designed to meet these objectives

Designed for use in small-group settings, your new Nonfiction Teaching Center has everything you need tohelp students understand nonfiction text! Young readers are often unfamiliar with the unique structures ofnonfiction text, which differ significantly from those of fiction. Research has shown that teaching studentshow to use these structures and features to analyze nonfiction boosts their comprehension and retention.

Inside this center, you’ll find nonfiction text folders that focus on 6 essential text structures. There are 6copies each of 7 different folders, so you can work with small groups of up to 6 students at a time. Eachfolder includes several articles on one high-interest topic, such as “Animal Homes” or “Wacky Weather.” Allof the articles in a folder highlight the same nonfiction text structure, so students get plenty of practice. Plus,you get one folder that features all 6 structures—perfect for reviewing and reinforcing students’ newknowledge!

To help you get started, this guide includes ideas for lessons and activities for each different folder, plus 6reproducible graphic organizers that provide hands-on practice. We’ve even included assessment questionsand a reproducible answer sheet to help you track your students’ progress! Finally, be sure to check out thesuggestions for differentiated instruction under “Meeting Individual Needs” on page 9 of this guide.

What’s Included• 42 nonfiction folders (6 copies of 7 titles)• 7 lesson plans with assessment questions (pages 2-8 of this guide)• Suggestions for differentiated instruction (page 9)• 6 reproducibles (pages 10-15)• Reproducible answer sheet (page 16)• Answer key (page 9)

Getting StartedChoose the structure you want to teach and find the corresponding folders. (The structures are shown on theindex tabs of the folders.) Review the lesson plan for that folder, and make copies of the suggested repro-ducible. Then, gather a group of up to 6 students and let the learning begin!

Note: The nonfiction folders have a special coating designed for use with wet-erase (overhead projector)markers only. Using dry-erase or other markers can damage the folders.

©2009 Lakeshore FF211(800) 428-4414 Ages 6+www.lakeshorelearning.com Printed in China

Designed to meet these objectives:

Language

• Students will identify nonfiction text features.• Students will use appropriate comprehension strategies for nonfiction text.• Students will learn new vocabulary.• Students will read for meaning.

Food Around the World (Compare & Contrast)

Pre-Reading Activities• Review key vocabulary to make sure students are familiar with the words and their meanings. Write eachword on a separate index card, and write the definitions on other index cards. Then, invite students tomatch the words to their definitions. After they complete the task, discuss the words and use them in sen-tences. Do students wish to change any of the matches they made? Guide students to correct any errors.

• Distribute the folders and take a “picture/text walk” through the articles. Look at the photographs andread and discuss the headings and captions. What do students think the articles are about? Write their pre-dictions on chart paper or the classroom board.

• Look at the map on pages 2 and 3. Help children find the continent where they live. Then, point out theplaces that are highlighted. What are these countries and continents named? What do students alreadyknow about them? What would they like to know about them? Can students think of any ways that theseplaces are alike? In what ways are they different? Make a chart to show students’ questions.

Reading Activities• Read the text as a group. Encourage students to be alert for the vocabulary words you reviewed, andprompt them to mark each word with highlighter tape or a sticky note. Also, have them watch for “signalwords” that can help them spot comparisons, such as “like” and “but.”

• When students finish reading an article, discuss the information they learned. Does it match or contradicttheir pre-reading predictions? Does it answer any questions students had? Add new information to thecharts you made.

After-Reading Activities• Give each student a copy of the Compare and Contrast graphic organizer (on page 10 of this guide).Prompt students to choose two of the countries from the folder and write them in the blanks at the top of thepage. Then, complete the organizer together to show how foods eaten in these 2 countries are alike anddifferent. In pairs, have students fill in the chart at the bottom of the reproducible to compare food in 2other countries.

AssessmentMake copies of the answer sheet on page 16 of this guide for each student. Have them use the sheet toanswer the questions below. (An answer key can be found on page 9.)

