MORE NONFICTION PLEASE!
1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grades
Librarian Note: Our goal is to have students read more nonfiction by
choice. We are hoping that by engaging students with good fit
nonfiction books, we can hook them into reading more nonfiction.
In order to encourage students to choose nonfiction, we feel that
younger students have the necessary strategies to read nonfiction as
well as giving them exposure to the great titles found in our libraries.
Additionally, some classroom teachers are hesitant in encouraging their
students to read nonfiction at an early age since it requires students
to use different strategies than fiction and can be more challenging.
In addition, these teachers may not be aware of vast number of grade
appropriate titles. By including strategy lessons on nonfiction at the
lower grades, our hope is to have all teachers’ support in choosing
nonfiction. In turn, we hope this support will turn into enthusiasm
encouragement for nonfiction check out.
Included in this presentation are lessons at each grade designed to
expose students to an array of nonfiction books as well as teach them
strategies for reading nonfiction.
First Grade, Lesson One:
What are the features of nonfiction/informational text?
Teacher Preparation:
 Locate and pull HOW DINOSAURS GO TO SCHOOL by Jane
Yolen and TYRANOSAURUS REX by Wil Mara.
 Create a Smart Board file with a Venn diagram labeled with the
book titles.
 Copy handouts explaining basic features for each student.
 Place one nonfiction book per pair that offers text features
Lesson:
 Read 2 books about dinosaurs: HOW DINOSAURS GO TO
SCHOOL by Jane Yolen and TYRANOSAURUS REX by Wil Mara.
 Have students think about how the books are the same and how
they are different.
 Use a Venn diagram to record their answers on the Smart Board.
 Determine that the first book is fiction or fake.
 Determine that the second book is nonfiction or not fake.
 Point out some basic features of nonfiction books-table of
contents, headings, and pictures.
 At tables, look at the handout that highlights each feature and
discuss how to use the features to better read nonfiction. As you
read about the features, have students locate them in the books
on the tables.
First Grade, Lesson Two:
Teacher Preparation:
 Locate and pull, THANKSGIVING by Sheri Dean. (or any suitable
nonfiction book)
 Create a Smart Board file with two columns labeled, What We
Learned from the Text and What We Learned from the Pictures
 Using chart paper, create a similar chart for each student group.
Include a copy of the picture and text at the top.
What We Learned from the
Words
What We Learned from the
Pictures
Pictures and Text from: Dean, Sheri. Thanksgiving. Milwaukee, WI: Weekly Reader
Early Learning Library, 2006. Print.
Lesson:
 Review differences between fiction and nonfiction.
 Review the special features from lesson one.
 Explain that today’s focus is on another special feature: the
pictures we find in nonfiction books. Authors and illustrators put
the pictures in place so readers learn from them.
 Discuss that good readers study the pictures to learn information
as well as read the text.
 Look at the first page from THANKSGIVING by Sheri Dean.
 Study the picture and list on paper or on the Smart Board what
we learn from the picture. (Stick with the facts-not conclusions
or prior knowledge.)
 Read the accompanying text and list what we learn from the
words.
 See if any information is the same or any information is
different.
 At tables, have students work in pairs or groups to repeat the
activity for a different page on chart paper divided into 2
columns: What We Learned from the Text and What We Learned
from the Pictures.
 Share.
At the end of the lesson, have students check out nonfiction
books. Make this an exciting experience.
 Place a variety of grade level appropriate titles to choose from
 Allow it to be an “extra” book if you limit check outs so it feels
special.
 Give them time to sit quietly and read their books in the library
after check out.
 Circulate to discuss their books.
 Take a guided tour of your nonfiction section.
First Grade Reading Nonfiction
Name _________________________
Cover:
Look for a cover that looks realistic, not fake! The cover helps readers
to know what the book is about. Look at it carefully!
Table of Contents:
The table of contents helps readers to know what pages chapters start
on. They help readers to know the main idea of chapters.
Headings
Headings help the reader to know what the page or section is about.
Use the headings to help you find the main idea. Read the section to
look for details.
Second Grade, Lesson One:
Essential Question: What distinguishes fiction from nonfiction text?
Teacher Preparation:



Select nonfiction and fiction books to place on tables during
lesson. (6-7 of each)
Try to choose nonfiction titles that are interesting and
appropriate for second graders.
Access Smart Board file.
Lesson:
● Without much direction, have students sort the books into
groups.
● Using sticky notes, students will label the groups. Discuss
groups and why books were sorted this way.
● Have students share their groups. Many will group by fiction
and nonfiction, but some may differ.
● Explain that the books can be sorted into two main groups:
fiction and nonfiction.
● Show Smart Board file to highlight the characteristics of
fiction and nonfiction.
● Have them check and resort their piles to make sure they are
correct based upon this discussion.
● In pairs, have students choose a book from each pile and explain
why they fit their category-what characteristics do they have?
