Comparing Characteristics of Literary and Informational Texts
Comparing Characteristics of Literary and Informational Texts
Objectives
In this lesson, students compare characteristics of literary text and informational text and find examples of both in literary nonfiction text. Students will:
- identify characteristics of literary text and informational text.
- compare and contrast a literary and an informational text about the same topic.
- identify literary and informational characteristics in a literary nonfiction text.
Essential Questions
How do strategic readers create meaning from informational and literary text?
How does interaction with text provoke thinking and response?
What is this text really about?
- How do strategic readers create meaning from informational and literary text?
- What is this text really about?
- How does interaction with text provoke thinking and response?
Vocabulary
- Literary (Fiction) Text: A story about people, animals, or events that is made up by an author.
- Characters: The people or animals in a story.
- Setting: The time and place, or when and where, a story happens.
- Plot: The sequence of events in a story, including a problem and a solution.
- Characteristics: Features or qualities that help identify something.
- Informational (Nonfiction) Text: A book that gives information or facts about real people, things, or events.
- Text Features: Any visual clues on a page of text that offer additional information to guide the reader’s understanding.
- Captions: Words or sentences that give information about a photograph.
- Table of Contents: A list of chapter titles and the page numbers on which they begin. A table of contents is located at the beginning of a book.
- Glossary: List of words in a book and their meanings.
- Bold Print: Heavy, dark print.
- Italics: Slanted print.
- Literary Nonfiction: Books that have characteristics of both literary and informational books. They use some literary characteristics to tell factual information.
Duration
30–90 minutes/1–3 class periods
Prerequisite Skills
Prerequisite Skills haven't been entered into the lesson plan.
Materials
- a variety of informational texts that include several text features (titles, table of contents, bold or italic print, captions, labels, bullets, glossary, index, maps, charts)
- a variety of literary texts at students’ independent reading levels
- Caterpillar to Butterfly by Laura Marsh. National Geographic Children’s Books, 2012.
- Buddy Butterfly and His Cousin by Melissa Blackwell Burke. Steck-Vaughn Company, 2001.
- Becoming Butterflies by Anne Rockwell. Walker and Company, 2002. These books were chosen because they are examples of literary, informational, and literary nonfiction texts about the same topic. Alternative literary nonfiction texts include the following:
- Emperor’s Egg by Martin Jenkins. Candlewick, 2002.
- Atlantic by G. Brian Karas. Puffin, 2004.
- A Good Day’s Fishing by James Prosek. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2004.
- George’s Secret Key to the Universe by Stephen Hawkings. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2009.
- Teachers may substitute other books to provide a range of reading and level of text complexity.
- T-chart used in Lessons 1 and 2 (L-2-3_T-Chart and KEY.doc)
- sticky notes
- pencils
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Final 4/11/14