Curated OER
Produce a Nonfiction Text
In this language arts instructional activity, students look for the facts and create several nonfiction texts while including useful information for the reader.
Curated OER
Read Research and Report
Third graders organize information from fiction and nonfiction trade books to add to the understanding of a /curricular topic. They prepare oral presentations that reflect their understanding, show organization and include appropriate...
Curated OER
Analyzing Nonfiction Text Elements - Editorials
Students examine the text features of non-fiction. In this literacy lesson, students read editorial samples provided by their instructor and analyze the texts for word choice, details, and organization.
Curated OER
Pizzeria (reading Encouragement)
Students create a pizzeria atmosphere in the classroom with Italian music, pizza menus and checkered table cloths. They compare their different tastes in pizza toppings to different tastes in reading. Then they use a reading menu to...
Curated OER
Creating a Newspaper
Get the scoop with a fun, engaging newspaper project. After analyzing the parts of a newspaper, including the headline, subtitles, and pictures or images, young journalists get to work by writing their own stories in a newspaper article...
National Council of Teachers of English
Writing Acrostic Poems with Thematically Related Texts in the Content Areas
Scholars scour thematically aligned texts to gather a bank of words they can use in an original acrostic poem.
Reed Novel Studies
Theodore Boone - Kid Lawyer: Novel Study
A child lawyer is exactly what people need ... not! With the novel study for John Grisham's Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer, pupils use their imaginations to create their own examples of sarcasm. They also research a chosen famous lawyer and...
Curated OER
Genre
In this genre study PowerPoint presentation, students read the definitions and characteristics of each literary genre. There are 17 genres that the PowerPoint presentation addresses, such as science fiction, tall tales and poetry.
Curated OER
One * Two * Three * Story
Second graders explore sequencing by drawing events of a story in order. In this sequence of events instructional activity, 2nd graders are read a story such as "The 3 Little Pigs", they recall the events from the fairy tale in...
Curated OER
Very Good Facts About Very Good Books
Young scholars identify the characteristics of fiction and non-fiction texts. In this genre study lesson, students read the books A Butterfly Alphabet Book and I Wish I Were a Butterfly. Young scholars develop a graphic organizer to...
Curated OER
Mississippi River
Students study scanning and skimming techniques. In this research skills activity, students use the research techniques on print literature about the Mississippi River. Students prepare book talks on the literature they read.
Curated OER
Non-Fiction Read-aloud
Students listen to the reading of a book about the area of science they are currently studying.
Curated OER
Prepare to Read Nonfiction
Students explore the components of a KWL chart as they examine the facts of a story about the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Vocabulary from additional stories is utilized to form antonyms and synonyms.
Polk Bros Foundation
A Way to Analyze Paragraphs to Figure Out the Main Idea of a Nonfiction Text
Shrink up a section by asking pupils to write down the main idea for each of seven paragraphs. There is a space provided for each main idea. When students have completed this portion, they write down what they think to be the central...
Louisiana Department of Education
Fahrenheit 451
In his 2013 introduction to Fahrenheit 451, Neil Gaiman states, “Fiction is a lie that tells us true things, over and over.” In this extraordinary unit plan, readers "explore the power of written language to educate and...
Syracuse City School District
Summary of Fiction and Non-Fiction Text
Somebody Wanted But So Then (SWBST)? Yes! Here's a great strategy for teaching young readers how to summarize narrative text. In addition, the packet includes exercises that show kids how to summarize nonfiction text using the classic...
Curated OER
Basil Heatter, "The Long Night of the Little Boats"
“It was a miracle.” Basil Heatter’s “The Long Night of the Little Boats,” which details the miraculous rescue of the British army from the shores of Dunkirk in 1940, is featured in a series of exercises that ask class members to read,...
Curated OER
Inside the Mind of the Unreliable Narrator
Create interdisciplinary connections and promote high-level inferences by studying unreliable narrators.
Curated OER
Tell a Ton of Tall Tales
Elementary schoolers read many tall tales. They create their own tall tale about a specific event of their choosing. They must act the part of the author. This well-designed lesson takes three class sessions to complete, and is...
Curated OER
Radical Reads
Students recreate an "American Idol" contest in which they present their favorite books to their classmates using arguments for and excerpts from the books. Following the presentation, students will be polled and the least popular books...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Greek And Latin Root Words
Students examine Greek and Latin root words. They research the history of the English language, solve word games and puzzles, write paragraphs about the impact of Greek and Latin on the English language, and create flip chart study guides.
Curated OER
Is It Moose-Mooses or Moose-Meese?
Students play librarian and have to shelve books on moose after determining whether the books are fiction or non-fiction. They must study Alaska and follow a format of questions to determine where to shelve the books.
Curated OER
Paraphrasing and Summarizing
Read an article about the migration of our ancestors and write a paragraph. Pupils paraphrase and summarize to restate the information found in a nonfiction text. They write a shortened version of the reading to demonstrate the...
Curated OER
Note Taking By Crayon
Skim a brief biography of Amelia Earhart with your class, and then assign groups of researchers one of four topics listed: Amelia's family life, important airplane flights during Amelia's life, turning points in Amelia's life, and...