● Do Smart Board shelf sort-fiction or nonfiction.
Second Grade, Lesson Two:
Essential Question: How do I adjust my reading for non-fiction?
Teacher Preparation:
 Select 2 books about cats or any topic: one fiction and one
nonfiction (short and grade level appropriate).
 Choose nonfiction books for students to read in pairs during the
lesson.
 Copy the nonfiction reading guide for each student.
Lesson:
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Discuss the difference between the 2 books.
Remind students of last week’s lesson.
This week the lesson will keep the focus on nonfiction.
Discuss how to read nonfiction.
First, recognize that it is nonfiction-real people, places, and
events.
Then, before reading, think about what you know about the topic.
Then, read the book by adjusting your reading rate and stopping
to summarize along the way.
Finally, think about what you learned at the end.
Model this with the nonfiction cat book.
Have students work in pairs.
Each pair will read a second grade nonfiction book.
Have pairs complete a sheet about the nonfiction books.
First, they will record what they know.
Next, they will read and record tricky words or questions.
Finally, they will write 3 things they learned.
Share at end.
Have students check out nonfiction books.
Second Grade Reading Nonfiction
Name _______________________________________
Book Title _________________________________
What do I know about this topic?
What important or interesting information did I learn from reading the
book?
1. _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
What questions do I have or what words were tricky?
 _____________________________________________
 _____________________________________________
 ______________________________________________
Third Grade Lessons
Note: Our third grade teachers were concerned that their students
were not aware of all the series in our library and were checking out
books from the same series. They asked me to teach a lesson to
introduce more series titles to their students.
Toward the start of the year, I did this with fiction books. Students
enjoyed the lesson and checked out a greater variety of series books.
Because of this success, they also asked me to do the same for
nonfiction series in our library. We had this lesson after students
learned about the Dewey Decimal systems and had a better
understanding of book locations. (My fourth graders completed Dewey
Decimal Photo Stories to teach third graders about the Dewey Decimal
system and took them on tours of the nonfiction area of the library
the weeks prior.)
Following is the lesson I used for fiction series as well as the chart
students used to track their interests. Later, I used the basic
information as a reference point for introducing students to nonfiction
series. I made a second chart for nonfiction series that students used
to track their interests.
Grade Level: 3
Essential Question: How do I find good fit books?
Fiction Series Lesson:
 Remind students what book series are by asking several
true/false questions for series (thumb up for true, thumb down
for false. Example: Series must be read in order. Series are
always written by the same author. Etc…).
 Use the questions to define book series. Discuss and explain why
it is useful to find an enjoyable series.
 Show Power Point to introduce some of the series in our library.
 Give students the fiction series chart.
 Have students use the title, Power Point, and level information to
determine if the series is a good fit or not.
 Find at least 4-5 that seem to be good fit.
 Show students how to find series in Destiny or Destiny Quest.
 During flexible access, students will come to the library to find
the books using their charts and through Destiny.
 Follow up with observations and questions to determine which
series students most enjoy
Nonfiction Series Lesson:
 Review what students learned earlier in the year about books in a
series.
 Discuss how this applies to nonfiction books.
 Share chart and titles as students note which titles are a good
fit.
 During discussion, ask in what Dewey section the books will be
found for review from our previous lesson.
 Allow students to find books from their charts to check out at
the end of the lesson.
Name ___________________________
Book Series
Name of Series
AR Level
Andrew Lost
Appleville Elementary
Black Lagoon Adventures
Bad Kitty
Bones Mysteries
The Buddy Files
Captain Awesome
Carole Marsh Mysteries
Clementine
Dragon Keepers
Dyamonde Daniel
Field Trip Mysteries
Fly Guy
George Brown Class Clown
Geronimo Stilton/Creepella
Happily Ever After
Horrible Harry
Ivy and Bean
Jewel Fairies
Mercy Watson
Kylie Jean
Liberty Porter
Magic Treehouse
Monica
Mother/Daughter Book Club
3.5-4.0
2.4-2.6
2.5-3.8
2.6-3.8
1.7-2.2
2.9-3.2
3.8-4.0
3.9-5.3
3.9-4.5
4.9-5.3
3.8-3.9
2.9-4.3
1.3-2.0
3.4-3.6
3.4-5.2
3.5-4.2
2.9-3.6
2.4-3.6
3.9-4.9
2.6-3.2
2.9-3.7
3.5-3.7
2.7-4.1
2.8-5.2
4.9-6.2
Good Fit?
Mr. Croc
My Weird School
Nate the Great
Origami Yoda
Puppy Place
Pet Trouble
Ricky Ricotta
Stink
Stan the Dog
Sugar Plum Ballerinas
Traction Man
Vampire School
The Zack Files
S.T.A.T.
