Teaching a child how to compare and contrast fiction and nonfiction can help them understand the differences between stories take them on a wonderous adventure and fact-driven stories, which can also be adventurous.
Comparing fiction and nonfiction books is also a great way to get your child thinking about books in a new way. Paired texts involve using fiction and nonfiction books with similar subject matter. After reading both, your child then moves to the activities part, which stimulates their thinking in new and fun ways.
Here are 3 activities that you can try with your child:
1) When reading fiction and nonfiction books on a similar topic, ask your child to look for things that are the same and different in the book. Record their responses using a Venn Diagram. Click here for a free Venn Diagram printable. Two of my favorite titles for this activity are the fiction book, Pumpkins, Pumpkins by Jeanne Titherington, and the nonfiction title, The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons.
2) When reading 2 nonfiction books, teach your child how to take notes using a T-chart. This will allow them to compare the facts from each book. Here is a free printable for you.
3) While reading books, ask your child to be a detective to look for these clues:
| Common Fiction Book Clues | Common Non-fiction Book Clues |
|---|---|
| Settings characters problem solution |
table of contents glossary research facts photos or diagrams with labels index |
Did YOU know (and I just learned this!)?
There are some fiction stories in the nonfiction section, such as Grimm’s Fairy Tales and Shakespeare’s work. Technically, all stories are assigned a Dewey Decimal number. Since there are so many fiction stories in the 800s nonfiction section, most libraries have a separate section for fiction books.
And a BONUS tip:
After reading a fiction book, ask your child if there is something in the story about which your child would like to know more. Then, use nonfiction books to do simple research!
How about a FREE resource? Click here for Evan-Moor’s downloadable sampler from Reading Paired Text for Grades 1-6! Reading Paired Text provides fun ready-made lessons including the stories and articles you need for the lessons and activities.
In this workbook, each study unit is based on 2 stories or articles. Within the units, the students are guided with specific activities to help them understand and compare the two different types of stories. There are also fun extension activities that can be done to include other subject areas as well! How great is that?
Learn more about Reading Paired Text on Evan-Moor’s website, or subscribe to TeacherFilebox.com to access these lessons and every Evan-Moor workbook!
Now we want to hear from you: What are your ideas for comparing fiction and nonfiction books? Please let us know in the comments section!
Amy Michaels is a certified teacher with 11 years of elementary classroom experience who is actively homeschooling her own children. Her mission is share the best teaching methods and resources with all homeschoolers. Amy supports parents through her podcasts, webinars, and online training for homeschoolers on her website http://www.thrivehomeschooling.com.