Do you love nonfiction books? Check out the gallery below to learn about nonfiction books that have been recently added to our collection. Inspired by student requests, curriculum connections, the RI Children's Book Award nominees, and good book reviews, there is something for everybody. Read more below on how we explore nonfiction books in library class.
I LOVE nonfiction books. I always have a nonfiction book at my bedside even if I am in the middle of reading a novel. So, when we get to reviewing where nonfiction books live in our library, I get very excited. In all grades, I try to do quick book talks of recent nonfiction books we have purchased as well as books on topics that are very popular (aliens, animals, cooking, sports). We talk about how the nonfiction books are located on the right side of the library in the tall shelves (plus a smaller section of easy reader nonfiction in the picture book section) and discuss that nonfiction books are organized by topic with each topic assigned a different number aka The Dewey Decimal System. I know, I know, that name conjures up images of musty card catalogs and boring lectures on number classification, but students actually enjoy learning where there favorite nonfiction books are located. We usually have a scavenger hunt where I give them a number and they find a book that matches. Often students will ask if they can take that book out of the library because they hadn't known it existed. In the lower grades, I will give them a list of favorite nonfiction topics and they circle the ones that interest them. This gets them searching for topics of their choosing during their independent book look. Older students practice using our online library catalog to find their favorite nonfiction book topics. Our nonfiction books are great for students but many teachers also use the collection. For example, our kindergarten teachers need supplemental nonfiction books for students to browse through to go with their curriculums themes on community, animals and habitats, construction, and our earth. Our 5th grade teachers use nonfiction books for topics on Civil War, Civil Rights Movement, plants, poetry, and natural disasters. I'm very excited about our newest nonfiction books and can't wait for our school community to enjoy them!