#559. Differences Between Fiction and Non-Fiction In the Library

Literature, level: Elementary
Posted Fri Aug 7 09:46:27 PDT 1998 by Shirley Thomas (SThomasEH@aol.com).
East Helena Schools, East Helena, Montana
Materials Required: Drawing of Kangaroo, Markers, Variety of both Fiction(Easy) and Non-Fiction Books about Kangaroos
Activity Time: 1 class period
Concepts Taught: Diffences between Fiction and Non-Fiction Literature

Talk to the students about what they know about kangaroos. Write these facts inside the outline of the Kangaroo. Then ask children to use their imaginations and imagine they would have a pet kangaroo. What things could this pet do with them. Write these suggestions outside the outline in a different colored pen.
Talk about the Fiction and Non-Fiction sections of the library. What sort of books are in each. If the students were to write a book telling the things inside the Kangaroo, where would it go in the library? (Non-Fiction) Why? (Because it contains facts or true things about Kangaroos.) Where would the book go that tells about things outside the picture? (Fiction) Why? (Because it contains things that came from our imagination and couldn't really happen.)
View the variety of books available and have children decide where each would go based on cover, pictures and writing.