Fiction And Nonfiction

Topic: Understanding the difference between fiction and nonfiction

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to define fiction and nonfiction and be able to identify the characteristics of each genre.
• Students will be able to create a quick write about a text they are reading, identifying whether it is fiction or nonfiction.

Materials

• Copies of different types of texts (e.g. a picture book, a news article, a historical document)
• Highlighters or colored pencils
• Pencils

Warm-Up

• Ask students if they have ever heard of the terms fiction and non-fiction before. Ask them to explain what they know about each genre.
• Show students the different types of texts you have prepared and ask them to identify which one is fiction and which one is nonfiction.

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the terms fiction and nonfiction and explain that they refer to the way a story is told. Fiction is made up and not based on reality, while nonfiction is true and based on real events or information.
• Show students the different types of texts you have prepared and explain that each one is written in a different way. Nonfiction texts are often based on research and may include diagrams, charts, and illustrations to help convey information. Fiction texts may include more descriptive language and may not be based on real events.

Guided Practice

• Have students work in pairs and take turns reading a short passage from each text. The other student should note whether the text is fiction or nonfiction and explain their reasoning.
• Encourage students to ask questions if they are unsure of the difference between the two types of texts.

Independent Practice

• For their project, have students choose one text (either fiction or nonfiction) and create a poster that shows the main characters and events in the text. They should include a caption on their poster that explains whether the text is fiction or nonfiction.

Closure

• Have students share their posters with the class and explain why they chose the text they did and how they used the distinguishing characteristics of fiction and nonfiction to help them select their text.

Assessment

• Observe students during the independent practice and take note of which texts they chose and their use of the distinguishing characteristics of fiction and nonfiction in their quick write.
• Collect and review the quick writes to assess students' understanding of the difference between fiction and nonfiction.