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Key Vocabularyfavorite liked best of allisland land with water all around itnearby not far awaypopular liked by many people

raise to grow (crops or animals)raw not cookeduncooked not cookedvendor a person who sells things

Food Around the World1. Which of these foods is made from avocados?

a. sushi b. guacamole c. peanut stew d. sweet drinks

2. True or false? Rice is a popular food in countries all over the world.

3. Where do people eat fried bananas and banana soup?a. Africa b. Argentina c. Japan d. Mexico

4. Fill in the blank: Because Japan is surrounded by water, Japanese people _____________.a. eat rice with milk b. eat a lot of beef c. eat a lot of fish d. eat with their hands

5. In the U.S., people use knives, forks, and spoons to eat their food. Describe two other ways that peoplecan eat food.

Transportation (Question & Answer)

Pre-Reading Activities• List the key vocabulary on chart paper or the classroom board. Pronounce each word and have childrenrepeat it with you. What do they think the word means? Write their definitions beside the words. Explainthat you will watch for the words as you read and try to figure out their meanings from the context.

• Distribute the folders and look at the pictures together. Read the headings, and draw students’ attention tothe fact that many of them are questions. Explain that questions in nonfiction headings, titles, or text giveus clues about important information we can expect to find in the text. Based on the questions, what dostudents think the articles will be about?

Reading Activities• Prompt students to watch for key vocabulary as they read. When they spot a word on the list, discuss howthey can use context clues to figure out the meaning of the word. Suggest that they revise their earlier def-initions as needed.

• After you finish reading an article, go back and re-read the questions in the article. Were the questionsanswered in the text? Did they help you figure out what information was most important?

After-Reading Activities• Give each student a copy of the Question & Answer graphic organizer (on page 11 of this guide). Have students cut along the dotted lines and foldthe flaps under to make four question doors. Prompt students to write fourquestions on the front doors and list the answers underneath the doors. Havethem add illustrations if desired. Then, discuss how paying attention to ques-tions in the text helped students understand what they read.


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Transportation1. Which was invented in the 1950s?

a. subway b. airplane c. skateboard d. tanker truck

2. True or false? Early skateboards were safer than today’s skateboards.

3. What do tanker trucks carry?a. milk b. chocolate c. water d. all of these

4. Fill in the blank: Kitty Hawk was a good place to test airplanes because it had a _____________.a. funny name b. long beach c. skateboard ramp d. subway

5. Why are subways found in cities instead of in the countryside?

Key Vocabularyinvent think up something newsteel a strong, hard metalsubway an underground railwaysurfer a person who rides a surfboard

tank a large container for liquidstraffic vehicles that are movingtravel to go from place to placeunderground below the surface of the Earth

Favorite Pets (Descriptive)

Pre-Reading Activities• List the key vocabulary on chart paper or the classroom board. Use each word in a sentence, and then askchildren to define the word based on the sentence. Write their definitions beside the words.

• Distribute the folders and preview the pictures and headings. What do students think the articles areabout? Prompt them to explain their thinking.

• Survey students to find out what pets they own. Make a graph and compare it to the graph on page 1 ofthe folder. Which is the most popular pet in your class? Which is the most popular pet according to thegraph in the article?

Reading Activities• When you read a description of an animal in the folder, prompt students to compare it to their own experi-ences with that pet. Do they agree or disagree with the description in the folder? Why?

• Remind students to watch for key vocabulary words as you read. When they spot a word on the list, havethem read the sentence it is used in. Do they want to change the definition they wrote earlier?

• After reading an article as a group, have students turn to a partner and take turns summarizing that article.Then, have them re-read the article on their own. Did their summaries cover all of the important points?

After-Reading Activities• Give each student a copy of the Descriptive graphic organizer (on page 12 of this guide). Have them writea topic in the center of the flower, such as “Favorite Pets” or “Pet Fish.” Then, have them write a descrip-tive sentence about the topic in each petal of the flower.

• Look at the popular pet names on page 4. Do any students have or know pets with those names? What isthe most popular pet name for pets owned by students?


