Picture this: Your students have spent weeks working on individual reports. You have supplied advice, resources, and library time. When you receive and read the reports, they sound stilted and dull, are basically a litany of facts, and some even include information that has been literally "cut and pasted" from internet sources. Sound familiar? Unfortunately, this scenario is repeated over and over in classrooms across the nation.

So what is a teacher to do? That is the question the teachers here at the Oasis asked at the beginning of this school year. At about the same time we received in the mail an unassuming looking book titled Knowing How: Researching and Writing Nonfiction 3-8. Little did we know that it would change the way we taught in a profound way. Each of us ordered our own copy, read the book, and discussed it. We then implemented in our own classrooms (grades 4 through 8) the process described in the book. The results were amazing. For the first time we were reading reports that were a joy—not a chore—to read.

Knowing How is divided into two parts. In the first, the authors show step-by-step how to help your students create question-driven projects that analyze ideas, demonstrate critical thinking, and draw conclusions. Part two offers strategies and techniques that will help students write interesting, informative nonfiction that is infused with their own voices.

As we read the book we had several "aha!" moments. One of those came when the authors discussed the myth that, "Report writing is a straightforward process of gleaning facts, organizing them, and reporting . . . what was learned." The problem with this view is that—and here was the aha! moment—students have trouble "claiming ownership of new information" if the report amounts to nothing more than "nailed together facts."

Nailed together facts . . . that was exactly what many student reports amounted to. And that is exactly why students were not able to claim ownership of the new information they uncovered. This, we decided, was critically important to each of us. Having our students claim ownership of new information would be a major goal in our respective research projects. We were able to achieve that goal by using the framework offered in Knowing How. Instead of seeing the task as "finding and organizing information," we instead viewed it as an "issue driven" process.

The authors divide the process into seven stages, from "Exploring Topics," to "Going from Data to First Draft." As they explain and explore each of the stages, they offer practical information, pitfalls to avoid, and a multitude of examples. What is especially wonderful about the book is the way the authors take the reader into real classrooms and include the voices of real teachers and real students. Indeed, the authors work right alongside the students, creating their own reports.

At the heart of the information-gathering process is the "Data-Retrieval Chart." It offers an excellent way for students to record and organize their information. At the top of the chart the student writes his or her research question. He or she then breaks up the question into several smaller parts, with each part having one column. A column of "interesting facts" could then be added. The authors offer step-by-step information on teaching students how to use the chart.

Once your students have gathered the information necessary to write a report, the next step is taking that information and molding it into a well-written piece of nonfiction. In Part Two: Revising and Assessing, the authors offer strategies that will help them do just that. In one section they discuss ways to teach students how to organize the piece and transition from paragraph to paragraph. Another section explores how to write leads, and yet another how to write conclusions. Again, the information presented is practical and rooted in real writing by real students.

In addition to the information discussed herein, the book also offers examples of letters home to parents, graphic organizers, rubrics, scoring guides, and more. Especially helpful is the list of "Nonfiction Picture Books to Model Expository Writing Strategies."

A brief review such as this cannot do justice to Knowing How. It is jam-packed with ideas and information that will transform the way you teach researching and report writing. Highly recommended. District-wide purchase strongly encouraged.

Reviewed by the Education Oasis staff.