction texts (Kletzien & Dreher
2004; Pilonieta 2011).