Countdown to Non-Fiction Writing is a comprehensive and flexible resource designed to help pupils prepare for, understand and write non-fiction texts. It aims to boost children’s confidence, enjoyment and relevance in writing tasks and to cultivate a range of decision-making and problem-solving skills that can then be applied across the curriculum.

Review: In recent years, much of the focus in teaching non-fiction writing to children has been upon mastering techniques and compiling lists of features for different text types. Steve Bowkett’s more philosophical approach is refreshingly different. In Countdown to Non-Fiction Writing , the emphasis is on understanding underlying principles of how texts work and on developing thinking skills to probe beneath their surface.

The first half of the book explicitly aims to foster children’s critical literacy, encouraging them to engage actively with the language of texts and to ‘question, doubt, challenge’. There are sections on the problematic nature of fact and fiction, truth and opinion, as well as activities designed to develop questioning skills and to recognise ambiguous, emotive or misleading language use.

The second half then moves on to consider specific genres of non-fiction, exploring the techniques, but also the purposes and thinking behind writing to persuade, discuss and inform. Thus, treatment of discursive texts covers not only structure and style, but also the importance of backing up points with reasoned arguments and of respectfully considering alternative viewpoints. Use of connectives (or ‘sticky words’) is explored, but not without the reminder that “while connectives might do their job ‘grammatically’, they don’t necessarily ensure that the statements so formed are valid” (p. 84).

The author is passionate about etymology and frequently invites the reader to consider the root meanings of words. This sometimes leads to surprising flashes of insight, such as when he links ‘text’ with ‘textiles’ (both with origins in ‘to weave’) and then invites us to consider the purpose, audience and style of a piece of writing by likening it to designing a piece of clothing.

Impressed though I was by the ideas Bowkett explored, I was much less convinced by the structure of the book itself. Organised into themed modules, there are sections for teachers followed by pages intended for ‘self study’ by pupils. However, I struggled to see how I would actually use these in a primary classroom (the book is aimed at 7-12 year-olds). Discussion questions and activities are suggested, but these are often either immediately followed by answers (requiring great self-control not to simply copy) or else require additional resources or input to be provided by the teacher. I also found some of the attempts to engage pupils’ interest through humour slightly forced and unhelpful. Personally, I would use the book more as a repository of possible teaching approaches, dipping into it through the helpfully full contents and index.

Overall, however, this book offers a wealth of ideas for thinking more deeply about non-fiction and should prove a useful companion for teachers particularly in Upper KS2 and KS3. Adopting its approaches should provoke lively discussion, support the development of thinking skills across the curriculum and help children to grow into active and discerning readers and writers.

2010-01-17