Resource+L1

Table of Contents << Resources << Lesson 1 of 10 __**Resource:**__ Non-fiction Textbooks


 * Healey, J. (2006). //Tobacco Use//. NSW: The Spinney Press.


 * Healey, J. (2011). //Tobacco Smoking//. NSW: The Spinney Press.

**__ Relevance to the KLA outcomes: __**

Discusses the factors influencing personal health choices. || Non-fiction textbooks provide detailed and explicit knowledge about the topic. The main benefits of non-fiction textbooks are that they predominately entail all the essential information and facts needed for the reader to gain a thorough idea of the topic in which the book is writing about. || Makes positive contributions in group activities. DMS2.2: Makes decisions as an individual and as a group member. || As the particular resource provides a wide scope of content, i t encourages students who are working in groups to take the initiative to organise sections for individuals to focus on, then combine the information together in the end. ||
 * **__PDHPE__** ||
 * PHS2.12:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">INS2.3:
 * <span style="color: #190101; display: block; font-family: 'palatino linotype','book antiqua',palatino,serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">**__ENGLISH__** ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">TS2.1: Communicates in informal and formal classroom activities in school and social situations for an increasing range of purposes on a variety of topics across the curriculum. || <span style="color: #1e0101; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Through the use of non-fiction textbooks as a resource, factual information can be explored by students for effective learning. When more informative knowledge is gained by students it is likely that informal and formal<span style="color: #240505; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> discourse within and beyond t he classroom will also increase. ||

<span style="color: #260303; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 13px;">**__Aspects of literacy explored:__**

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Non-fiction textbooks are predominantly known to having dense presentations of concepts (Byrce, 2011, p. 475). To assist students in getting passionately involved in finding and deconstructing information in non-fiction textbooks, teachers should adhere that their students know precisely what information they are looking for and why they are looking for it. By ensuring that students have an understanding of what is asked of them, purpose and meaning will be formed to engage students in the process of acquiring information (Bryce, 2011, p. 477).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> By exploring non-fiction textbooks, students’ will be exposed to meaningful and authentic literacy. As non-fiction textbooks commonly exhibit dense informational texts, Byrce (2011) suggests reading strategies that may help reading of non-fiction textbooks less complicated through various reading strategies (p. 475). These include rereading the text, examining boldface words, and attending to context clues (Bryce, 2011, p. 475).

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #190101; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 10pt;">By exploring n on-fiction textbooks students’ comprehension skills will also be <span style="color: #190101; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 10pt;">developed. For effective learning and understanding, students must make meaning of what they have read (Spence, 2006, p. 119). Spence (2006) suggests that an effective teaching strategy to comprehension is through explicit questioning. With teacher assistance in asking effective questions, students will be guided to the important sections of the text (p.119).

<span style="color: #130101; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**__ Pros: __**

<span style="color: #130101; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 13px;">- Content of appropriate and useful non-fiction/information books are explicit to student's learning

<span style="color: #0a0000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 13px;">- Allows students to gain skills of independent research - students are encouraged to seek their own information rather than simply given by teachers

<span style="color: #1e0101; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 13px;">- Encourages student self-learning on differentiating what is useful information and what is not

<span style="color: #270202; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**__ Cons: __**

<span style="color: #270202; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 13px;">- Teachers need to ensure that the non-fiction/information books are suitable for students’ ability and age group.

<span style="color: #1e0101; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 13px;">- There may be other content in the non-fiction/information books that are not essential to students' learning, understanding of what kind of information is required needs to be clear for students.

<span style="color: #090101; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**__ References: __** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 80%;">Bryce, N. (2011). //Meeting the reading challenges of science textbooks in the primary grades//. The reading Teaching, 64(7). <span style="color: #130101; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 80%;">Spence, B. (2006). //Designing challenging reading strategies for students in the middle years//. In Ewing, R. (Ed.) //Beyond the reading wars//, PETA: Australia.