Real-Life Examples, Fact, and Fiction
Building Knowledge at the Beginning of a Content Area Unit
Stage of Literacy Development:
Stage 0: Foundation for LiteracyStage 1: Beginning Literacy
Stage 2: Consolidation / Fluency
Stage 3: Literacy for Growth
Ages:
4-9
Grade Range:
K 1st 2nd 3rdFood Groups:
Primary: Knowledge Building, Motivation for Literacy
Secondary: Text Structures & Genres, Reading Comprehension Strategies
Activity Description
Preparation:
- Choose a content area topic or theme you would like to study
-
Find one or more examples of “real-life” objects related to this topic
- For example, for a unit on bugs you could bring in some bugs in a jar, when studying Africa you could bring in some foods or crafts from Africa
- Choose a non-fiction book related to your topic
- Find an engaging story that relates to your topic
Implementation:
-
Introduce students to a new content area topic you will be studying
- For example, plants
-
Show students your real-life example of the thing that you will be studying
- Ask students to tell you what they think it is
- Ask them to tell you what they already know about it
-
Show students an example of a non-fiction book related to the topic
- Review the meaning of “non fiction” and discuss some of the features of the non-fiction book
-
Note how you might use the non-fiction book to discover more information about your topic by taking quick look through the book together
- For example: “Aha! In here, I see some diagrams that illustrate the different parts of a plant.”
-
Do a read-aloud of a fiction book related to your topic
- Follow your normal procedure for a read-aloud, for example: identifying the title and the author, making some predictions about what might happen in the story based on the cover
- As you read, note interesting facts about your topic that you might not have known
Adaptations For
English Language Learners/ESL:
- Review key vocabulary in advance and allow students to add vocabulary in their first language
- If necessary, provide students with additional context to understand a new topic area: like a video or more stories
LD/Reading & Writing Difficulties:
- Clearly define new vocabulary terms
- Use specific prompts to elicit responses, such as "What does this make you think of?"
Cultural Appropriateness & Diversity:
- Choose books (especially fiction books) that represent a variety of perspectives and people
Differentiated Instruction:
- Divide students into ability groups for follow up activities, and work with struggling groups to provide them with more information about the content area
Related References
Evidence: Camp, D. (2000). It takes two: Teaching with Twin Texts of fact and fiction. The Reading Teacher, 53, 400-408.
Activity Objective
The goal of Real-Life Examples, Fact, and Fiction: Building Knowledge at the Beginning of a Content Area Unit is to help students activate prior knowledge and begin to organize new knowledge about a new content area using a variety of formats.
What You Need
Prep Time:
15-20 minutes - Choose a content area topic
- Find real-life items relating to the topic
- Choose a non fiction and fiction book relating to the topic
Task Time:
20 minutes - Teacher introduces new topic
- Teacher shows real-life items and uses them to elicit knowledge about the topic
- Teacher shows a non-fiction book and explains what information it might contain
- Teacher does a read-aloud of a fictional story relating to the topic
Materials Required:
Teacher:
- "Real-life" objects related to content area topic
- Non-fiction book about topic
- Fiction book about topic
What You Do
Teacher Role:
Facilitator:
- while sharing topic-related knowledge and books and eliciting knowledge from students
Student Grouping:
Whole class:
- throughout activity
Assessment Ideas:
- Make anecdotal notes regarding students participation and ability to make connections to prior knowledge
Quick Tips
Activity Extensions:
- Invite students to divide a sheet of paper in half: in one column, they can jot down some things they know about the topic, in the other column they can jot down things they would "like to know" about it
- Create a little center in your classroom related to your topic, with non-fiction books, fiction books, and real-life examples
- Have students bring in their own real-life items that relate to your topic
Additional Comments:
- Having a "special guest" come to the classroom to introduce a new topic can be especially motivating for students. Bringing in administrative members from the school to connect with students is a great idea. Also, consider inviting guests with special knowledge, like a local bee keeper at the beginning of a unit on bugs.
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Let's Connect: Using Anchor Charts to Make Connections (Virtual Tour)
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