Teaching Tips: Nonfiction Reading Strategies
This site provides teaching activities for nonfiction reading strategies and evaluating websites. Smartboard lessons are included. Student research, group work and discussion, and writing activities using expository writing are additional skills included in the lessons. Ethemes, Parts of a Book: Nonfiction and Library Skills: Text Features, are included.
Grades
- 5,
- 6,
- 7,
- 8
Links
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Scholastic: Teach Text Features and Read Nonfiction
This site includes a lesson plan for teaching nonfiction text features which can be adapted for middle school students. NOTE: This site includes banner and other types of ads.
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Handbook: Nonfiction: Reading and Writing for a Specific Purpose
This student guide explains the differences between fiction and nonfiction, describes the various nonfiction text features, and offers strategies for reading nonfiction.
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Venn Diagram, 2 Circles
Use this interactive site with students to organize their information logically.
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Diary of a Worm
This site provides ideas for students to use for nonfiction writing and research. While it is designed for elementary aged students, middle school teachers could use this site as a model for a research paper.
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What's The Main Idea?
This article uses a downloadable document to assist students in locating a main idea and supporting details in nonfiction articles.
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Myth and Truth: The "First Thanksgiving"
Use this site with students to expose them to think and read critically. The topic involves myths and historical facts about the Wampanoag Indians in colonial America.
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Animal Inquiry
Students can use this interactive tool which will enhance their research and collecting information from nonfiction.
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Reading and Writing About Pollution to Understand Cause and Effect
See this activity for students to practice the skill of cause and effect while reading nonfiction text. Students will also participate in an art project, experiment and use graphic organizers.
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Timelines and Texts: Motivating Students to Read Nonfiction
Here are activities in which students use time lines, research skills, and Websites to verify inventions and historical events.
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Exploring How Section Headings Support Understanding of Expository Text
Read through these activities to assist students in using text features to navigate a piece of nonfiction. Group work, discussion, and writing are additional skills practiced in this lesson.
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Finding the Science Behind Science Fiction Through Paired Readings
Here are strategies for students to discern the accuracy of nonfiction text. Students will explore the genre of science fiction while learning about the science integrated into the plot of the story using nonfiction text and resources.
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Exploring Cause and Effect Using Expository Text About Natural Disasters
This site provides a lesson to expose students to expository text that involves cause and effect. Collaborative work, researching, and writing are additional skills that are practiced in this lesson.
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The Big, Bad Wolf....Is This a Fact?
This site provides a lesson in which students evaluate Seymour Simon's nonfiction book, "Wolves". Students work in groups for discussion, research, and create a power point presentation as a final product.
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Science Writer: Seymour Simon
This site provides activities for students to examine nonfiction writing by award-winning nonfiction author, Seymour Simon.
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Using THIEVES to Preview Nonfiction Texts
Students learn to use the THIEVES strategy to preview and read nonfiction text.
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Nonfiction Text Features: Smartboard Activity
This activity features several nonfiction text information presentations using a Smartboard. The first two activities focus on understanding nonfiction text when reading informational books.
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ClassZone's Web Research Guide
This site provides an internet basics quiz, research using websites, and citing websites. Handouts are provided as well as tutorials.
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Kathy Shrock's Critical Evaluation of a Website for Middle School
This site provides a form for students to use when evaluating websites.
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Inquiry on the Internet: Evaluating Web Pages for a Class Collection
This site provides activities to teach students how to evaluate websites. Hand-outs are provided for evaluating internet sites and possible categories for class web sites.
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eThemes: Parts of a Book: Nonfiction
This resource provides several informational websites related to parts of a nonfiction book. Includes topics such as glossary, index, table of contents, and key words. There are games, exercises, presentations, and lesson plans. Also includes a link to an eThemes resource on writing nonfiction.
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eThemes: Library Skills: Text Features
This site provides a variety of activities for the library skills of text features. Find resources for educators to teach and reinforce nonfiction text features. Includes eThemes Resources for writing nonfiction.
Education Standards
- DE
- UT
- IL
- OK
- AR
- AL
- MO
- ME
- NV
