Models for Using Nonfiction in the Primary Grades

Practitioners and scholars today are calling for the inclusion of nonfiction in primary‐grade classrooms where in the past fiction has dominated. With the increasing availability of age‐appropriate nonfiction texts, this request can now become a reality, and youngsters can read nonfiction books on their independent or instructional reading levels. To use nonfiction effectively, young readers must be taught the necessary skills. Three models show primary‐grade teachers how to scaffold instruction. Using the gradual release of responsibility, the models represent a series of stages with the end product being independent student use of informational books. The three models are (1) teacher‐directed instruction, (2) scaffolded student investigation, and (3) independent student investigation. Demands on both students and teachers increase as teachers scaffold students through each model. The article illustrates the models with the topics of frogs, life cycles, and animals, and suggests additional strategies, teaching ideas, and nonfiction books.