At a Glance:
| Grades: | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
|---|---|
| Subject: | ELA (English Language Arts) |
| Topic: | Text Types and Purposes |
| Lesson Length: | 1 - 2 class sessions |
Standards / Framework:
What will students learn in this activity?
Students will be able to use a combination of drawing and writing to create an informative comic in which they restate facts.
What should students know before this activity?
Students should be familiar with the difference between fact and opinion.
How can teachers introduce this lesson?
- Ask students:
- “What is the difference between a fact and an opinion?
- ”What is an informational text?”
What will students do?
- Class Session 1:
- Read a variety of statements to the class.
- Have students walk to one side of the room if they believe it is a fact and the other side if they believe it is an opinion.
- After each round, have one student from the correct side explain their thinking behind why they selected a fact or opinion. The purpose of this warm up is to review what facts are.
- Have students read articles or books about a science or social studies topic the teacher selects. For example: life cycles, the rock cycle, the water cycle, forms of government, US symbols, etc.
- Have students record facts about the topic on a graphic organizer such as a Main Idea Web.
- Class Session 2:
- Have students continue recording facts and researching the non-fiction topic.
- Have students create an informative comic that includes the facts they researched.
How can teachers wrap up the lesson?
- Have students share their comics with the class or in small groups.
- Remind students that they completed writing an informational text. Their comics give factual information to the reader about _______. It is important to read and write informational texts because it helps students learn about the world around them!
How can teachers differentiate this activity?
- Allow students to use the speech-to-text feature.
- Allow students to work in pairs or groups as needed.
- Allow students to use the voiceover feature to read their comics aloud.
- Consider adjusting the research topic to align with specific grade level science or social studies standards.
- For K-1 students, consider reading a text aloud to the class instead of having students research topics independently. Record the facts on an anchor chart as a shared writing and reading activity.
Related Resources:
- Comic to print or display: Comic.
- Videos:
- Fact or Opinion for Kids by Teaching Without Frills
- Informational Writing for Kids by Teaching Without Frills
- Books:
- Penguins: Amazing Pictures & Fun Facts on Animals in Nature by Kay de Silva
- From Tadpole to Frog by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
- TIME For Kids Informational Text: Take Off! All About Airplanes by Jennifer Prior
- Main Idea Web
Rock Cycle
Presidents' Day
Black History
Martin Luther King Jr.
Cave
Energy
