Does Nonfiction Equate Truth?: Rethinking Disciplinary Boundaries through Critical Literacy

Educators who teach children’s literature at the college level as part of the pre-service experience seldom allocate enough space in the curriculum for nonfiction literature. This book recognizes the viability of nonfiction as a literary genre that demands critical analysis, celebrates storytelling in its varied forms, and invites teacher educators and pre-service teachers, our primary audience, to nurture a spirit of inquiry and skepticism in the classroom. It is an excellent resource for teacher educators looking for a variety of nonfiction texts to include in their literacy curriculum at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. It also offers critical approaches through which students are encouraged to read these texts, and ideas for critical inquiry with young learners.

Table of Contents:
List of Tables Foreword:Kathy G. Short Acknowledgments Chapter 1: Why Critical Conversations on Nonfiction Texts for Children? Vivian Yenika-Agbaw Chapter 2:Defining and Describing Expository Literature Melissa Stewart and Terrell A. Young Chapter 3:Using Nonfiction to Motivate Students: Classroom Engagements Elizabeth Raff Chapter 4:Teaching Young Readers Using Nonfiction Texts Xenia Hadjioannou and Nancy Rankie Shelton Chapter 5:Critical Questions about Photographic “Truths” in Children’s Nonfiction Books Laura Anne Hudock Chapter 6:Science Inquiry in a Fifth Grade Classroom Shanetia Clark and Vincent Genareo Chapter 7:Engaging Young Adolescents through Science L. J. Phillips and Marnie Woodley Chapter 8:Engaging Students in Conversations about Mathematical “Truths” Deanna Day and Barbara A. Ward Chapter 9:Some Nonfiction Resources for Engaging in Critical Conversations Chris Landauer, Cheryl Logan, and René Rodríguez-Astacio Contributors’ Biography

About the Author :
Vivian Yenika-Agbaw is professor of children’s literature and literacy at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park. She teaches courses on children’s and adolescent literature. Ruth McKoy Lowery is professor of literacy and associate chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning at The Ohio State University. She teaches courses on children's literature and literacy education. Laura Anne Hudock is a PhD Candidate in Curriculum and Instruction at The Pennsylvania State University, where she instructs pre-service teachers in Children’s Literature, Reading, and Language Arts courses.

Review :
We need ready access to high-quality nonfiction literature and strategies to use with it more than ever before. This book makes for an exciting and advantageous journey for our students. Learn more about the inner workings of this genre and opportunities that motivate students to dig deeper into critically analyzing topics that span across multiple disciplines. Does Nonfiction Equate Truth? opens doors that enlighten and inform about social justice issues and other important matters with strategies that ignite the wonderment of learning through nonfiction literature. The authors cordially invite you to be the learner and researcher along with your students. A comprehensive and reflective read for educators that provokes thinking around current instructional “best practices” when teaching nonfiction. It incites educators to shift their thinking, reflecting more on the how and why, providing students with purpose for reading a wide range of literature, and having students challenge the information they read and not accepting it for “face-value.” Thought-provoking! The topic of nonfiction brought to a new light! The authors provided a wonderful balance of information and practical examples for teachers to implement. This will be a great addition in our Professional Learning Communities.