Critique Nonfiction

Young people need to be able to judge the value nonfiction materials and make decisions about the accuracy, timeliness, and perspectives of these works.

Key words: appraises, argues, assesses, chooses, compares, concludes, contrasts, criticizes, defends, describes, discriminates, estimates, evaluates, explains, interprets, judges, justifies, predicts, rates, relates, selects, summarizes, supports.

Fact vs Fantasy

Young children need to begin critiquing the books that they read. They need to distinguish fact from fantasy.

• Standards
  • English Standard K.3.1. Distinguish fantasy from reality. (Core Standard)
  • English Standard 1.3.4. Distinguish fantasy from reality.
  • English Standard 2.3.6. Recognize the difference between fantasy and reality.
• Activity
  1. Compare fiction and nonfiction books on the same topic.
  2. Create a chart showing fact and fantasy.
  3. Try the Read or Make believe graphic organizer from Kidspiration.
  4. Create your own based on a current topic or the images from books.
• Resources
  • Fictional books about the beach and tidepool animals.
  • Look Into a Tide Pool (Grade 1 w/ audio)
  • What Happens in a Tide Pool? (Grade 2 w/ audio)

Evaluating Nonfiction

Regardless of whether students are evaluating websites or nonfiction books, the criteria for evaluation is similar.

Read Hints About Print interactive and lesson.

Criteria

Accuracy

• Is the information fact or opinion? How can you tell?
• Is the content reality or fantasy? How can you tell?
• Is the information valid?

Timeliness

• When was the information gathered? What is the copyright date?
• Is current, timely information provided? How do you know?

Perspectives

• Is the author bias? What is the intent of the author?
• Does the information provide a particular point of view?
• Is the work balanced or bias? How can you tell?
• Does the book provide alternative perspectives?
• Is the author trying to persuade?

Visuals

• Were the visuals useful for you understanding?
• How would you change the visuals? If so, how?
• What other types of visuals would you use such as illustrations, cartoons, cut-aways, close-ups, maps, charts, diagrams, graphs, or photographs?
• Were the labels and captions for visuals effective?

Organization

• Was the book well-organized?
• Was a table of contents provided? Was is useful? Do you like or dislike the chapter titles?
• Was an index provided? Was the index useful?
• Was a glossary provided? If so, was it useful? If you were writing a glossary, how would you make it different?

Overall

• What's missing from the book?
• What would you include if you were writing a book?
• Is there a section that's too lengthy? If so, what would you cut out?
• Is the book interesting or boring? Why? Provide an example.

Intermediate Activity Idea

• Identify a collection of nonfiction books by the same author or on the same topic such as Jim Murphy or books of the American Revolution time period..
• Ask students to read and evaluate the book using the criteria above.
• Compare and contrast the various books using a class wall chart.

Resources

• Jim Murphy Books (Author website)
• Across America on an Emigrant Train (Google Limited Preview)
• An American Plague (Google Limited Preview)
• Gone A-Whaling: The Lure of the Sea and the Hunt for the Great Whale (Google Limited Preview)
• The Long Road to Gettysburg (Google Limited Preview)
• Pick & Shovel Poet: The Journeys of Pascal D'Angelo (Google Limited Preview)
• The Real Benedict Arnold (Google Limited Preview) by Jim Murphy
• Others: Blizzard, The Great Fire.

Use the following tools to help students find and evaluate resources:

• Investigative Searching from 21st Century Information Literacy
  • Find/Evaluate Author
  • Find/Evaluate Publisher
  • Find/Evaluate Date
  • Find/Evaluate Links
  • Other Evidence
  • Evaluation Challenge
• Evaluation Tools
  • NARA: Evaluating Primary Source Materials

Logic and Reasoning in Nonfiction

Opinions/Editorials. Involve students in examining an author's logic and reasoning.

• Standards
  • English Standard 6.2.9. Identify problems with an author's use of figures of speech, logic, or reasoning (assumption and choice of facts or evidence).
  • English Standard 7.2.9. Identify problems with an author's figures of speech and faulty logic or reasoning. (Core Standard)
  • English Standard 8.2.6. Evaluate the logic (inductive or deductive argument), internal consistency, and structural patterns of text. (Core Standard)
• Middle School Activity Idea
  1. Read opinions and editorials in e-newspapers.
  2. Create a T-chart separating facts and opinions.
  3. Create a chart tracing the logic of the author.
  4. Use arrows and colors to show flaws in reasoning.
  5. Write your own editorial using facts and opinions.
• Resources
  • Specific Starting Points
    • Indianapolis Star: Opinions
    • US News and World Report
  • Lists of Op/Ed Resources
    • Opinion/Editorial Newspapers List
    • My Virtual Newspaper Opinion Sections List

Debate. Involve young people in seeking multiple perspectives on issues and thinking about the author's use of figures of speech, choice of facts, logic, and reasoning.

