Cart
Why are all of the stories nonfiction?
Repeated reading is best done with interesting, nonfiction material. The ideal length of stories for modeling and repeated reading is 100–400 words, which is also a good length for nonfiction. Most good fiction stories require more than 100–400 words.
Nonfiction stories also appeal to readers in a wide range of ages. Struggling readers are reading below grade level. You might have a third grader, fifth grader, or adult all reading the same second-grade level material. So, the stories must be interesting enough to appeal to many readers and not appear too young or immature, regardless of the level of vocabulary in the story.
Read Naturally stories present new information about unusual animals, people, inventions, etc., and as students do repeated readings, they increase their knowledge base and share it with parents, in class discussions, etc. It is motivating for students to learn interesting information about these topics to share.
Reading nonfiction can also encourage students that have not previously enjoyed reading to want to read more about a particular subject that interests them—so they not only enjoy learning to read but also begin to enjoy reading to learn.