Reading Nonfiction to Aid in Research

Nonfiction picture books are a growing section in many school and public libraries. Intended for students of all ages, these quick-read fact books provide a fabulous resource for building background knowledge on a historical event, animal study, human disease, solar system, famous inventor, or whatever the research topic.

Specifically consider the power of A-Z books, also known as alphabet books. These books aren’t just for kindergartners anymore! These 26-page fact books not only give key facts and vocabulary words on a given subject, but the visual images (graphics, photographs, diagrams, etc.) are very informative, too. Download an example.

Try a T-Chart for Note Taking

Often, nonfiction writing leads to comparing/contrasting two or more items. And with that mode of writing, most teachers assume the research should be collected within a Venn Diagram. However, while the two overlapping circles may separate information, the Venn Diagram doesn’t organize it. A better choice is the T-Chart. With the common features listed in the middle, a student can collect relevant information from the content-area reading and keep it all organized within a simple table. Download a science example.

This note-taking technique also lends itself to easily revealing the two common methods of organizing compare-contrast information in writing.

Method #1: Organize by Item. Write all about Item A and then all about Item B.

Method #2: Organize by Feature. Focusing on one feature at a time, explain how it relates to Item A & B. Then focus on a second feature and how it relates to Item A & B. Continue this pattern.