Fiction and Nonfiction … Read the same?

Big Universe provides a wealth of both fiction and nonfiction stories to read. In my classroom, I often read fiction books with my students either as read alouds or in guided/independent reading time. We have end of the year test that use mostly pieces of nonfiction to assess reading skills..  Realizing that difference,  I think we need to help our children understand there are different ways to tackle reading a fiction story and a nonfiction story. The nonfiction books on Big Universe are a great place to start.

I have some questions that I use to think about the ways to approach reading these different genres. (I don’t necessarily use these questions exactly as they are worded here when I use them to talk to students.)

• What is that author’s goal when writing a fictional story?
• What is a reader’s goal when reading a fictional story?
• What is the author’s goal when writing a piece of nonfiction?
• What is the reader’s goal when reading a piece of nonfiction?

• What evidence or data does an author need to support the information provided in a fictional story?
• What evidence or data does an author need to support the information provided in a piece of nonfiction?

• Are there concepts and ideas that a reader needs to understand before reading a fictional a story?
• Are there concepts and ideas that a reader needs to understand before reading a piece of nonfiction?
• How can knowing about these concepts and ideas help a reader’s understanding/comprehension?
• How can not knowing about these concepts and ideas hurt a reader’s understanding/comprehension?

• What assumptions does a reader have concerning reading a fictional story?
• What assumptions does a reader have concerning reading a piece of nonfiction?
• What assumptions do writers make when choosing to write a certain genre?
• What assumptions do readers make when choosing to read a certain genre?

(These questions are based on Dr. Richard Paul’s Model of Critical Thinking)