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Favorite Pets1. Which is the most popular pet in American homes?

a. bird b. cat c. dog d. fish

2. True or false? Goldfish and betta fish can live together peacefully in the same tank.

3. In Thailand, which of these pets is thought to bring good luck?a. talking bird b. Korat cat c. golden dog d. betta fish

4. Fill in the blank: Songbirds sing because they are _____________.a. happy b. hungry c. lucky d. peaceful

5. Would a talking bird be a good pet for a classroom? Explain your answer.

Key Vocabularyactive moving about a lotcheer to make happiercopy to imitatefoe enemy

peacefully without fightingpopular liked by many peoplerepeat to say againslither to slide along the ground

Animal Homes (Sequence)

Pre-Reading Activities• Draw pictures of each vocabulary word on the board, and list the words separately in random order.Challenge children to match the words and pictures. Then discuss which picture matches which word.

• Distribute the folders and preview the pictures and headings. Discuss what children think the articles will beabout. Then, prepare a KWL chart on the board: Make three columns labeled K, W, and L. Under “K,” listwhat children already know about animal homes. Under “W,” list what they want to find out. (Later, youwill list what they learned under “L.”)

Reading Activities• Model how to ask yourself questions as you read. For example, after reading the first line of the articleabout hornets’ nests, you might say, “When I read that, I wondered, ‘Don’t hornets usually live in biggroups? How can a nest have only one hornet?” Provide sticky notes and have children write questionsthat they think of while reading the article. At the end of each article, invite children to share the questionsthey wrote. Add their questions to the KWL chart you started before reading.

• Point out that the articles in this folder describe sequences, or series of events. Make a list of signal wordsthat tell us we are reading a sequence, such as “before,” “first,” “after,” “next,” “then,” “last,” and“finally.” Prompt children to watch for these words as they read.

After-Reading Activities• Give each student a copy of the Sequence graphic organizer (on page 13 of this guide). Work as a groupto complete it by writing/drawing the steps needed to build a hornets’ nest. Then, distribute fresh copiesof the organizer. Have children work in pairs to show the steps needed to build one of the other homes inthe folder (eagle’s nest, beaver’s lodge, or spider’s web). Encourage them to list the steps, draw pictures, orboth.

• Fill in the “L” column of the KWL chart, listing what children learned about animal homes as they read thearticles in the folder.


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Animal Homes1. What do hornets chew up to build their nests?

a. tree bark b. silk c. wax d. grass

2. True or false? Hornets and beavers both cover the outside of their homes with mud.

3. What shape is each layer of an eagle’s nest?a. square b. circle c. triangle d. rectangle

4. Fill in the blank: A spider’s web begins with _____________.a. a box b. a circle c. a spoke d. one long thread

5. Describe the sequence of steps you would take to build a birdhouse or a doghouse.

Key Vocabularybark the skin of a treecell a small room or containerdam a wall that holds back waterhatch to come out of an egg

lodge a small homestomach bellythread a very thin stringtube an object shaped like a pipe or hose

Sea Creature Features (Cause and Effect)

Pre-Reading Activities• List the key vocabulary words on the classroom board and help students define each word. Then, play agame of “funny fish” (similar to “Hangman”). Choose a word secretly and draw the corresponding num-ber of spaces. Have children call out one letter a time. If the letter is in the word, write it in the correctspace. If not, draw one part of a fish (body, tail, fins, eyes, mouth, scales or stripes). Can students guessthe world before you complete the fish?

• Based on the list of vocabulary words, have students predict what the folder is about. Then, distribute thefolders and look at the pictures and headings. Do students want to change their predictions?

Reading Activities• Have students watch for vocabulary words in the text and point out each one they see. Make a tally marknext to the word in the vocabulary list you wrote before reading. Which words appear most often in thefolder? Which words appear in more than one article?

