Nonfiction Books for Writing Like a Scientist

The books I chose for today are both nonfiction books that would be good for any level student to use as a mentor text. As many kindergarteners are beginning the unit of study for the first time in this genre, it is important that they see books that will help them envision this type of writing. With imagination and approximation, these books will help children get excited about writing their own books. For the older students who will also be doing this work, these books are filled with ideas of how to turn their informational books into interesting nonfiction pieces.

Frank Serafini is one of my favorite authors, not just for nonfiction books, but also for his professional books  onn comprehension. He is an educator and avid nature photographer. His Looking Closely series inspires readers/writers to take another look at their surroundings. As the kindergarteners are writing like scientists, we teach them to look at things with new eyes. They are looking at things like scientists. Older students will do this in their content areas, too. These books are perfect for that idea. 

Gail Gibbons is one of the best nonfiction writers for young writers to use as a model. The books she writes are full of text features that the children can use in their own pieces. The samples of labeling, diagraming, and fun facts is perfect as a mentor for informational books.