Metacognition in Literacy
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Types Of Literature
What is Literature?
Literature is any written or published work
While there are many different types of literature in the world for people of all ages to read, the third grade, like all grade levels, only focuses on a few of them...
What kind of literature for 3rd grade?
- Fiction
- Non-fiction
- Poetry
Fiction
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, fiction is "written stories about people and events that are not real"
Fiction can be found in many different forms: science fiction, fairy tale, romance, mysteries, fantasies, and many more. Fiction is especially easy to teach to younger children because it can often be whimsical and filled with lessons or an author's message which cannot otherwise be told without the author directly saying it to the reader.
LESSON:
Students find fiction interesting if you can find the right book. Look for award winning books and check out your school library for the right choice for your students. This graphic organizer will help any reader to understand the different aspects of fiction books. They must identify that there is a title and author, as well as the setting, the characters, problems and solutions, and the timeline of events within the story itself. This can easily be differentiated as well, asking some students to go more in depth with any of the sections with more or less details that you expect from them. Gifted students would be able to go more in depth with characters and setting details from the story, while at or below level students wouldn't need to go so far in their work and would still be able to understand what the worksheet is teaching them.
Fiction can be found in many different forms: science fiction, fairy tale, romance, mysteries, fantasies, and many more. Fiction is especially easy to teach to younger children because it can often be whimsical and filled with lessons or an author's message which cannot otherwise be told without the author directly saying it to the reader.
LESSON:
Students find fiction interesting if you can find the right book. Look for award winning books and check out your school library for the right choice for your students. This graphic organizer will help any reader to understand the different aspects of fiction books. They must identify that there is a title and author, as well as the setting, the characters, problems and solutions, and the timeline of events within the story itself. This can easily be differentiated as well, asking some students to go more in depth with any of the sections with more or less details that you expect from them. Gifted students would be able to go more in depth with characters and setting details from the story, while at or below level students wouldn't need to go so far in their work and would still be able to understand what the worksheet is teaching them.
Non-Fiction
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, non-fiction is "writing that is about facts or real events".
Non-Fiction is anything that is not fiction. It is usually in the form of informational or historical text. Examples of non-fiction range from the Declaration of Independence to a science text book in the back of a classroom. Non-fiction is usually more difficult for young students to read as well, as it has a lot more technical terms, new vocabulary, and less exciting content for some. Non-fiction must be presented to students in an exciting way.
LESSON:
To excite students about non-fiction you must present to them the new features that they will see in non-fiction texts. Some of these features include different text sizes on every page, titles, sections, graphics, photographs, new vocabulary, and all of the new information. Reassuring students that these new features shouldn't be scary or discouraging is important! Think of it as a mystery that they need to unravel through the clues within each non-fiction text that they will read. Open up discussion about non-fiction books such as who has read some, what are places or people that you might want to learn about, what are some exciting examples (our Constitution) that students might be impressed by.
Non-Fiction is anything that is not fiction. It is usually in the form of informational or historical text. Examples of non-fiction range from the Declaration of Independence to a science text book in the back of a classroom. Non-fiction is usually more difficult for young students to read as well, as it has a lot more technical terms, new vocabulary, and less exciting content for some. Non-fiction must be presented to students in an exciting way.
LESSON:
To excite students about non-fiction you must present to them the new features that they will see in non-fiction texts. Some of these features include different text sizes on every page, titles, sections, graphics, photographs, new vocabulary, and all of the new information. Reassuring students that these new features shouldn't be scary or discouraging is important! Think of it as a mystery that they need to unravel through the clues within each non-fiction text that they will read. Open up discussion about non-fiction books such as who has read some, what are places or people that you might want to learn about, what are some exciting examples (our Constitution) that students might be impressed by.
Poetry
"Poetry is a great way for children to experiment and explore language and develop phonemic awareness. Most children are familiar with nursery rhymes and tongue twisters, but acrostic poems, shape poems, rebus poems, and haikus are all fantastic ways to inspire your children and get them reading and writing." -BrainPop
Poems can come from anywhere, anything, at any time. They are an art form of writing which focuses more on working with the words to emphasize the meaning of a message in a specific way. Maybe the words are shaped differently, maybe they have a rhythm, or maybe they rhyme to get a point across better. The point is that students can engage in poetry at any point and it's easy to find.
LESSON:
Have students look through old diaries, journals, photo books, family home-movies, a childhood favorite book, or even artwork. Let them know that this is where they might get their poem inspiration from. Let students listen to some song lyrics to hear poetry in the music as well. Poetry is different in that it can grasp many different types of learners relatively easily. Then ask students to write about something meaningful to them. Brainstorm as a class to begin students thinking and gathering their own ideas about their meaningful idea. Have students write their own poem after the poetry introduction, then start to investigate some famous poetry and discuss what you notice that is the same and different with poetry and other forms of writing that students have seen. Continue writing poetry throughout the lessons and the whole unit, as it will be fun and impactful to see how far students have come in their poetry development by the end of the unit.
LESSON:
Have students look through old diaries, journals, photo books, family home-movies, a childhood favorite book, or even artwork. Let them know that this is where they might get their poem inspiration from. Let students listen to some song lyrics to hear poetry in the music as well. Poetry is different in that it can grasp many different types of learners relatively easily. Then ask students to write about something meaningful to them. Brainstorm as a class to begin students thinking and gathering their own ideas about their meaningful idea. Have students write their own poem after the poetry introduction, then start to investigate some famous poetry and discuss what you notice that is the same and different with poetry and other forms of writing that students have seen. Continue writing poetry throughout the lessons and the whole unit, as it will be fun and impactful to see how far students have come in their poetry development by the end of the unit.
References:
Brainpop. "Poems Background Information for Teachers and Parents." BrainPOP Educators. BrainPOP, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.
Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.
"What's Special About Nonfiction? | Scholastic.com." Scholastic Teachers. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.
Brainpop. "Poems Background Information for Teachers and Parents." BrainPOP Educators. BrainPOP, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.
Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.
"What's Special About Nonfiction? | Scholastic.com." Scholastic Teachers. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.