Sarah & Nonfiction

Reading nonfiction as a student was like pulling teeth for me. Fiction let me use my imagination to create movies in mind about what I was reading, and I liked working through rhythmic language.  Nonfiction reading just seemed really boring to me. Unless I was very invested or interested in the topic, it was a real struggle.  When I was in second or third grade, I wrote about Olympic runner Wilma Rudolph, and I can remember using library books and encyclopedias to do research about her. I did the same in sixth grade when I had an assignment on a deep sea creature, the cuttlefish.  In ninth I wrote my first real research paper about Army Ranger and NFL player Pat Tillman based on the nonfiction reading I did on the Internet.  I was really interested in these topics, so much so that I can still recall information about Wilma Rudolph twenty years later.  This made the reading interesting and engaging to me.  It didn't hurt that a lot of these nonfiction texts had pictures and captions I could interpret.  As I got older, nonfiction reading let me access a wide variety of topics I'm interested in, but the engagement piece was imperative.  Depending on text complexity, accessible text features like images or charts were necessary for my understanding, too. 

As an adult, I continue to struggle with nonfiction, because I still have to be deeply engaged with it.  I always look for significant images, charts, and captions within the text.  With the increase in access to this information, I'm learning not only more deeply about previous interests, but new interests, like MoMA artists.  Additionally, I'm reading a lot of news--both local and national.  This increase in access to news sources is sharpening my critical thinking skills, mulling through all the "fake news", "alternative facts", and "click bait" that are out there.  This validates how necessary that skill is for our students!  

Amelia & Nonfiction

I remember using encyclopedias when doing research in fourth and fifth grade. The school I was at during that time did not have computers.  I changed schools in sixth grade and started (very minimally) learning how to research a topic online.  I do not remember having to do much research on my own in middle school.  When we were studying a topic, books and articles on the topic would be provided.  It was not until high school where I really had to research on my own.  I was not a fan of using the internet because I was unsure of the sites authenticity.  I often checked out books on the topic and did my research that way.  I was not a fan of reading nonfiction on my own until I discovered Jesus Land: A Memoir by Julia Scheeres.  Every since then I have loved reading memoirs and search out new ones.

In college I majored in Psychology and read mostly scholarly articles.  After having to read easily hundreds of them during my time at school, I felt I could go the rest of my life with never reading another one.  Now, when I come across a topic I am interested in I have found myself looking them up to see what research has been done.

Steve & Nonfiction

It's interesting to think about how my reaction to nonfiction has changed since I was a student. I can distinctly remember what is was like to have a nonfiction text dropped in front of me during high school social studies. These would often come in the form of lengthy printouts, which were probably written at least ten years in the past, or a giant text book with colorful images scattered throughout to unsuccessfully distract me from the tedium of the reading itself. As you can tell, I was not a fan of nonfiction reading in high school.

However, this has changed so much now that I am an adult. I find myself spending hours on end reading contemporary nonfiction articles about subjects that really matter to me (such as sports, politics, etc.). Honestly, the reason for this explosive increase in interest is probably because I can now pick what I want to read, but it is also because I can use the internet to access these texts with ease. Also, if I don't like an article, I will stop reading it and move on. All of these factors have helped make me a strong reader of nonfiction.

I have tried to increase the usage of nonfiction in my classroom for years. One website that I use often is NewsELA, a site dedicated to contemporary events. Instead of assigning a specific reading for my students, I often let them find readings that they are interested in. Not only does this help them to read the article fully, it also helps them comprehend the text more consistently. Since there are reading levels included for each article, I use this reading time to talk with my students about how important it is to push themselves as readers. 

As you can see, I am now a strong advocate for nonfiction reading in the classroom. It is through these readings, as well as literature, where students learn about the world around them and develop valuable positions on issues. 

Melissa and Nonfiction

I awoke with a smack, as my cheek caught the corner of my desk.  My copy of Richard Hofstadter's The American Political Tradition clunked to the floor and I quickly wiped the drool that had collected at the corner of my mouth.  Eighth grade civics class was not my favorite class, to say the least, and sleeping through most of it was not uncommon.  

Reading nonfiction has always been a challenge for me; as it is, I am easily distracted.  I am a daydreamer, and no matter how hard I try, I cannot focus on the facts in front of me.  As a student, I spent hours reading and re-reading, only to find that I could not absorb the information necessary.  My "go-to" strategy was reading out loud and jotting notes about what stuck with me.  It was infuriating and daunting.

