ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a look at how teachers organize non-fiction kinds of learning in literacy time and in other lessons across the curriculum. It looks at gender differences in children’s reading of information material and addresses how non-fiction reading and writing can be assessed and progress recorded. One good outcome of the 2006 National Literacy Strategy (NLS) Framework was that it formalized the place of non-fiction literacy in the classroom. A positive contribution made by the NLS was an emphasis on the direct teaching of non-fiction text types. However, this direct teaching sometimes risked separating the non-fiction texts from their context in learning across the curriculum. While the Centre for Literacy in Education studies found evidence that reinforcing boys’ interest in non-fiction texts helped their confidence in reading and writing, it was also noted that, given the chance to talk and reflect, many boys responded enthusiastically to powerful fiction.
