Harvey (1998) sums it up well when she said, “Inquiry requires that we dig beneath the surface to explore a topic, dwell in it, wonder about it, and find out information” (p. 2). The keys to teaching with nonfiction text are tapping into a student’s natural curiosity and passion for learning. In the following, you will hear parents and students alike chime in with their own voices on using the Wonder of the Day®:
Wonderopolis® Wonder of the Day® fosters and nurtures both by igniting the sparks of curiosity and fueling students’ passion for learning. It is the vehicle for exploration of nonfiction text in the 21st century. Can't wait to see where our Wonderings take us!
References
Harvey, S. (1998). Nonfiction matters: Reading,
writing, and researching in grades 3-8.
Markam, Ontario, Canada: Pembroke.
Layne, S. (2009). Igniting a passion for reading:
Successful strategies for building lifetime
readers. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.
National Center for Families Learning. (2012).
A day at Dollar General: Learn while
shopping. Retrieved from http://
archive.familieslearning.org/html/free-
resources/activities/learnandshop/
National Center for Families Learning. (2012).
Wonderopolis: Wonder of the day. Retrieved
Pearson, P.D., & Gallagher, M.C. (1983). The
instruction of reading comprehension.
Contemporary Educational Psychology, 8,
317-344.
Pimentel, S. (2012). Transitioning to the
common core standards [session presenta-
tion]. Presented at the 21st National Con-
ference on Family Literacy, San Diego, CA.
Success For All Foundation. (2008). 4-Sight
Reading Benchmarks. Baltimore, MD: Success
For All Foundation.
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"I can't wait to read
the Wonderopolis
team's response to my
comment. It makes
my day!"
--- a fifth-grade reader
"The Wonder of the Day® can be read to me online which helps me hear the words, and I can understand the meaning of words that might confuse me when I am silently reading nonfiction text." -- struggling fifth- grade reader
"The Wonder of the Day® is cool, and I can’t wait to access this at home with my family." -- fifth-grade reader
"It makes me wonder and ask questions!" -- fifth-grade reader
"The Wonder of the Day® is short and interesting nonfiction. I LOVE to make a prediction about the next day’s wonder." -- fifth-grade reader
"I can’t wait to read the Wonderopolis® team’s response to my comment. It makes my day!" -- fifth-grade reader
"What a GREAT way to get kids to read and interact in nonfiction text!" -- fifth-grade parent