Non-fiction Reading Activity

Hi! I'm Mona from First Grade Schoolhouse. Happy summer (coming soon) everyone! I just started my summer break this week. I hope you're enjoying yours.

I'm already meeting with my grade level teachers to talk about plans for next year!

I thought I'd share a non-fiction reading activity that I do in my classroom. The activity can be done during your word work time, writer's workshop, or used at a social studies or science thematic center.

I start by gathering books about a topic. I will show you samples of one for farm animals, but you can do this activity with any topic of study in your class. You will want to make sure you have books at various reading levels that will meet the needs of the readers in your classroom. I use books from my own classroom library, our school library, and our public library. I usually have a couple of baskets of books for student reading.

I use the activity as a center activity, so I don't have all my students doing this at the same time. They start with choosing a writing printable about a topic. This is one from a study of farm animals.

The students read about the animal. They write 3 facts they learn about the animal. And then they read their writing to two other students in the class. The children who have been read to write their names on the lines. It's a way for students to learn about the animals from each other. It's a great activity to integrate reading, writing, speaking, listening, and science/social studies.

I place picture word cards on the word wall or on a pocket chart for reference.

These picture word lists are available for students at the writing center. I print them on cardstock and laminate them.

Each student has a personal word list in their writing folders. They can add words under "Farm Animal Words" that they will need to know how to spell in their writing.

The students love these activities. They learn a lot about the topics, and they especially enjoy sharing what they have learned with their classmates.

You can view Writing about Farm Animals by clicking on the picture below.

I hope you find this idea useful. Enjoy your summer break!