Books & Resources for Teaching Genre Identification

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From Unit Plan: Fiction vs. Nonfiction

These are the books I use to research literary elements of fiction and nonfiction and for writing assessments for the culminating activity.

Professional Books

Teaching Comprehension Strategies All Readers Need by Nicole Outsen and Stephanie Yulga
What a wonderful resource for teaching fiction and nonfiction! This book is full of mini-lessons that encourage higher-order thinking skills as students infer traits of the genres instead of just copying down the teacher's traits from the board. This is a must-have for all middle-level Language Arts teachers.

Classroom Tip: By using the lesson on identifying the elements of fiction, my students were able to create a deeper understanding of texts.

Teaching Students to Read Nonfiction by Alice Boynton and Wiley Blevins
The newest trend in professional books is the inclusion of transparencies to go with the prescribed lessons. This book has it all! The color transparencies really add a touch of authenticity to your lesson.

Classroom Tip: Use the first transparency and lesson to teach the difference in text structures to your students. This is an easy way for the learning to "stick" as students should have no problem categorizing nonfiction into one of the four types of structures.

Read-Aloud Anthology by Janet Allen and Patrick Daley
This anthology includes stories, poems, speeches, magazine articles, memoirs, and more! What a great resource for guiding students through the process of applying what they've learned about fiction and nonfiction as you read the passage and have the students identify the genre. Such an anthology would be a useful tool in ANY content area.

Classroom Tip: Pick 2 or 3 read alouds for your students. After completing your reading, ask students to classify the text as fiction or nonfiction. Require students to support their opinions with the elements of fiction or nonfiction text structures used in the passage.

Independent Reading Contract
Give students ideas for reading aloud or quietly, plus writing responses that you can use for assessing comprehension.

Teaching Vocabulary to Your Child with Francie Alexander
Scholastic's Reading Resources Network is putting the focus on vocabulary. Here, you'll find activities and resources to use in your classroom, a model lesson on video, and an online development session for vocabulary instruction.

Parent Guide: Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Tips for talking about Because of Winn-Dixie with your child. Discusses Flashlight Readers, an online club for kids who love to read. Offers interactive activities that support reading skills.

LESSON PLAN	Mixed Bags: Fiction and Nonfiction This lesson helps students compare fiction and nonfiction books on the same topic so that they see the differences between the two kinds of writing.
UNIT PLAN	American Journeys: California Welcome to American Journeys: Learn About California-a dynamic educational program developed for fourth graders that encourages the use of language...
ONLINE ACTIVITY	Meet a Veterinarian Introduce early readers to the job of a veterinarian! Meet Dr. Fay Vittotoe, who describes her job using simple sentences read aloud.
BOOK INFORMATION	Read to Me How can you teach a child to love books? How can you expand a child's imagination? And how can you do these things when you're busy yourself? This vital sourcebook has the answers, laying out the steps to ensuring a love of reading at an early age, including important tips on when to start reading to your child and how to use TV and computers wisely.