Back to Chapter 6: Nonfiction Writing in the Real World

Every time I read this chapter, new teaching ideas bombard my brain. One of the sections of this chapter that grabbed my attention was Nature All Around Us on page 146. Unfortunately, I don't have  Where I Live by Eileen Spinelli, but I have another book that I think would motivate students to wonder, explore, and examine their everyday world.  The book is Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature by Nicola Davies. I was thinking this would be a great mentor text to revisit frequently throughout the year. And because it is a book of poetry, I can pick and choose selections that fit what I might be teaching. I can visualize students taking pictures of what is outside their classroom windows or taking walks around the school to see what they can notice and recording their noticings in their writer's notebook. Actually, in the past, I've done poetry walks with groups of kids with great success. But I think adding this book as a mentor text would make it a much richer learning experience--sort of like a writing marathon for elementary students.