• As you read, look for cause/effect relationships. Remind students that the signal words “because” and “since”can help you identify a cause and effect. For example, in “Furry Friends,” read, “The sea otter does notneed blubber because it has thick fur.” Explain that “The sea otter has thick fur” is the cause; the effect, orresult, is that it does not need blubber to stay warm. Help students connect cause and effect relationships byprompting: “Because of _____________________, what happened?”

After-Reading Activities• Give students copies of the Cause and Effect graphic organizer (on page 14 of this guide). Encourage themto re-read the articles to find cause and effect relationships. Have students write three causes in the lefthalf of the egg. Then, have them write the corresponding effects in the right half of the egg. Finally,prompt students to cut out the pieces and challenge other students to match up the eggs.


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Key Vocabularyblubber a layer of fat beneath the skinbounce jump or move up and downdweller one who lives in a certain placemammal a warm-blooded animal with fur

mucus a thick, slimy coatingsea anemone a soft-bodied sea animalsting to cause a sharp paintentacles long, flexible body parts

Sea Creature Features1. Which of these animals has the thickest blubber?

a. dolphin b. walrus c. seal d. whale

2. True or false? Sea otters are the only sea mammals that do not have blubber.

3. What sea creature makes its home in a sea anemone?a. dolphin b. sea otter c. clown fish d. viperfish

4. Fill in the blank: The brittle star’s _____________ help it move through the mud.a. slimy skin b. big eyes c. long arms d. sharp teeth

5. Describe two ways that animals in the deep ocean get food.

Wacky Weather (Problem and Solution)

Pre-Reading Activities• Remind students that titles and headlines often highlight important information in nonfiction text. Beforedistributing the folders, list the headlines and titles on the classroom board. Read them aloud, and invitestudents to guess what the folder articles are about. List their predictions on the board to check later. Then,review the key vocabulary words and their meanings. Do students want to change any of their predictions?

• Explain that nonfiction text often features problems and solutions. What sorts of problems can be causedby weather? Make a list on the board, and title the column “Problem.” Do students know how peoplesolve any of the problems? List their ideas in a second column, titled “Solution.”

Reading Activities• Prompt students to watch for statements about problems and solutions as they read. When they find aproblem and its solution, add it to the list on the board.

• After reading an article, help students summarize its main idea. Then, re-read the article’s title. How does itrelate to the main idea of the article?

• Study the chart on pages 2 and 3. Why do they think the author of the folder included this chart? Howdoes it relate to the other articles in the folder?

After-Reading Activities• Give each student a copy of the Problem and Solution graphic organizer (on page 15 of this guide).Prompt students to review the articles in the folder and write four different problems in the boxes on theleft side. Then, have them describe the solutions to the problems in the boxes on the right.

• Point out that most inventions were created to solve a problem. Encourage students to describe otherinventions and the problems they solved.


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Key Vocabularyblanket a thick cloth coverdesign a plan for building somethingfog a cloud that is near the groundproblem a difficulty

shovel a tool for digging and liftingsolution the way a problem is solvedstreetcar a bus that runs on tracks sunscreen a lotion that prevents sunburn

Wacky Weather1. What did Mary Anderson invent?

a. lighthouse b. snowblower c. sunglasses d. windshield wipers

2. True or false? Buffalo, New York, has more snowy days than Anchorage, Alaska.

3. What do we call a cloud that touches the ground?a. fog b. snow c. smoke d. hail

4. Fill in the blank: Sunscreen acts like a ____________ to protect your skin from the sun.a. fog b. blanket c. snow melter d. lighthouse

5. List two problems that weather causes where you live, and tell how people solve these problems.

Working Hard & Helping Out (Mixture of All 6)

Pre-Reading Activities• List the vocabulary words on the board. Help children sound out each word and discuss its meaning. Useeach word in a sentence. Then, have children work in pairs and give each pair a word. Have them form asentence with their word, and then read it to the group. Does everyone agree that the word is used cor-rectly in the sentence?

• Preview the folder, reading the headings and looking at the pictures. What jobs are shown? What wouldchildren like to know about these jobs? List their questions on the board.