As an adult, I try to embrace my nonfiction challenge.  Over the years, I have found a genre that has been kind to me:  Historical Fiction.  If I can read a story, I can interact.  Historical fiction has opened doors into the world of nonfiction that I would never approach.  When my role as a teacher shifted to include history and politics, I was prepared for the challenge.  Instead of tackling Richard Hofstadter, I grab a novel like the Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick, or an edgy spy adventure by Ken Follet.  These books pique my interest and pave the way for me to venture out into the more challenging nonfiction texts that follow.  

Honestly, over the years, I have worked hard at developing my nonfiction tolerance.  And I have come to realize that, as an adult, I am more interested in the world around me.  I am intrigued by the lives that my peers have led; reading about the Pilgrims and the sacrifices they endured; putting myself into the shoes of Malala Yousafzai and Saroo Brierley, two incredible individuals, to say the least...I feel that these perspectives have helped me become a more tolerant, compassionate, and overall, better person.  So, if reading nonfiction enables me to interact with the world in a more positive manner, you can bet that I will keep working on my endurance.  Bring it on, Hofstadter.

Amy D. and Non-Fiction

My first recollection of non-fiction reading was the Children's Encyclopedia set our family had, which was an extreme extravagance for a farming family, but my dad was adamant about having information available for us kids. I was the only one of five children that consumed every one of those volumes! There was a volume of fairy tales, so I guess that one doesn't count. I was also given the Reader's Digest every month and had to at least do the Word Power section. Oh, my! Hard to believe I actually remember that. In school, non-fiction was limited to encyclopedias, biographies, and autobiographies. Currently, my non-fiction experiences are mostly teaching resources. I also read a fair amount of online blogs and forums when learning new things such as computer apps/programs and charting courses for boat travel. It's much more interesting to watch a Youtube video rather than reading a boring manual, right? I love today's non-fiction books available for children and find myself drawn to them similar to the colorful Children's Encyclopedias I used to flip through as a child.

Kristina & Nonfiction

As a child I remember having a set of encyclopedias at home, but I don't ever remember using them. I think it's because they were such big books and the amount of information was actually overwhelming. I also loved anything relating to geography. I loved maps, pictures, and atlases; anything that allowed me to learn about different places and cultures around the world. Scholastic News days were my favorite days at school. I was only ever interested in specific nonfiction topics as a child- geography and animals. If I wasn't interested in the topic I wasn't going to read about it.

Now, as an adult, I still like to read about animals and geography but I have branched out slightly to include biographies. However, now I feel like a read nonfiction more out of necessity than interest. I need to keep up on the latest teaching practices, I need to be aware of what is happening in the country and world, I need to make dinner. All of these daily activities involve reading and understanding nonfiction. Of course I still like it best when my nonfiction reading comes with maps, graphs, pictures, charts, etc.

Holly- Nonfiction

Well I don't think it's a secret that nonfiction is my favorite type of literature, since History is my favorite subject and it's basically all I talk about! I remember from a young age being fascinated with different periods in time. I vividly remember fourth grade being rich with information on Early American history. We also participated in a Colonial Tea in fourth grade, where we learned all about colonial America, invited our families to an actually tea and dance where we learned a classical dance. I even wore a colonial dress and bonnet that my neighbor sewed for us. Most of my literature during my early years dealt with history. My favorite series were the Magic Tree House and American Girl Doll. I then moved on to reading several biographies and historical events (the Hindenburg Disaster), which I can vividly remember being introduced to in fifth grade. If it wasn't for my teachers, I don't think I would have become so interested in these different subject matters. I still to this day love learning about colonial america, the American Revolution, the Civil War, and my favorite president John F. Kennedy, who were all introduced to me in fourth and fifth grade.

As a reader now, I read mostly nonfiction texts, but have also been getting into historical fiction. It really wasn't until college and immersing myself in my history classes that I began to really expand my interests. Through certain assigned texts or certain new topics, they ignited a desire to learn more. It also paid off that I had wonderful teachers who presented the information so well. Today, I am much more invested in reading nonfiction, because I love gaining more and more knowledge about a topic or event. It's really fun to fit all those new pieces of information into what I already knew and even change my perspective on what I thought I knew. Nonfiction is fun because it is an endless cycle of continual learning.