• Standards
  • English Standard 6.2.9. Identify problems with an author's use of figures of speech, logic, or reasoning (assumption and choice of facts or evidence).
  • English Standard 7.2.9. Identify problems with an author's figures of speech and faulty logic or reasoning. (Core Standard)
  • English Standard 8.2.6. Evaluate the logic (inductive or deductive argument), internal consistency, and structural patterns of text. (Core Standard)
• Intermediate Activity Idea
1. Examine materials that provide provide both sides of controversial issues to jumpstart a debate project.
   • Example. Read the first chapter of one of the following books:
   • The Pros and Cons of Wind Power (Google Limited Preview) by Richard Spilsbury, Louise Spilsbury
   • The Pros and Cons of Water Power (Google Limited Preview) by Richard Spilsbury, Louise Spilsbury
• Middle School Activity Idea
  1. Go to the idebate website from the International Debate Education Association. Select a debate topic.
• Middle School Activity Idea
  • Go to Future Foods and read Pro GM and No GM.
  • Create a chart reviewing the facts and opinions on both sides.
  • Find another author to supports one of the two sides of the issue.
  • Write about your stand on the issue.

Science and Nonfiction Critique

Are You Sure? Science and Nonfiction

• English Standards
  • English Standard 5.2.5. Distinguish among facts, supported inferences, evidence, and opinions in text. (Core Standard)
  • English Standard 6.2.6. Determine the appropriateness of the evidence presented for an author's conclusions and evaluate whether the author adequately supports inferences.
  • English Standard 7.2.4. Identify and trace the development of an author's argument, point of view, or perspective in text. (Core Standard)
• Science Standards
  • Science Standard 2.5.4. Begin to recognize and explain that people are more likely to believe ideas if good reasons are given for them.
  • Science Standard 3.2.7. Ask "How do you know?" in appropriate situations and attempt reasonable answers when others ask the same question.
  • Science Standard 4.2.7. Identify better reasons for believing something than "Everybody knows that . . ." or "I just know" and discount such reasons when given by others.
  • Science Standard 5.1.2. Begin to evaluate the validity of claims based on the amount and quality of the evidence cited.
  • Science Standard 7.1.4. Describe that different explanations can be given for the same evidence, and it is not always possible to tell which one is correct without further inquiry.
  • Science Standard 7.2.8. Question claims based on vague attributes such as "Leading doctors say?" or on statements made by celebrities or others outside the area of their particular expertise.
  • Science Standard 8.2.10. Identify and criticize the reasoning in arguments in which fact and opinion are intermingled or the conclusions do not follow logically from the evidence given, an analogy is not apt, no mention is made of whether the control group is very much like the experimental group, or all members of a group are implied to have nearly identical characteristics that differ from those of other groups.
• Activity Idea
  1. Go to Highlights Kids: Science and select an article from Animals, The Earth, Outer Space, Science in Action, or Thinkers and Doers.
  2. Create a list of claims found in the article.
  3. Look for another source that supports each claim.
  4. Use graphic organizers to show results.

Social Studies and Persuasive Communication

• Standards
  • English Standard 6.2.8. Identify how an author's choice of words, examples, and reasons are used to persuade the reader of something.
  • English Standard 6.7.9. Identify persuasive and propaganda techniques (such as the use of words or images that appeal to emotions or an unsupported premise) used in electronic media (television, radio, online sources) and identify false and misleading information.
  • English Standard 7.2.8. Identify methods (such as repetition of words, biased or incomplete evidence) an author uses to persuade the reader. (Core Standard)
  • English Standard 7.2.10. Identify and explain instances of persuasion, propaganda, and faulty reasoning in text, such as unsupported or invalid premises or inferences and conclusions that do not follow the premise.
  • Social Studies Standard 7.1.15. Exploration, Conquest and Post-Colonial States: 1500 to the Present. Describe the Japanese imperial period (1868-1945), including Japan's involvement in World War II.
• Middle/ High Activity Idea
  • Go to the Powers of Persuasion exhibit from NARA
  • Go to Digital Vaults from National Archives.
  • Create a poster or film.
• Middle/High Activity Idea
  • Go to Propaganda Filmmaker.
  • Follow the directiosn to learn about propaganda and create your own poster or film.
• Teacher Resources
  • Presenting Persuasively
  • Teaching with Documents from NARA
  • Writing a Persuasive Letter from Scholastic

Use tools to scaffold persuasive reading and writing

• Inspiration/Kidspiration: Persuasive Essay graphic organizer
• Persuasive Map from ReadWriteThink
• Write a Persuasive Essay from Time for Kids
• Persuasive Essay Writing from Scholastic