Non-Fiction
Otfinoski, S. (2008). Koalas. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark
ISBN: 978-0-7614-2526-7
Grade level: 3-5
Synopsis: This text explores what kinds of animal koalas are. The author goes into detail about what koalas eat, how they sleep and survive. Also, how koalas raise their babies and what steps humans are taking to ensuring the safety of koalas.
Classroom activity: This text will be paired with Finding home by Alan Marks. Marks text is a realistic fiction story about a mother koala finding safe shelter for her and her joey. After reading Finding home and Koalas students will be asked to compare the two texts. As a whole group students will each take turns coming up to the front and writing down aspects in Finding home that they learned through Koalas. For example in Finding home the mother koala is in search for eucalyptus trees. It is evident in Koalas that the main food that Koalas eat is eucalyptus leaves.
Nonfiction, Technology, & Information Fluent Thinkers. (n.d.). Pair fiction reading with nonfiction resources. Retrieved from: http://eduscapes.com/sessions/thinkers/e-pair.htm
ISBN: 978-0-7614-2526-7
Grade level: 3-5
Synopsis: This text explores what kinds of animal koalas are. The author goes into detail about what koalas eat, how they sleep and survive. Also, how koalas raise their babies and what steps humans are taking to ensuring the safety of koalas.
Classroom activity: This text will be paired with Finding home by Alan Marks. Marks text is a realistic fiction story about a mother koala finding safe shelter for her and her joey. After reading Finding home and Koalas students will be asked to compare the two texts. As a whole group students will each take turns coming up to the front and writing down aspects in Finding home that they learned through Koalas. For example in Finding home the mother koala is in search for eucalyptus trees. It is evident in Koalas that the main food that Koalas eat is eucalyptus leaves.
Nonfiction, Technology, & Information Fluent Thinkers. (n.d.). Pair fiction reading with nonfiction resources. Retrieved from: http://eduscapes.com/sessions/thinkers/e-pair.htm
Pellant, C. (2000). The best book of fossils, rocks, and minerals. New York, NY: Kingfisher
ISBN: 0-7534-5274-X
Grade level: 3-5
Synopsis: This book explores everything to do with fossils, rocks, and minerals. This text first starts with explaining earth and its surface. This text continues to talk about different landscapes and the creation of minerals and crystals. Also, how different minerals are used in our everyday lives. This text explains fossils and how people find fossils and examine them.
Classroom activity: As a post-reading activity the students will be given a book box. After the student’s have read the text, they will be split up into small groups with a book box. The book box will contain items such as gemstones, metal, aluminum, rocks, a picture of the Alps, a picture of the Grand Canyon, and a representation of earth. As each student pulls an object out of the box, there will be group discussions about what they learned about each object through the text. After each group has time to go through the box as a whole group the students will talk about what they liked learning about the most and why.
Yopp, H.K., & Yopp, R.H. (2014). Literature-based reading activities. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Page: 31
ISBN: 0-7534-5274-X
Grade level: 3-5
Synopsis: This book explores everything to do with fossils, rocks, and minerals. This text first starts with explaining earth and its surface. This text continues to talk about different landscapes and the creation of minerals and crystals. Also, how different minerals are used in our everyday lives. This text explains fossils and how people find fossils and examine them.
Classroom activity: As a post-reading activity the students will be given a book box. After the student’s have read the text, they will be split up into small groups with a book box. The book box will contain items such as gemstones, metal, aluminum, rocks, a picture of the Alps, a picture of the Grand Canyon, and a representation of earth. As each student pulls an object out of the box, there will be group discussions about what they learned about each object through the text. After each group has time to go through the box as a whole group the students will talk about what they liked learning about the most and why.
Yopp, H.K., & Yopp, R.H. (2014). Literature-based reading activities. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Page: 31
Gibbons, G. (1997). Gulls…gulls…gulls…. New York, NY: Holiday House
ISBN: 0-8234-1323-3
Grade levels: 1-3
Synopsis: This text explores gulls, how they live and how they survive. Gibbons explains the many different types of gulls there is and what humans find most interesting about these birds. Also, one learns why gulls are important and what role they have in the world.
Classroom activity: As a pre-reading and post-reading activity the students will complete a K-W-L chart. In small groups, the students will fill out the first two columns. The K column is what we know, and the W column is what we want to know. As a whole group, the text will be read, and the last column will be filled out. The last column is the L column, what we learned. If there are the question that are in the W column left unanswered the students will be encouraged to use other resources such as other texts and the Internet to find the answers. Once the students find the answer, they can add it to the L column and share it with the rest of the class. Below is an example of a K-W-L chart.
Readwritethink. (n.d.). K-W-L chart. Retrieved from http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/printouts/chart-a-30226.html
ISBN: 0-8234-1323-3
Grade levels: 1-3
Synopsis: This text explores gulls, how they live and how they survive. Gibbons explains the many different types of gulls there is and what humans find most interesting about these birds. Also, one learns why gulls are important and what role they have in the world.
Classroom activity: As a pre-reading and post-reading activity the students will complete a K-W-L chart. In small groups, the students will fill out the first two columns. The K column is what we know, and the W column is what we want to know. As a whole group, the text will be read, and the last column will be filled out. The last column is the L column, what we learned. If there are the question that are in the W column left unanswered the students will be encouraged to use other resources such as other texts and the Internet to find the answers. Once the students find the answer, they can add it to the L column and share it with the rest of the class. Below is an example of a K-W-L chart.
Readwritethink. (n.d.). K-W-L chart. Retrieved from http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/printouts/chart-a-30226.html