What Is Nonfiction
Nonfiction is text based on facts, real events, and verifiable information. It includes biographies, memoirs, news articles, how-to guides, science texts, and reference materials. Unlike fiction, nonfiction makes a commitment to accuracy and can be fact-checked against reality.
For struggling readers, nonfiction presents both advantages and challenges. Many students find nonfiction more engaging because it connects to real-world interests: sports figures, historical events, animals, or how things work. However, nonfiction often carries denser vocabulary, more complex sentence structures, and assumes background knowledge that struggling readers may lack. A reader with weak phonics skills will struggle equally with fictional and nonfictional text, but nonfiction's technical vocabulary compounds the difficulty.
Nonfiction in Reading Instruction
Reading specialists increasingly incorporate nonfiction into literacy programs because research shows it improves engagement and word recognition. The National Reading Panel (2000) identified five critical components of reading instruction: phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and phonemic awareness. Nonfiction text strengthens all five, particularly vocabulary and comprehension.
When using the Orton-Gillingham approach with struggling readers, nonfiction works best after students master foundational phonics. Once a student can decode words reliably, introducing nonfiction aligned to their genre interests accelerates fluency gains. For example, a sixth grader with dyslexia who loves basketball will read nonfiction biographies more persistently than unrelated material, even if the reading level is slightly challenging.
Many IEPs (Individualized Education Programs) explicitly require exposure to both fiction and nonfiction at appropriate reading levels. Schools following evidence-based practices typically allocate 50 percent of reading time to nonfiction in elementary grades, increasing to 70 percent by high school, per Common Core State Standards recommendations.
Comprehension Strategies for Nonfiction
Nonfiction requires different comprehension approaches than fiction. Students need to:
- Identify main ideas and supporting details, rather than plot and character motivation
- Use text features like headings, captions, and diagrams to navigate dense information
- Distinguish between fact and opinion
- Build background knowledge systematically, as nonfiction often assumes prior understanding
- Recognize author purpose and bias
For students with dyslexia, breaking nonfiction into smaller chunks with explicit comprehension checks prevents cognitive overload. Pre-teaching key vocabulary (5 to 10 words per passage) before reading significantly improves comprehension rates.
Common Questions
- Should I use nonfiction if my child is still struggling with phonics? Yes, but choose carefully. Use nonfiction that matches their decoded reading level, not interest level. Phonics practice continues separately; nonfiction exposure during decodable reading time builds confidence and motivation alongside phonetic instruction.
- How do I know if a nonfiction text is appropriate for my student's IEP goals? Verify the reading level using Fountas and Pinnell or Lexile measures, check that vocabulary is mostly familiar (90 to 95 percent), and ensure the topic connects to the student's interests or curriculum goals. Reading specialists can assess fit during goal-setting meetings.
- Does nonfiction help with dyslexia specifically? Nonfiction doesn't treat dyslexia, but structured, high-interest nonfiction prevents the avoidance patterns that worsen reading delays. Combined with Orton-Gillingham or similar multisensory phonics instruction, nonfiction increases reading engagement and persistence.