Fiction/Narrative and Non-fiction/Informational
Overview
1st/2nd grade: Students will use a visual, physically involved activity to understand and categorize fiction/narrative and non-fiction/informational books.
Summary
1st/2nd grade: Students will use a visual, physically involved activity to understand and categorize fiction/narrative and non-fiction/informational books.
Materials
Fiction/Narrative or Easy & Non-Fiction/ Informational books on the same topic.
Have at least four books, but no more than eight.
Examples: Frogs
- Froggy Eats Out by Jonathan London
- Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold
- Frogs Life Cycles by Julie Murray Frogs
- Amphibians by World Book
Gather books needed.
Select books that are obviously either Fiction/Narrative or Non-Fiction/ Informational.
Prepare two boxes:
- One box has a green label that says: Non-Fiction/ Informational
- One box has a yellow label that says: Fiction/Narrative
Place prepared boxes on a table or on the floor in front of students.
Intended Learning Outcomes
To identify Fiction/Narrative and Non-Fiction/ Informational books.
Instructional Procedures
Librarian explains & demonstrate:
There are two types of books. Some books tell about real things in our real world. Give examples. When you learn about how milk gets from the cow to your breakfast table, that is real information. We call these kinds of books Non-Fiction/ Informational books.
Some books have stories we make up in our head or in our imagination. Stories we make up can be like real things that happen, or they can be things that do not really happen. Give examples. A dog that has wings and flies is a fun story, but it does not happen in real life. A book with this type of story would be called a Fiction/Narrative book.
Point to the boxes and explain: "Our box with the green label says Non-Fiction/ Informational, and the box with the yellow label says Fiction/Narrative."
"What kinds of books are Non-Fiction/ Informational?"
"What kinds of books are Fiction/Narrative?"
Hold up a selected book and tell the students a little about the content.
"What kind of book is this?"
"How did you decide that?"
Place the book in the appropriate box.
Repeat with additional examples.
Call on students to place additional books in appropriate boxes
Extensions
Concepts can be reviewed periodically by using different books/themes.