NonFiction Student Worksheet

Nonfiction Student Worksheets

If you already downloaded my nonfiction student worksheets resource, there's a new update! 

Kids often have difficulty transitioning from narrative to expository or fact based writing. Introducing nonfiction can be a lot of fun. Books like "Frog or Toad" by Patricia Lynch that Carolyn of the Wise Owl Factory reviewed on her BookaDay website is a great book to start off with. 

This book helps kids distinguish the differences between toads and frogs. I'd read this book to my students and then have them list the likenesses and differences on the free template that Carolyn has posted.

I'd then ask the kids to use my NonFiction worksheet, to fill in the information they can, then get into small groups to compare their answers. 

This free worksheet is best used with non-fiction books about subjects, autobiographies, biographies and other fact based books. Students can record facts on the sheets, about the non-fiction books they read and keep them in folders. Send them home at the end of the year as a surprise gift to parents! 

Click on the sheet to download. 

                        

Prefixes UN and RE

FREE! PREFIXES UN AND RE

Download these free prefix student worksheets to teach or review the prefixes UN and RE. Answers and teaching ideas are included!  Worksheets are in black and white. Watch for an update on this packet, if you've already downloaded it. 

Chocolate Fever

Chocolate Fever!

Find out what happens to Henry when he comes down with Chocolate Fever! 

Kids love working together to complete this packet o fun Chocolate Fever worksheets. 

The activities include the main elements of a story, such as plot, setting and characters but also includes Chocolate Fever math, art activities, response to text, a chapter trifold to display in your classroom and more. 

To see the complete packet description, click on the title page.

Ruth

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

The first time I read Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, I kept thinking... I wonder how many students know what happened during World War II? 

How many even know where Germany is or Europe for that matter? 

Before I even introduced the book to my students, I asked them to locate Germany and Europe on our world map. My expert map student was raising his hand, almost leaping out of his chair and making those familiar "Ooo, ooooo" sounds, we teachers know well. He pointed to Germany and the surrounding countries as well as the Atlantic Ocean. Isn't it great to have an expert in class to help introduce lessons? :)

Then, I asked them to raise their hands if they knew one fact about WWII. One boy said his great grandfather fought during WWII. A girl raised her hand and said that WWII was a big war. Those were the only students who volunteered answers. I was shocked, to say the least. 

It was then I decided to write up a packet of student worksheets for Number the Stars that would include an informational piece about World War II. It was a good way to introduce WWII and even though it wouldn't be a detailed history of the War, it would give my students a "taste" of events and the causes of the War. 

I always try to integrate social studies with my ELA classes so this was perfect!

Lois Lowry's book, Number the Stars, has students walk in Annmarie's and Ellen's shoes as the story unfolds. The setting is Copenhagen, Denmark in 1943, the third year of the Nazi occupation of Denmark. Annmarie and Ellen, who is Jewish, are best friends. The story is how Annmarie's family take Ellen into their home to protect her from the Nazis. The story is filled with facts presented in a way students will relate to themes like friendship, trust, honesty, conflict, and hope. 

It's no wonder this historical fiction book won the Newbery Award, in 1990, as the most distinguished contribution to children's literature and remains popular to this day. 

This is my 69 page packet to accompany the book. It has detailed instructions for pre-readinng, reading and post reading activities. Also included is the nonfiction, informational article to provide students with a better understanding of World War II. 

To read the full description of the book, click on the map. There is also a free preview of the packet of my ready to print student worksheets that can be downloaded.

Ruth

After speaking with many of my former students' parents, over time, it's apparent that students aren't receiving a good base of American history throughout their school years. I noticed the changes in textbooks when I was on the social studies curriculum committee for a number of years. The information in textbooks seemed watered down and lacking in good solid information about our history. I began wondering who was writing the text for the publishers and who makes the decisions about what's included in their textbooks.  That remains a mystery, but one we educators should be asking. I hope you are. 

NonFiction Text Four Important Facts

It's not unusual for students to have difficulty identifying the most important facts when they read nonfiction text.

Large group work 

I distribute a one page article or some other nonfiction text  to the large group and have them read it aloud. After each paragraph is read, I stop them and ask if there are any important facts within that particular paragraph. We discuss the answers that volunteers offer and I write them on the board.

Small group work

After they've practiced in the large group, I have them get into small groups and ask each group to work on one particular article or nonfiction text in order to find four most important facts. 

During the time they work in small groups, I ask them to discuss and brainstorm the text. I also tell them they can all use the same facts on their sheets, as long as they all agree about which ones are the most important. (A great tactile strategy is to use highlighters to highlight the most important facts).

Once we're finished the small group work, we get back into the large group.  I have one volunteer from each group summarize the article or text they read and then have others in the group read the facts they chose. As each fact is read,  I have the "audience" do a "thumbs up" if they think the fact is VERY important. 

The more practice the better!

Download this free worksheet by clicking on the cover!

Thanks for stopping by!

                                                 Nonfiction Four Important Facts Worksheet

Author Project Books and Picture Books!

This is a great FREE project to motivate your students to explore new genre and to read more than one book by an author. They start by researching an author and and writing five facts they learned about the author's life.

Have them choose two books by the author and summarize them briefly, and lastly they should rate the books. When they're finished they can discuss their authors and novels in small groups. Laminate the cards and arrange them in a index card box in ABC order so they're available for students to view.

Click on the cover for more information.

Thanks!

Ruth

Close Reading Informational Text Polar Bears

WHO DOESN'T LOVE POLAR BEARS?

I've never known anyone who doesn't love polar bears! Ask your students to state facts about polar bears and they'll most likely tell you they're cute, white and live at the North Pole. 

Wonderful. But definitely not enough information. They may think polar bears are cute because they have polar bear stuffed animals that aren't fierce predators and that have white "fur" unlike real polar bear fur that's translucent. 

Trust me when I tell you I had a friend's young son tell me that Eskimos have polar bears as PETS!!!!  I kid you not!

When our social studies curriculum included Native American cultures, I chose the Inuit (Eskimos) and each year, we did in depth research projects about them, as well as study animals indigenous to the Arctic region.

At that time, I developed several nonfiction packets that gave my students activities that  were both tied to English language arts, social studies and sometimes science.  I love to teach integrated units if possible. 

The information in this packet, describes polar bears lives, how they survive in the frigid temperatures and helps students make important assumptions about the fate of polar bears. 

The article is set up with columns on the right hand sides so you students can take notes about vocabulary words, concepts they may not understand or to write opinions about the article.

I love designing pages and used scenic photos of the Arctic with less opacity, so they wouldn't interfere with the text, then laid photos of the bears over the scenery. The pages print out beautifully and students love the realistic photos. 

This is my most recent informational text resource. Stay tuned for more! :)

Enjoy! 

Ruth

You may also like another informational text article about the CHEETAH

Click on this link...

Common Core ELA Informational Text Article 

Examples of two of the pages

Teachers Comments :

~ Great work- kids very interested in topics! Thanks!

~Thank you for this wonderful product.

~ Love this!

~Thank you! Such good practice:)

~ Awesome!

~ Love this! Thank you!

~Great Common Core questions!