Format
The hour with the author can be very flexible. You can have up to 10 classes listening in or you can divide the hour and have the author spend a certain amount of time with individual classrooms. For example, each of four classes could have 15 minutes with the author.
Suggested questions?
How did you learn about__________?
What did you do to make sure kids would like what you wrote?
Is it hard to write? What do you do to make it easier?
What made you interested in _______________?
Objectives
1. to gain understanding of the process used by an author to write a Nonfiction Minute
2. to understand why short pieces are sometimes harder to write than long ones,
3. to gain insights into the writing process and how it can help them in their own work.
4. to develop an appreciation of nonfiction literature..
Standards Alignment
National Standards
The Common Core Standards for ELA emphasize listening, reading, writing and speaking skills. To meet these requirements students need to read widely and deeply. The Nonfiction Minutes are exemplary, high-interest, reading selections that foster these basic standards. The authors themselves are exemplars of masters of these standards. The Nonfiction Minutes lend themselves to a holistic approach to learning these standards and serve as mentor texts for students.