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Idea-Noun Definition: Source Searching
A great idea for showing language arts pupils the universality of themes, even in the real world! Have class members choose an idea-noun (peace, justice, war, love, etc.) at the beginning of the year or semester. They complete weekly...
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The Purpose and Power of Persuasion
Examine the power of persuasion and have learners consider how it influences events in their own lives. After reading and analyzing informational texts to understand the author's purpose, class members take a written test and craft a...
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Role-Playing and Discovery: Literary Analysis
Introduce your class to the personal essay with this worksheet. Learners identify the subject of an essay and then record examples from the essay that represent the author's thoughts and feelings regarding the subject. While this...
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The Learning Network: Fill In 2011 Commencement Speeches
Meant to be used with the article "Words of Wisdom" also available on the New York Times website, this resource contains a fill in the blank exercise where learners complete the article by supplying missing words. Use words from the word...
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Nonfiction
As scholars begin using informational texts, it's important they understand their uses and features. This visual worksheet has readers match three text titles to corresponding pictures. Next, they examine a book cover with the...
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Question What You Read
Readers test their reading comprehension after reading a nonfiction text about Paleo Indians. (This text is in Alabama: It's History and Geography, but other texts can be used.) After reading the nonfiction article as a class, they...
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Super Summarizer!!!
Emerging readers summarize a nonfiction text using a five step process. After a brief demonstration of the five-step method for summarizing text, they read a nonfiction article and write their own summary. A checklist of each summary is...
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Farm Animals
Why are farm animals important to the community? Expand young farmers' knowledge of furry and feathered friends through stories and a video. There are several books recommended; however, you could use any book about farm animals. A video...
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Narrative Writing
A perfect nonfiction writing activity for the beginning of the year, the Life Line helps you get to know your pupils better and helps the children get to know one another. Later in the year the Star of the Week writing activity...
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Supporting Opinions: Handling the End of a Friendship
Four thought-provoking questions encourage readers to develop and support their opinions about strategies to end a friendship after exploring excerpts from a New York Times article. The reading is brief so this could be a lead-in to...
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Let's Learn Library Language
This PowerPoint presentation provides a review of 'library language', vocabulary associated with books and the library such as cover, title, author, illustrator, call number and fiction/nonfiction. Each slide of this PowerPoint displays...
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Reading Comprehension: Fiction and Nonfiction
This resource is made up of a series of reading passages with accompanying questions. On the first page, learners read the definitions of both fiction and non-fiction. They examine four short selections before writing either fiction or...
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An Introduction to Nonfiction
Examine the elements of nonfiction writings in this lesson. Learners list common features of nonfiction and compare nonfiction and fiction books on the same topic. Create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the two genres.
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The Learning Network: The First Middle School Chess Champs
Introduce some nonfiction reading into your classroom! This resource contains seven comprehension questions pertaining to an article from The New York Times website about the first middle schoolers to ever win the United States Chess...
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The Learning Network: Reactions to Rating Teachers
Meant to be used in connection with the article "In Teacher Ratings, Good Test Scores Are Sometimes Not Good Enough" also available on The New York Times website, this resource provides 12 short-answer writing prompts that ask both basic...
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Nonfiction Journal Prompts
In this nonfiction journal prompt worksheet, students respond to ten prompts related to a nonfiction book before and while reading the book. What information surprised you, and why did you choose this book are two examples.
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Traits of Nonfiction
Here are some lesson ideas for teaching students about the traits of nonfiction text.
Read Works
Biography
Familiarize your class with the genre of biography. After some direct instruction about biography, work together to discuss historical facts and significant events from A Picture Book of Anne Frank by David A. Adler. In order to assess...
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Lesson 1: Identifying Information in Nonfiction
If you are in need of a lesson plan on identifying information in a non-fiction text, look no further. The class learns how to use a KWL chart to identify explicit information in the book, Frogs by Gail Gibbons. They fill out the KWL...
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Comparing and Contrasting Fiction and Nonfiction
Second graders analyze differences between fiction and nonfiction texts. In this compare and contrast instructional activity, 2nd graders review texts, discuss similarities and differences, and complete a Venn Diagram.
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Lesson 3: Nonfiction
Introduce young readers to the word of non-fiction. They examine the features found in non-fiction books such as, facts, dates, and realistic pictures. They discuss how the images in the book Your Pet Dog depict real dogs doing real...
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Evaluating Nonfiction Texts
Students evaluate nonfiction text. In this evaluating nonfiction lesson students read two pieces of nonfiction text and respond with a short free-writing piece. Students discuss the content and focus on the accuracy.
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To Go West or Not to Go West, That is the Question
Students answer the question,"To go West or not to go West?". In this nonfiction lesson students read a piece of nonfiction about going West during the 18th century. Students use a graphic organizer to compare and contrast the pros and...
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Compare and Contrast Information from Multiple Sources - Wolong's Pandas
Students compare and contrast information on the declining population of pandas by looking at 3 different sources: one handout and two videos. Students generate ideas for why pandas are declining and fill out a compare/contrast chart of...