Non-Fiction Reading Clubs Week 1

I wrote several blog posts about my fiction reading book clubs.  Now, it is time for my non-fiction reading book clubs!

I loved the reading fiction book club, but the non-fiction unit might be my favorite.  It turned out really well and the kids learned so much.

We focused on biographies for our non-fiction reading.  I had my students split into 3 groups.  I let the students pick the biography they wanted to read.  I had a whole set of books from Scholastic - the Who was, Who is biography set.  One group chose Thomas Edison, the second group chose Jane Goodall, and the third group chose Anne Frank.  

Each student was given a non-fiction reading journal to record their responses in.  The journal reflected the mini lesson for the day.  The unit I created has daily learning targets with objective checks for each target.

In December, the unit focused on how to read non-fiction text.  You can read about that unit here.  So, this unit is focusing more on how to share what we've learned from non-fiction text.  Isn't our main goal as readers to understand what we read and then share our knowledge with others?

I focused on how to find important parts in non-fiction text to share.  This can be pretty tricky for my little ones because they want to share every details or things that are not important.  

I like to make lists so that my students can follow the criteria easier.  We also discussed that in order for a part in the story to be important, the reader must be able to state why and how it helped them understand.  If they can do that, then I will accept it as an important part of the book!

You can check out my kiddos in their small groups.  I rotate among the groups to encourage group discussion and to show that I'm available if they have any questions. 

We also focused on retelling what we read.  This helps with comprehension.  I created a bookmark for the kids to use when reading.  They can reference it after they read a passage, page, or chapter.  It reminds them to pause and retell what they learned in their own words.  It also includes some questions they can ask their group members to help them build discussion.  

Here is one of my students politely waiting to share with her group members. 

You can find all of these resources by clicking on the picture below.  I have worksheets that go with each learning target to allow students to share what they learned.  I also have just the student journal available separately if you are interested in just that part of the unit.

Check out week 2 of my non-fiction reading book club unit by clicking here.