Why Informational Texts? Because students like them! And the more they read, the better readers they become. While this is not the only reason students should be reading nonfiction, a 1998 study by Kletzien and Szabo showed that elementary school boys and girls chose nonfiction over fiction nearly half the time--contrary to their teachers' expectations. Primary students and boys were especially likely to prefer nonfiction. Boys' preference for nonfiction increases over time--by fourth grade, boys are likely to prefer nonfiction over fiction.

Other reasons for nonfiction. Most of what we read in print as adults--as much as 84%--is nonfiction. This percentage is probably even higher now given the ubiquitousness of the Internet. Nonfiction reading techniques like skimming, summarizing, and evaluating what has been read are critical to successful online information gathering. Reading and writing nonfiction gives children a way to learn about the world and to pursue subjects of interest to them, and pass that knowledge on to others. And of course, most passages in standardized tests, and students' fourth grade textbooks, will be nonfiction.

Providing informational texts and teaching comprehension strategies. Providing access to informational text is critical for all the reasons listed above, but not always achieved. A 2000 study by Duke found that high-SES districts were much more likely to have informational texts available to students than were low-SES districts. However, students also need direct instruction to learn to read informational texts effectively. Challenges of instructional text include specialized vocabulary and possible lack of prior knowledge, the need for scanning and skimming skills, and understanding particular types of text structures. The links below contain many excellent comprehension strategies for reading informational text, and innovative ways to model and scaffold them for your students.