How Do You Explore the "Approach" Nonfiction Authors Take with Your Students?

What are some of the ways you can use nonfiction books for children and young adults as a mentor text for student writing? How do nonfiction authors shape the substance of their books? To find out more, take a look at the April School Library Journal column Mary Ann coauthored with Myra Zarnowski and Marc Aronson.

NCTE Links to Mary Ann's Co-Authored SLJ Column

Last Wednesday, The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) shared the March "Curriculum Connections" column from School Library Journal via the NCTE Inbox digital newsletter. The March column focuses on inquiry and nonfiction. You can find the April 3rd NCTE Inbox here: http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Newsletter/archive/inbox_4-3-13.htm.

Teaching with Text Sets at MRA

We had a great day yesterday at the Massachusetts Reading Association Conference! Both of our sessions, "The Nonfiction Picture Book: Classroom Catalyst" and "Teaching with Text Sets" gave us the chance to spend time with really interesting teachers, librarians, speech and language pathologists, literacy specialists, and school administrators from throughout New England. We were also delighted to learn that Teaching with Text Sets sold out at the ALRAN table!

Looking for Children's Books to Explore the 10th Anniversary of the War in Iraq?

Last week marked the 10th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. In May of 2010, as the United States approached the draw down of troops from Iraq, Mary Ann did an interview on New Hampshire Public Radio's "Word of Mouth" show, discussing picture books and chapter books of all genres that have addressed the war. To learn more about this text set and listen to the story, go to: http://info.nhpr.org/node/32400.

Thinking About Biography and the CCSS?

Award-winning author Barbara Kerley was interviewed by School Library Journal this month, and she has some really interesting ways of looking at her nonfiction books in the context of the Common Core State Standards. Barbara also discusses the panel on nonfiction books and the CCSS that she and Mary Ann were on together this fall. You can read the full interview at: http://www.slj.com/2013/03/books-media/author-interview/the-world-of-barbara-kerley-interview/.