Fact and Fiction Reading Enrichment Unit: Grades K-2

Survey of Skills:

I collaborated with the student’s regular 1st-grade teacher and asked her what prior knowledge and
ability levels the students had. She indicated that this was a great topic for enrichment since she is
working writing informational writing in January. Her class is made up of 18 students. There are 12
white students, 1 mixed student, 2 Hispanic students receiving ESOL services, and 3 African American
students. The students reading level is at a Pre-Primer to Primer level, below grade level at this time.
Since the majority of the class struggles with reading material at grade level, the selections of books,
magazines, and other reading materials had to be adjusted to be used with this classroom for this unit.

Stage 1 – Desired Results

Established Goals: G

ELA1R6 The student uses a variety of strategies to understand and gain meaning from grade-level text.
The student

a. Reads and listens to a variety of texts for information and pleasure.

d. Retells stories read independently or with a partner.
e. Distinguishes fact from fiction in a text.

ISTE
4 - Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems
and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.
c - collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions
d - use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions
5 - Students understand human, cultural and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and
ethical behavior.

Understandings:
Students will understand that… U Students will be able to… S
• Fact and fiction have different purposes. • Tell the difference between a fiction book
• Fact and fiction books have different and a nonfiction book.
locations or “homes” in a library. • Discuss why a book is fact or fiction.
• Discuss why a statement in text is fact or
fiction.
Students will know…. K Essential Questions: Q
• Fact and fiction terms and meanings • What is fact and fiction?
• How to identify the difference between • How do I determine if a book or sentence
fact and fiction is a fact or if it is fiction?
• Why do I need to know the difference
between fact and fiction?
 • How can knowing what a fact or fiction
book looks like help me find what I need in
the media center?

Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence

Performance Task: T

• Students will find two books on the same topic (one fact and one fiction) from a stack of books.
They will choose a way to present the books (from a list) with a rational why they are fact and
fiction. Students will need to include a sentence from each book as evidence to prove their
choices.

Other Evidence: OE

• Discussion with students during the unit.

• Daily informal observations of the students during the lesson activities.
• Students will have discussions with their peers about the topic. Self assessment can take place.

Stage 3 – Learning Plan

Learning Activities:

Students will:
• listen to media specialist read two short stories with the same subject matter. One will be fiction
and one will be nonfiction. The students will be asked to tell the media specialist how those two
books were alike and how they were different?
• Create a word web (one on fiction and one on fact (non-fiction) giving specific information
about each. H
• sort books into groups by fiction and nonfiction
• create a presentation showing how they know if a book is fact or fiction. W
• complete a web quest that will reinforce the characteristics of fiction and fact and have them
practice with the knowledge. W, E, R
• be grouped into teams and will have a game to see who can correctly sort their stack of books the
fastest. The media specialist and the teacher will observe. T
Media Specialist will:
• Post essential questions for the unit.
• Go over the characteristics of fiction and non-fiction (fact) and how to identify the two. W, E
• Create a chart to show differences of fact and fiction with examples of each.
• Lead discussions
• Prepare and share a variety of books that are fiction and non-fiction (fact)
• Create a picture and sentence sort using real books from the media center.
• ask students what they have learned about fact and fiction. R
 • Ask students what the learned and what they don’t understand. Their answers will be used in
combination with the success of the sorting activity to assess the quality of the unit. E2
• Observe and give feedback on the presentations given by the students.

Lesson Sequence:
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5
1. Hook students by 1. Review the two 1. Review by 1. Take a trip to the 1. Review word webs
showing the types of stories with completing another library. and rubric for the
students two books a word web of each. book sort. 2. Discuss where the performance task.
and discuss the 2. Give students a 2. Complete the web fiction and fact 2. Give time to
difference they see book or pictures of quest in small books are located. complete task.
based on the cover. a book and see if groups or class as Discuss how the 3. Allow students to
2. Introduce the they can sort the time permits. words fact and non- present their tasks
essential questions books into fact and fiction are the same. to the class.
3. Read two stories fiction books. 3. Allow some time for
(one fact and one 3. Discuss how you the children to
fiction) on the same can find out if the explore each section
topic and discuss story is a fact or and discuss their
while reading how fiction book based findings.
they are different. on words. 4. Show groups of
4. Chart the 4. Complete a students stacks of
differences. sentence sort based books. Have each
on clues on a t-chart group choose one
as a class. fiction and non-
fiction book on the
same topic.
5. Introduce rubric for
the performance
task.

Performance Task Rubric

This rubric is based on the current writing rubric used in the classroom.

GIVE ME 5
Correctly identifies two books as fact and fiction.
Correctly tells 2 reasons for choosing the book as a non-fiction (fact) book.
Correctly tells 2 reasons for choosing the book as a fiction book.
Neatly presents the information.
Presenters can be understood.
Students try to earn all five stars. A ½ of a star can be given.