Reading Activities• Draw a T-chart on the board. After reading about a job, list the job title on the left side of the chart, suchas “crossing guard.” Then, help children write a description of the job on the right side, such as “someonewho helps others cross the street.”

After-Reading Activities• Have students work with partners, and invite each pair to choose a section of the folder to analyze.Provide the appropriate graphic organizer for students to complete:

“The Boss of the Crosswalk”: Sequence (page 13)

“Dressed for Danger”: Descriptive (page 12) or Cause and Effect (page 14)

“Help on Wheels”: Problem and Solution (page 15)

“How Do Sick People Get Help When There Are No Roads for an Ambulance?” : Question and Answer (page 11)

“City Mail and Country Mail”: Compare and Contrast (page 10)


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Key Vocabularyambulance van that can take sick or injured

people to the hospitalcarrier person who delivers mailcrossing guard person who helps others cross

streets safely

helmet hard hat that protects the headresponsibility duty or jobrural not in a city or townuniform special clothing worn by workers

or members of a group

Working Hard & Helping Out1. What do crossing guards do to make cars stop?

a. blow a whistle b. hold up a sign c. wave their arms d. flash a light

2. True or false? Ambulances can only travel on roads.

3. What special clothing is worn by a firefighter?a. helmet and mask b. boots with steel toes c. yellow coat and pants d. all of these

4. Fill in the blank: Rural mail carriers ____________ from house to house.a. drive a car b. walk c. ride a horse d. row a boat

5. Would you rather be a mail carrier in the city or the country? Explain your answer.

Meeting Individual NeedsELL• Before working on a folder, meet with students and pre-teach the vocabulary words and any unfamiliarwords. Give students index cards and have them write the words and add definitions and/or illustrations.Prompt them to use these cards as reference while reading the articles in the folder.

• Review the folder with students and have them highlight signal words such as “but” and “like” for makingcomparisons, “because” and “since” for determining cause and effect relationships, or “first,” “next,”“then,” and “finally” for sequences. Then, help them think of other sentences using these signal words.

Reteach/Extra Support• Meet with students in advance. Ask questions to assess their background knowledge, and provide materialsto build background knowledge, such as picture books, posters, and realia. Discuss the pictures and materi-als, making sure you introduce vocabulary and topics students will encounter when they read the folder.

• During reading, call students’ attention to headings and captions and discuss their meanings. Make surethey know how to read any charts so that they understand all the information provided in the folder.

• During or after reading, send students on a “fact hunt.” Have them search in the article or entire folder tofind facts about the topic you are covering. List each fact they find.

Challenge• Encourage children to think up riddles based on the vocabulary words or topics in a folder. Can other stu-dents solve the riddles?

• List additional vocabulary words for a topic students are reading about. Have them research and write defi-nitions for the words and use them in sentences.

• Suggest that students pick a favorite nonfiction topic from a folder and write a fictional story or a poemabout that same topic.

• Invite students to add another article to a folder. Help them think of a suitable topic, such as “Raising PetRabbits” for “Favorite Pets,” or “How Does a Blimp Fly?” for “Transportation.” Then, prompt them toresearch, write, and illustrate the article. Add their completed work to the folder.

Answer KeyFood Around the World1. b 2. true 3. a 4. c 5. Answers will vary but could include using chopsticks, hands, or bread.

Transportation1. c 2. false 3. d 4. b 5. Answers will vary but should refer to the traffic found in cities.

Favorite Pets1. c 2. false 3. b 4. a 5. Answers will vary but should include facts about talking birds.

Animal Homes1. a 2. true 3. c 4. d 5. Answers will vary but should include steps in a logical order.

Sea Creature Features1. d 2. true 3. c 4. c 5. Answers will vary but could include light-up eyes, long teeth, or long arms.

Wacky Weather1. d 2. true 3. a 4. b 5. Answers will vary.

Working Hard & Helping Out1. b 2. false 3. d 4. a 5. Answers will vary.

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designed to meet these objectives

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