(BPT) - By Melissa Taylor, M.Ed., former elementary teacher and K-12 literacy trainer
Nonfiction is essential in a child's reading diet. Most children primarily read fiction, but as they progress in their education, they will be expected to primarily read for information. That means they must be able to comprehend informational/expository texts as they progress through the grades. The only way to equalize a child's comprehension in nonfiction to their fiction reading level is to practice reading high-quality nonfiction. Practice makes progress. Not perfection, but progress! That's the goal.
As a child reads facts, they're learning useful new information. This new information builds background knowledge and teaches them new words about the subject matter.
Knowing more vocabulary words and having a greater depth of background knowledge improves reading comprehension in both fiction and nonfiction. How? By providing context and a connection when kids encounter similar reading material in the future.
Hands down, the National Geographic Kids Almanac is a top nonfiction reading choice for kids in elementary and middle school. It's what children's nonfiction authors Melissa Stewart and Marlene Correia call "browsable" nonfiction, because readers can start and stop at any page of the book. It's not a front-to-back kind of reading experience, and most kids love that.
You can also help kids level up their nonfiction reading by explaining how text features like subheadings, photographs and fact boxes help organize and prioritize information, and by sharing specific nonfiction reading comprehension strategies.
Practice using text features in the Almanac
Ask your reader to use the table of contents to pick a topic that looks interesting.
Flip to that section. Ask your reader to find: a heading, a subhead, an illustration, a photo, and a caption. Have them point out each one and read the text out loud. Now, ask them to read the whole section.
After they read, ask the reader what they learned and if they thought the text features helped organize the information they read.
Ask readers to flip to the index and find an animal. What page is it on?
Ask if they can explain the difference between a table of contents and the index. Help them compare the similarities and differences. Ask why they might use one instead of the other.
Nonfiction reading strategies
General reading skills can be strengthened by using specific nonfiction reading strategies. These include determining importance, accessing background knowledge, asking questions, and summarizing information.
Brainstorm with your reader how to tell if information is important or just interesting. Ask these questions:
Can you figure out what's important using the heading or title? What's an interesting fact you learned? What's the important big idea? How do the text features help you figure it out?
The Almanac exposes kids to a wide world of background knowledge in an engaging, accessible way, from spelunking to ice climbing to cave diving and beyond! Here's an example. A child encounters an article about spelunking. If they've never been exposed to the word or concept, it makes comprehension much harder. But, if the reader knows a little about spelunking, they'll be better able to comprehend the text about it.
Reinforce kids' curiosity by encouraging them to pick something they want to learn about. There will be implied questions. Ask your reader to tell you what they are wondering about the topic.
A beneficial feature of the Almanac is its multitude of short text passages. The more readers explore the content, the more practice they get summarizing short passages. Observing your reader's ability to tell you about what they read - or if they are struggling to tell you about what they read - can be a diagnostic tool. Could it be that they can't differentiate what's important? Are you sure they're comprehending what they are reading? Answering these questions will help you guide them as they continue to read and learn.
Building knowledge, expanding vocabulary, encouraging curiosity, asking questions, forming opinions, having conversations, and developing critical thinking skills about the world … these are just some of the outcomes - and tools for success - that nonfiction provides. Plus, research shows that when kids have access, they enjoy both fiction and nonfiction equally.
Ready to start reading? Grab your own National Geographic Kids Almanac 2025 at any bookstore or library!