EL Support Lesson
All About Nonfiction
Objectives
Academic
Students will be able to identify the features found in a nonfiction text.
Language
Students will be able to identify nonfiction text features with grade-level words using visual and written supports.
Introduction
(3 minutes)
- Display a variety of familiar picture books to the class.
- Ask students to think about the stories in the books and name some of the things the stories were about (e.g. ,princesses, animal adventures, dragons).
- Explain that all of these books are also called fiction texts, which means they are made up or pretend stories. Tell the students that today they will be learning about a new kind of text, called nonfiction. Say, "A nonfiction text is about something real, like animals, travel, or people."
Building academic language
Word
(5 minutes)- Display a nonfiction big book or project the pages from a smaller book for students to see.
- Ask students to look at the cover and finish the sentence, "I see____." to a partner.
- Say, "This book is about whales. It looks like it might be a nonfiction text because the picture looks real and the title is Whales.
- Open the book and complete a picture walk, pausing to have students share out what they see with the class. As they name key nonfiction text features, explain the name of each along with its purpose (glossary, table of contents, photos/illustrations, labels, diagrams, etc.), utilize the vocabulary picture cards during this time.
- Tell students that one reason we use text features is to help us to identify information in a text, (e.g., what a whale eats).
Sentence
(5 minutes)- Tell students that as you read, they should try to find text features in the book and give a thumbs up if they see one.
- Read a few pages from Whales aloud to the class. As you read, pause to review the different text features introduced in the previous section.
Discourse
(10 minutes)- Display the Hunting for Nonfiction Text Features Pictures worksheet on the board. Explain that students will get to practice finding different text features with a partner.
- Pair students up and pass out one nonfiction text and worksheet to each pair.
Additional EL adaptations
Beginning
- Utilize nonfiction leveled reader texts during the partner work time.
- Work with students to identify nonfiction text features as a small group, rather than in partnerships.
Advanced
- Have advanced students write sentences about what they learned during the text feature partner work.
Formative Assessment of Academic Language
(10 minutes)- Pass out the Text Feature Matching Cards worksheet to each student, and assess whether they are able to correctly match each text feature with its name.
Review and closing
(2 minutes)- Close the class by saying, "Nonfiction text features help us find and use information in a book. I hope you will all look carefully at nonfiction books!"
Related learning resources
All About Nonfiction
Lesson plan
All About Nonfiction
Use this lesson plan as a stand alone or support lesson to introduce or review nonfiction text features to your ELs.
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Hunting for Nonfiction Text Features in Pictures
This helpful picture chart helps students identify the different text features found in the nonfiction books they are reading.
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