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Genre: Short Story
Discover the genre of short stories with sixth graders. They discuss the characteristics of short stories from the book America Street. Then, they compare and contrast movies and television shows and chart story characteristics....
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Genre Lesson: What is a Mystery?
Young scholars identify the characteristics of the genre of mystery. In this genre lesson, students discover the elements of a mystery story and begin recording the elements on a class chart of the book entitled Two-Minute...
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Fantasy
How do you know the book you are reading is a fantasy? Explore the characteristics of the fantasy genre as you read the story Zathura with your class. Together you'll create a class chart that identifies the fantasy genre while building...
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Science Fiction
Third graders explore the science fiction genre. In this genres lesson, 3rd graders identify the characteristics of science fiction. Students fill out a chart that shows the characteristics. Students read a selection from a book and talk...
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Lesson 1: Classifying Texts as Fiction or Nonfiction
First graders characterize fiction and non-fiction books, they discover the characteristics of each type of book and compare two books (one fiction & one nonfiction) about the same subject. They make a list that describes what...
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Lesson 3: Labeled Diagrams
Examine the book Stargazers by Gail Gibbons. Young readers will practice reading and interpreting information from diagrams in this informational text. They work together as a class on this skill and then move into independent...
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Rhythm
One of the most fun characteristics of a poem is rhythm! Little ones will clap along as you read a poem, to determine the rhythm of the piece. The book In the Swim is used throughout the lesson; it contains fish themed poems that kids...
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Labeled Diagrams
Let's learn about bats! Those flying creatures of the night inspire a lesson about non-fiction books. They start by charting characteristics commonly found in informational texts, specifically charts, diagrams, and labels. They look at...
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Realistic Fiction
Explore the characteristics of realistic fiction by reading and then analyzing the book, Allie’s Basketball Dream by Barbara E. Barber. Using the I do, we do, you do model, learners practice identifying realistic fiction...
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Table of Contents and Index
Have your class investigate the use of a table of contents and index to find information. They identify characteristics of informational books and add them to a chart, then demonstrate how to use the index and table of contents by trying...