Week 11: Non-Fiction (Informational)
Instructions for Weekly Online Activities/Assignments

ENGL 231: JC Clapp (North Seattle Community College)

Due no later than Thursday, December 10th, 2009 by 11:00 p.m. PST:  Choose two books of non-fiction written for children about the same general topic. For instance, you could choose two informational books about farm animals or two informational books about architecture. Once you have your two books, evaluate them, individually and as a set, according to the criteria established on page 497 of Chapter 11.  (The criteria are also online, if you don't have your book with you: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073378569/student_view0/chapter11/evaluation_guides.html) Create a comprehensive post that includes complete evaluations of your two chosen books. Then, compare and contrast them by indicating the strengths and weaknesses of each. Be sure to include the titles, authors, publishers, and copyright dates (all the bibliographic data) as well in your post!  Title your post with the non-fiction topic your books are about.

Due no later than Monday, December 14th, 2009 by 11:00 p.m. PST: Read all of your classmates evaluation posts, and then see if anybody else posted about the same general topic you did.  If so, look at how the various books about that period or event differ.  Notice and point out how different non-fiction books are crafted differently for different ages. Point out how the content and perspectives of the different books varies. If there seems to be a gold-standard “winner” for a particular topic, discuss what makes that book particularly strong. Conversely, if there’s a book that really misses the mark, point out why you think so. Respond to at least two of your peers’ posts.