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- "A Fish Named Dog" by Christyne Morrell (3rd Grade) In this short story for 3rd graders, the narrator receives a goldfish instead of the dog she asked from her parents.
- "Impossible to Train" by David Hill (3rd Grade) In this short story for 3rd graders, Bea, Jesse, and Sammy describe how difficult it is to train their pets, but also what they love about them.
- "MVP" by Clare Mishica (3rd Grade) In this short story for 3rd graders, Derek is determined to outscore his teammate Cole and become his basketball’s team MVP, or most valuable player.
- "An Honest Mistake" by Karen Meissner (4th Grade) In this short story for 4th graders, Karie receives a prize for getting a perfect score on her spelling test.
- “Sometimes A Dream Needs A Push” by Walter Dean Myers
- “Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros
- “Two Dollars” by Sharona F. Vedol
- “The Retake” by Chris Low
- “Marble Champ” by Gary Soto
- “A Secret Code” by Christine Henderson
- “Basant Birthday” by Maya Kanwal
- “Hazel Grove” by Leslie Barnard Booth
- “Amy’s Origami” by Mimi Chapra
- “Her Hands That Held The Stars” by Rebecca Birch
In this short story, Chris joins a wheelchair basketball team after a car accident has left him unable to walk. Chris’s dad, who blames himself for the accident, helps the team by showing them how to shoot better. Even though the team loses a big game, Chris is proud of their hard work and glad to have his dad’s support. The complex relationship be...
In this short story, eleven-year-old Rachel explains that as you get older, you are shaped by your previous ages. When her teacher is convinced that a sweater from the lost and found belongs to Rachel, she feels far younger than her actual age because she struggles to speak up for herself and starts to cry. The narrator’s internal monologue artfull...
In this short story, set during the Great Depression, Helen and her father are collecting rent money from the families in their apartment building. When they visit Mrs. Katz, Helen notices that her son and daughter seem thin and sad. Helen’s father sends her to buy groceries for the Katz family, and she generously decides to spend the last two doll...
In this short story, Andy is feeling down when he fails a test even after studying hard. He apologizes to his teacher, Mr. Crane, who acknowledges how hard Andy tried. Mr. Crane asks Andy to help him clean up the magnets that form a map of the United States and shows him that he learns better by being active. Andy retakes the test, passes, and now ...
In this short story, shy Lupe knows she is a great student, but she is determined to also be good at a sport. She decides to become a competitive marbles player. She practices hard to improve her thumb and wrist strength, and in the end, her dedication pays off and she wins the championship! Looking for a way to support your students who speak Span...
In this short story, Amy and her family attend Open House at her new school. Amy is worried what her classmates will think when they find out her parents are deaf. Evelyn, her new friend, thinks it is cool that Amy can talk with her hands, and Amy learns that true friends like you just as you are. After reading, have students reflect on the theme o...
In this short story, which takes place in Pakistan, a young girl wants to go kite fighting on her birthday. Kite fighting is a centuries-old tradition that started in India, and girls and women are not usually allowed to take part. The narrator, with her brother Amir’s coaching, is determined to participate — and she ends up cutting down Amir’s kit...
In this short story, a young girl with cerebral palsy named Maya is nervous about wearing her leg brace for the first time. She feels uncomfortable when she sees her classmates looking at her brace. When Maya’s class takes a trip to Hazel Grove, a senior living center, she meets a woman named Joan who uses a wheelchair. Joan shows Maya that what ma...
In this short story, Amy tries to make several different origami animals, but is frustrated when her creatures do not flap and leap. She uses scissors and glue to help, but when she shows her animals to her teacher Mr. Shiko, she is worried that she cheated because she did not use the traditional technique. Mr. Shiko is proud of Amy’s imagination a...
In this science fiction short story, set in a polluted future where the sky is covered by eversmog, Akeisha is determined to see the stars. Akeisha bravely sneaks up to the rooftop, and her Nana points out the stars glimmering in her hands. Nana tells Akeisha that the stars are calling her, and Akeisha decides she wants to figure out how to share t...
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Jan 25, 2024 · Nonfiction books are a staple in every classroom library. From STEM concepts to diverse stories, filling your shelves with a variety of books told from different voices and covering a range of topics will help your students learn about the world around them.
- Narrative Nonfiction. In the mid-1990s, children’s authors began crafting narrative nonfiction—prose that tells a true story or conveys an experience. This style of writing appeals to fiction lovers because it includes real characters and settings; narrative scenes; and, ideally, a narrative arc with rising tension, a climax, and denouement.
- Expository Literature. When Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, school funding priorities suddenly shifted. School library budgets were slashed, and many school librarians lost their jobs.
- Active Nonfiction. Inspired by the maker movement, publishers have recently begun creating what booksellers call “active nonfiction”—browsable books that are highly interactive and/or teach skills readers can use to engage in an activity.
- A New Way of Thinking. Take a moment to evaluate your classroom or library book collection. Do you have enough nonfiction titles? Experts recommend a 50-50 mix of fiction and nonfiction.
Apr 25, 2021 · These critical reading skills must be explicitly taught, modeled and practiced. If you’re looking for simple, yet fun ways to teach your students to effectively read nonfiction, then check out these 5 must-try ideas that come straight from my elementary classroom to yours!
Rationale for Teaching Nonfiction Writing 1 Rationale for Teaching Nonfiction Writing Nonfiction writing used to be saved for genre studies in which young writers created a set of directions or engaged in crafting a report about animals. But, evidence now suggests that this limited view of nonfiction writing is "too little—too late!"
Finding nonfiction books your students enjoy can be tough. But despair no more - here are 5 nonfiction series (one has 200+ books!) that are sure to make the grade in your classroom. Over 300 teachers weighed in on their favorites, and these were their top picks!
