Young researchers : informational reading and writing in the early and primary years / Margaret Mallett.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

List of illustrations -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- 1. Informational reading and writing: A developmental approach -- Introduction: some recent history -- The texts: informational reading and writing -- Criteria for judging non-fiction -- Illustrations -- Kinds of reading and writing -- Language as a social phenomenon -- The children: a developmental approach -- Teaching and learning strategies -- Helping children organise prior knowledge -- Starting from the specific -- Children's questions -- Modelling different kinds of non-fiction reading -- Collaboration: creating a community of young researchers -- Integrating reading and writing with other activities -- Supporting children's organisation of their writing -- Helping with the creation of illustrations -- Sharing all that has been learnt -- Assessing progress -- Statutory requirements -- The National Curriculum -- The National Literacy Strategy and the literacy hour -- Non-fiction in schools' policies -- Further reading -- Children's books mentioned -- 2. Pre-school and nursery years (0-5): Entering the world of information -- Introduction -- Non-fiction books and resources for the very young -- Very early books: alphabet, number and colour -- Non-fiction picture books -- Early reference books -- Software -- A word about illustrations -- Involving children with the books and resources -- Information Communication Technology -- Early non-fiction writing -- Case study 2.1. Journeys -- Case study 2.2. Ourselves -- Conclusion -- Issues to discuss and consider -- Further reading -- Children's books and resources mentioned -- Software -- Star books for the under-fives -- 3. Informational reading and writing at key stage 1 (5-7): Enjoying and learning about finding out -- Introduction -- Range issues: materials that are 'individual, strong and alive' -- Picture books and early information books -- Non-narrative texts -- Reference materials -- Big books -- Non-fiction in reading schemes -- Software -- Illustrations -- Strategies to support children's reading and writing across the curriculum -- Involving children with the organisation of resources -- Supporting reading for information -- Supporting children's non-fiction writing -- Writing with a word processor -- The National Curriculum at key stage 1 (5-7) -- The literacy hour at key stage 1 -- Case study 3.1. Snails -- Case study 3.2. The impact of the word processor on early writing -- Case study 3.3. Drama and writing -- Conclusion -- Issues to discuss and reflect on -- Further reading -- Children's books and resources mentioned -- Reading schemes -- Software -- Star books: nourishing wonder and curiosity -- 4. Informational reading and writing at key stage 2 (7-9): Making progress in satisfying and pleasurable contexts -- Introduction -- Range issues: choosing texts to inform and to feed the imagination -- Chronological non-fiction -- Non-narrative texts -- Big books -- Reading schemes and programmes -- Reference material -- Software -- Letters, flyers, newspaper articles and advertisements -- Illustrations to invite young readers in -- Strategies to help children make progress -- Supporting children's non-fiction reading -- Supporting children's non-fiction writing -- The National Curriculum at key stage 2: non-fiction reading -- Non-fiction in the literacy hour, Years 3 and 4 -- Case study 4.1. Making pizza -- Case study 4.2. Animals in danger -- Conclusion -- Issues to discuss and reflect on -- Further reading -- Children's books and resources mentioned -- Software -- Star books for the mid-primary years -- 5. Informational reading and writing at key stage 2 (9-11): Meeting new challenges creatively -- Introduction -- Range issues: existing and new genres -- Range of non-fiction genres in the National Curriculum and the literacy hour -- Developing children's understanding of genres already encountered -- New genres for Years 5 and 6 -- Software and the Internet -- Illustrations: a neglected element of non-fiction books and resources -- Strategies to support reading and writing across the curriculum -- Non-fiction in the literacy hour: reading at text, sentence and word level -- Scaffolding reading -- Supporting non-fiction writing -- Case study 5.1. Learning from illustrations -- Case study 5.2. Journalistic kinds of writing -- Case study 5.3. Learning to express a viewpoint -- Conclusion -- Issues to discuss and reflect on -- Further reading -- Children's books and resources mentioned -- Software -- Star books for older juniors -- 6. Young researchers with special literacy needs -- Introduction -- Range of resources -- Choosing books and resources for struggling young readers -- Choosing books and resources for gifted young readers -- Strategies to help -- Scaffolding for struggling readers and writers -- Encouraging gifted young readers and writers -- Helping children learn English as a second language -- Girls, boys and non-fiction -- Case study 6.1. Whales -- Case study 6.2. Using the computer -- pets -- Case study 6.3. Fossils and dinosaurs -- Case study 6.4. Squirrel illnesses -- Case study 6.5. Dolphins -- Case study 6.6. Plague doctor -- Issues to discuss and reflect on -- Further reading -- Children's books and resources mentioned -- ICT for children with special literacy needs -- 7. Recording progress: Assessment of children's informational reading and writing -- Introduction -- Formative assessment -- The role of observation -- Recording progress -- Children's reading diaries or journals -- Collecting examples of children's work -- Responding to children's writing -- Children's self-assessment -- Summative assessment -- Standard Assessment Tasks for reading and writing -- The National Literacy Strategy and Assessment -- Issues to discuss and reflect on -- Further reading -- Postscript -- Appendix -- References -- Name index -- Subject index.