Zeke Meeks
2.4-2.7
3.3-5.0
1.5-2.7
4.6-4.7
2.5-3.8
4.1-5.2
3.2-4.2
2.9-3.4
1.6-2.9
3.8-3.9
3.2-3.6
3.2-3.5
2.9-3.7
4.0-4.4
3.1-3.4
Graphic Novel Series
Name of Series
Baby Mouse
Benny and Penny
Binky the Space Cat
Fashion Kitty
Knights of the Lunch Table
Lunch Lady
AR Level
2.0-3.5
1.1-1.7
2.2-3.0
2.9-3.6
2.2-2.4
1.7-2.8
Good Fit?
Name ____________________________________
Nonfiction Series for Third Grade
Series/Some Titles
AR Range
American Symbols
 Bald Eagle
 Bill of Rights
 Liberty Bell
Animals in Danger
 In Africa
 In Asia
 In South America
Best of Pro Sports
 Figure Skating
 Pro Baseball
 Pro Football
 Pro Basketball
 Pro Ice Hockey
Buddy Bios
 Blake Shelton
 Gabby Douglas
 Kate Middleton
 LeBron James
Dinosaur Find
 Ankylosaurus and other Mountain
Dinosaurs
 Allosaurus and Other Dinosaurs of Rockies
Drawing with Sports Illustrated Kids
 Baseball Drawing Book
 Hockey Drawing Book
 Basketball Drawing Book
Earthforms
 Lakes
 Oceans
 Rivers
 Volcanoes
3.4-5.3
Dewey
Section
900s
4.1-5.0
500s
3.3-4.0
700
3.4-5.0
92
3.3-3.9
500s
NA
700s
3.2-3.9
500s
Good
Fit?
Epic U.S. Military
 Green Beret
 Navy Seals
 U.S. Army
Exploring the Earth
 Fossils
 Minerals
 Rocks
Epic Wrestling Superstars
 Kane
 The Miz
 Rey Mysterio
Facts and Symbols
 All states in the United States
First Facts, Animal Behavior
 Animal Migration
 Animals That Live in Groups
 Animal Hibernation
First Facts, Pet Care
 Fish
 Ferret
 Guinea Pig
 Hermit Crab
First Facts, Easy Origami
 Magician
 Ocean
First Facts, Space
 The Milky Way
 NASA
 Space Stations
 Space Junk
Five Steps to Drawing
 People
 Farm Animals
 Faces
Gateway Solar System
 Jupiter
 Neptune
3.0-3.4
300s
2.9-3.9
500s
NA
92
3.7-5.8
900s
3.3-3.9
500s
2.1-3.3
600s
NA
700s
2.7-3.8
500s
NA
700s
4.9-5.8
500s
 The Sun
Hockey’s Hottest
 Wingers
 Goalies
The Galaxy
 Constellations
 Asteroids
 Comets
 Jupiter
Killer Animals
 Grizzly Bears on the Hunt
 Lions on the Hunt
Let’s Read
 Gases
 Liquids
 Solids
Manners Matter
 In the Classroom
 On a Field Trip
 In the Library
Magic Tree House Research Guide
 Ghosts
 Dolphins and Sharks
 Knights and Castles
 Titanic
My World of Science
 Bendy and Rigid
 Heavy and Light
 Human Growth
 Natural and Man-Made
Nature’s Monsters
 Flying Insects
 Sharks
 Giant Spiders and Insects
Our Physical World
 Electricity
 Light
 Magnets
3.0-4.0
700s
3.6-5.5
500s
2.8-3.1
500s
NA
500s
2.2-2.9
300s
4.2-5.5
Varies depends
on topic
3.1-3.8
500s
3.1-6.8
500s
2.8-3.5
500s
 Sound
Postcards From
 France
 South Africa
 Greece
 Egypt
 Mexico
Predator VS Prey
 Dolphin vs Fish
 Owl vs Mouse
 Shark vs Penguin
 Polar Bear vs Seal
Question and Answer
 Brazil
 China
 England
 Germany
Ready, Set, Cheer!
 Cheerleading Basics
 Try Outs
Snap Books
 Ballroom Dancing
 Dance Team
 Hip Hop Dancing
Technology and You
 Careers on the Web
 Internet Safety
 Using the Internet Safely
 The World Wide Web
Team Spirit
 NFL teams
 MLB teams
Time for Kids Biographies
 Clara Barton
 Henry Ford
 Jackie Robinson
 John F. Kennedy
 Rosa Parks
3.8-5.5
900s
2.8-3.3
500s
3.8-5.1
900s
4.3-4.9
700s
3.4-6.7
700s
5.2-7.1
000s
5.5-6.7
700s
4.2-5.7
92
Ultimate 10
 Blizzards and Winter Storms
 Hurricanes
 Olympics
 Earthquakes
 Classic Rivalries
Who Was? (biography series)
 Daniel Boone?
 Anne Frank?
 King Tut?
 Marco Polo
World of Reptiles
 Geckos
 Garter Snakes
 Bearded Dragons
3.6-5.4
Depends
on topic
3.8-6.0
92
2.1-3.7
500s