Easy Ways to Make Non-Fiction Text Comprehension Activities Fun
Its 3:00 pm on Friday. Lesson plans are due and here you sit staring at the blinking cursor trying to figure out what you can do next week that will help your students really understand non-fiction texts. Non-fiction text comprehension activities can be dry and hard for students to make connections. Planning lessons that are engaging and fun can be so difficult. Well, I got you covered!
Text feature Scavenger hunt
Students work in groups of 4 to locate text feature in non-fiction works. It is best to give students a variety or texts – books, magazines, newspapers, etc. If they can cut them out it works even better. As students locate the features, they will notate the page and draw the example or cut it out and glue on their paper. They will then explain how the text feature helps the reader. You can get a copy of this resource in my FREE Resource library. Not a member yet? Click here to sign up.
Extension: Once students have completed the hunt, have them write riddles for each of the text features to share with the class. Example: I am a list found at the beginning of a book. I usually give you a chapter or section title and the page that section begins on. What am I?
Hashtag Summary
Why not bring a little social media strategy into the classroom? Have students read a selection or a section of a non-fiction text. After they finish reading, have them summarize the text in 144 characters or less (think Twitter). Then, have them create a hashtag that describes what the passage or section was about.
Example: The Hubble telescope has been taking pictures in space for over 20 years. Its ability was improved in 2009. It will be replaced in 2018. #spacephotographer
Non-fiction Tic Tac Toe
After reading a selection, students will answer questions on the tic-tac-toe board. Students will need to make a tic-tac-toe either vertically, horizontally or diagonally. You can get a copy of this resource in my FREE Resource library too!
Three Facts and a Lie
After students have read the selection have them select 3 facts from the passage. Then have them make up a “lie” that relates to the passage but is not there. Students will then share their three facts and a lie with the class. Students will determine which one is the lie. Have students try to select the lie before looking back at the passage. Then, have them prove their answer by finding the other 3 facts in the passage.
Feel like you could up your questioning game? Check out my non-fiction question stems in my TpT store. These are color-coded by skill and aligned to match the level of rigor you need for state testing!
Happy Teaching!
Betsy
