Module Ten: Recognizing Patterns of Narrative Text and Using Nonfiction Trade Books

Objectives

Upon completion of this module you will be able to:

Introduction

 

Little Albert Einstein

This module includes an Introduction that is longer than those of previous modules. The readings are also a little longer.

Plan additional reading time this week.


 

Recall an unsuccessful (and probably unpleasant) writing task from your previous student life. Was the problem that you had trouble organizing and presenting in writing what you thought or knew? Maybe you were a young student just learning to write "reports." Maybe it was an essay exam limited by time and space to write. Or, it could have been that dissertation or thesis that you were trying to reduce to a manageable report.

It has been estimated that at least 70% of the way we write is taken from models we have noticed in newspapers, texts, and novels. Consciously or subconsciously, we make note of effective models from print and begin to replicate the syntax and form in our own writing. There are two major pattern clusters that writers use and that we subconsciously try to replicate.

The Fiction Pattern

Fiction or stories use a basic formula that can be described as follows:

Somebody(s)Wanted But So .

or

(Characters) (Goal) (Problem) (Resolution)

Apply a memorable story from your childhood, such as "Cinderella" or "The Three Bears," to this formula. Does it fit one of the above formulas?

Frequently fiction begins with phrases that provide the background or exposition. "Once there was..." and "A long time ago in a ..." have been literary road signs that let the reader know that a tale is about to be spun. Writers for adults and older students use more sophisticated phrases of exposition as they launch the reader into the same pattern described above.

Problem!

A steady diet of fiction stories (and the fiction text pattern) does not prepare students to write the many forms of nonfiction we expect from them. Reports, essays, research papers, and even speeches are required writing forms students must learn to master, especially as they progress through the upper grades. Most of those forms will require a nonfiction pattern to effectively convey the writer's message. Remember, we subconsciously replicate models we have read when we try to write a report, essay or research paper. Replicating a fiction writing pattern will not serve you well when writing a report.

The Solution: Nonfiction Patterns

Unlike storied fiction, nonfiction and informative texts use several different patterns. In this module you will learn the characteristics of informative text patterns and how to recognize them in texts.

Why is this so important to content reading?

  1. Recognizing one of the eight commonly used nonfiction patterns helps student readers organize and understand the content text. Their reading comprehension improves when they recognize the pattern the author is employing. For example, recognizing a problem/solutions pattern being employed by a writer helps the reader mentally organize the text. 
  2. As students progress through the grades, we ask them to write more reports, research papers, essays, and other documents. None of these reports and papers will use the fiction pattern characterized by a phrase such as "Once there was a … " The research paper, essay, and other document activities will be more successful if students know how to replicate one of the narrative text patterns. 
  3. Student reports, papers and essays will usually employ one of the eight frequently used informational text patterns. Sometimes referred to asFrames, they include:

You will become familiar with all of these patterns/frames in this module.

Why Nonfiction / Informational Trade Books in this Course?

A student who is not an avid reader will have difficulty with the daily task of comprehending content material. A student must be a reader first and a content reader second. Trying to read content texts fluently, without daily "practice" with self-chosen, high interest reading material, is like trying to run a marathon successfully without daily workouts.

What's an Informational "Trade Book"?

For the purposes of this module, we will exclusively examine informational trade books rather that reference books such as encyclopedias. A trade book is anything that is not a textbook, so that would include the multitude of nonfiction child and adolescent books published each year.

Why is this so important?

Several reasons surface if we examine research in this area.

  1. Informational nonfiction writing follows predictable patterns in the text. We examined these in this module (cause/effect, sequence, etc.) As students progress through the grades, they write fewer stories (fiction) and more reports and research papers (nonfiction) Using nonfiction trade books and emphasizing those patterns will improve student report writing and reading skill.
  2. We live in a print-rich, informational world. Much of our daily reading is nonfiction, such as newspapers, web pages, and magazines. Building daily, nonfiction habits cannot be modeled too soon. Remember the student who discovered she was functionally illiterate in college?
  3. Reluctant content readers may renew their interest in reading through the use of nonfiction. This seems especially true for boys. Research indicates that after about 3rd grade, students may tire of reading about animal fantasy stories and are ready to read about "real stuff." Again, this seems to be an acute need for young male readers.
  4. Nonfiction is resurging in general interest according to the International Reading Association.
  5. Nonfiction can become a "low maintenance" strategy for content teachers. Not all textbooks are edge-of-the-seat experiences. Nonfiction writers blend storytelling skills with accurate information. Thus, using nonfiction trade books can be a way to attract students to content subjects.

Augment, not Replace

We are not suggesting you replace your textbooks, or even to take time out from your fully packed curriculum scope and sequence. Nonfiction trade books provide an excellent way to augment your current curriculum by providing additional information about a topic, by arousing student curiosity, and by keeping everyone (including the teacher) involved in literacy. To use trade books effectively in the content classroom, first you have to know books.

Proceed to Module Ten Activities.