Thematic Inquiry Through Fiction and Nonfiction, PreK to Grade 6 »

Everything you need to teach sound library lessons is right in this book!

· Includes both fiction and non-fiction books for grades PreK- 5

· Employs the productive and sound inquiry method for elementary students

· Attracts the interest of students and fires their intellectual curiosity while teaching to the standards

Explore how outstanding fiction and nonfiction titles can be integrated into thematic inquiry in preschool and elementary classrooms. Each thematic inquiry unit has four sections: Read it! describes a sample dialogic reading of one of the fiction or nonfiction books; Integrate it! gives concrete examples of how specialized subjects and technology can be integrated with the fiction or nonfiction selections; Do it! describes hands-on activities that are integral to the use of fiction and nonfiction for inquiry; and Assess it! enumerates across-the-curriculum standards met in the thematic inquiry. Targeted to teachers, librarians, and literacy coaches who work with preschool and elementary students, this is also a powerful and practical resource for administrators, parents, consultants, and professors interested in employing inquiry-based learning.

"This is an excellent guide for classroom teachers and school media specialists interested in adding inquiry-based collaborative lessons to their repertoire. . . . This guide will provide fresh ideas to those already comfortable with inquiry and a solid jumping off point for those beginning inquiry for the first time. The book will be a welcome addition to any elementary library's professional collection. Recommended."

Ch. 1 Setting the stage for inquiry-based learning 1

Ch. 2 Doing inquiry 9

Ch. 3 Inquiry into personal well-being 21

Ch. 4 Inquiry into products people make and use 47

Ch. 5 Inquiry into our community 71

Ch. 6 Inquiry into our natural environment 91

Works cited 119

Index 122