Inside Information: Developing Powerful Readers and Writers of Informational Text Through Project-Based Instruction

A leading authority in using informational text shows teachers how to develop project-based units on reading, writing, and researching major text types—informative/explanatory, persuasive, procedural/how-to, nonfiction narrative, and biographical.

A leading authority in using informational text shows teachers how to develop project-based units on reading, writing, and researching major text types-informative/explanatory, persuasive, procedural/how-to, nonfiction narrative, and biographical.

Most teachers understand the importance of teaching children to read and write informational text. But how do they do it effectively? And in a way that is truly engaging? Nell K. Duke has the answer. With this book, she shows teachers how to build skills in reading and writing major informational text types-informative/explanatory, persuasive: opinion, procedural/how-to, nonfiction narrative, and biography-through project-based instruction. Children read and write for real purposes and real audiences on topics that matter to them. In the process, they make a difference in the world.

Drawing from the latest research, Duke explains how to design and carry out instruction, providing a blueprint for developing project-based units from start to finish-units that move children through a logical progression of phases:

• Project Launch
• Reading and Research
• Writing and Research
• Revision and Editing
• Presentation and Celebration

Packed with clear, precise connections to Common Core State Standards, classroom-tested teaching ideas, and the work of practicing teachers and their students, this book will be an essential resource for years to come.

Nell K. Duke, Ed.D., is a professor in literacy, language, and culture and in the combined program in education and psychology at the University of Michigan. Dr. Duke’s award-winning research focuses on early literacy development. Her areas of expertise include development of informational reading and writing in young children, comprehension development and instruction in early schooling, and issues of equity in literacy education. Dr. Duke is the co-author of Literacy and the Youngest Learner (Scholastic), and author of Inside Information and Information in Action (Scholastic).