Read/Watch/Search these four different Mentor Texts:
Are You a Dragonfly?Links to an external site.
Do a search for one of the recommended books from this Nerdy Book Club post, The 2020 Nerdies: Top Nonfiction Picture BooksLinks to an external site.. Do an internet search for one of the books that looks interesting to you. You can most likely find some excerpts or a video with a read aloud of the book. (For example, here’s a reading of The Cat Man of AleppoLinks to an external site. by Karim Samsi-Basha and Irene Latham, which is on the list. Notice how this book combines exposition and narration?) Nerdy Book Club is a site curated by teachers who share books. Hasn’t been updated recently [sad], but still a great resource to bookmark for yourself.
How about infographics? How do they convey information in more readable ways? Do a search for educational infographics: What features or elements of writing make an infographic useful or engaging?
Finally, check out this Ignite talk from Marijke HechtLinks to an external site.. Ignite talks follow a format: 5 minutes with 20 slides that auto advance every 15 seconds. The idea is to convey information or offer a provocation in a short amount of time. What features stand out to you here? Did you notice the mix of exposition and argument she used to reach her audience?
Then, respond:
Prompt: What are some features of these texts that you notice or that stand out to you? How might we use these texts as models for our own writing? What work did the authors have to do to create these texts? What work might you need to do to write or record your expository text?
Links:
Are you a dragonfly: https://youtu.be/xnULzIIWTtA?si=jQhAOOP_97RDaQne
Picture book choice from nerdy book club post: https://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2020/12/27/the-2020-nerdies-nonfiction-picture-books-announced-by-lynsey-burkins/
Ignite talk: https://youtu.be/jFoH0QXC9I8?si=Jh45DTk4Q8HK9Inv
