Teacher Text Time: Teacher Picks for Biographies and Informational Texts

Welcome to the first edition of Teacher Text Time! From time to time, I will be compiling a list of my personal favorite titles in my classroom or series my students and I have come to love. Today's list are my picks for biographies and/or informational texts. Do you have a favorite informational text author or series?  If so, please feel free to share in the comments!

Baker, Courtney. 2001. Let's Read About Martin Luther King, Jr. Illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa         Hu. Scholastic.

Berger, Melvin and Gilda. 2010. True or False Rocks & Minerals. Scholastic.

Cole, Joanna. 1994. The Magic School Bus In the Time of the Dinosaurs. Illustrated by Bruce Degen. Scholastic.

Fritz, Jean. 1987. Shh! We're Writing the Constitution. Illustrated by Tomie dePaola. Scholastic.

Gibbons, Gail. 1992. Recycle! Little, Brown and Company.

Gilliland, Ben. 2012. 100 People Who Made History. Illustrated by Philip Parker. Dorling Kindersley Limited

Goldsmith, Mike. 2011. Amazing Space Q&A. Dorling Kindersley Limited.

Krull, Kathleen. 2013. What Was the March on Washington? Illustrated by Tim Tomkinson. Scholastic.

Pallotta, Jerry. 2017. Who Would Win? Jaguar vs. Skunk. Illustrated by Rob Bolster. Scholastic.

Roop, Connie and Peter. 2003. Let's Fly, Wilbur and Orville! Scholastic.

Roop, Connie and Peter. 2007. Tales of Famous Americans. Illustrated by Charlie Powell. Scholastic.

Roop, Connie and Peter. 2010. Tales of Famous Heroes. Illustrated by Rebecca Zomcheck. Scholastic.

Roop, Connie and Peter. 2012. Tales of Famous Animals. Illustrated by Zachary Pullen. Scholastic.

Satterfield, Kathryn Hoffman. 2005. Benjamin Franklin: A Man of Many Talents. Time Inc.

Simon, Seymour. 1992. Our Solar System. Scholastic.

Schreiber, Anne. 2010. National Geographic Kids: Pandas. National Geographic Society.

Be sure to check out more informational text titles from these publishers, authors, and series:

• Adler, David (children's book biography author)
• Bishop, Nic (author and photographer of animal books)
• Cole, Joanna (author of The Magic School Bus series)
• DK Publishing
• Gibbons, Gail (author of informational picture books for kids)
• National Geographic Kids
• Scholastic Chapter Book Biography series
• Scholastic First Biographies series
• Scholastic True or False series
• Simon, Seymour (author of natural science books)
• St. George, Judith (author of presidential books)
• Time for Kids Biographies series
• Who Was/What Was series (Scholastic)
• Who Would Win? series (Scholastic)

Best Practices for Informational Texts

  It is important for students of all ages to be immersed in authentic literature, but it is equally important for students to be readers of informational texts as well. Informational texts open up worlds to the reader he/she may not know about. Since non-fiction books for children are divided into two main categories of biography or information, students are introduced to well known people, art, history, animals, sports, the environment, science, and many more topics through informational texts (Young et al., 2020).         Many adults hold negative feelings or memories from reading informational texts as young children, but informational texts today are “attractive and appealing” (Young et al., 2020, p. 208). Expository books have the power to stir readers’ interests and inspire passions. That is the way we have to capture children’s attention and motivate them to choose informational texts, as well as their favorite novel. As educators, we must share with our students the endless possibilities of things they can learn from informational texts.         Biographies are one type of informational text that can draw in a young audience. Biographies commonly portray the lives and stories of individuals with memorable personalities, careers, or accomplishments (Young et al., 2020). Biographies are no longer limited to people of the past, but now include those who are making present impacts in the world. Young readers are willing to read an informational text if it includes photographs, life stories, and is about a popular athlete, actress, or even a beloved author. These authentic biographies have taken on a new trend, structured like novels, but being read as “vigorous and enjoyable as good fiction” (Young et al., 2020, p. 191).         In order to put more expository texts in the hands of young readers, educators must evaluate the texts and consider the 5 A’s.  These include: authority of the author. How qualified is the author to write on the topic of the text? Next is accuracy of the text content. Did the author conduct research and establish reliability in the book? Third is the appropriateness of the book for the intended audience. Is the text in child friendly language if written for children? Does the author talk down to the readers? Then comes the artistry of literacy. Is the writing of the text quality? Does it engage the reader and present the information with voice and narrative devices? Lastly is the appearance of the book. Are there visual components to the book so that students will select that book instead of reject it (Young et al., 2020, pp. 209-210)?          Other best practices to consider when choosing informational books for a classroom library are to determine if the book will catch the reader’s attention. Just by thumbing through a text within a minute or two, we should be looking for attractive designs, little-known facts, unusual viewpoints, fascinating comparisons, or first-person accounts (Young et al., 2020).          The fiction genre encompasses many different writing styles, such as drama, poetry, novels, short stories, and more. The same is true for the non-fiction genre. Informational books can be written in many forms. Some of these formats are similar to fiction counterparts, such as traditional chapter books, informational picture books, concept books, and series. Others include activity books (which engage the reader beyond the reading), information in verse, journals and interviews, and reference books. Finally, another set of informational texts are geared towards the visual learner with graphic nonfiction, photo essays, pop-ups, and three-dimensional books (Young et al., 2020).         By following these best practice guidelines for informational texts, it will not be long before our young readers are found to be choosing nonfiction books for making new discoveries and pleasure reading in the classroom.

References

Young, T.A., Bryan, G., Jacobs, J.S., & Tunnel, M.O. (2020). Children’s literature, briefly
(7th ed.). Pearson Education, Inc.