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    What Are the Facts?

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    Subject: ELA (English Language Arts)

    Lesson Length: 1 - 2 class sessions

    Topic: Text Types and Purposes

    Grade Level: 1, 2, 3, 4

    Standards / Framework:

    • CC.1.W.2
    • CC.2.W.2
    • CC.3.W.2
    • CC.4.W.2

    Brief Description: Students will be able to use a combination of drawing and writing to create an informative comic in which they restate facts.

    Know Before You Start: Students should be familiar with the difference between fact and opinion.

    Hook:

    • Ask students:
      • “What is the difference between a fact and an opinion?
      • ”What is an informational text?”

    Activity:

    • 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.

    Closure:

    • 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!

    Differentiation:

    • 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.

    Resources:

    • Comic to print or display: Comic.
    • Videos:
    • 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

    Suggested Content Packs:

    Suggested Story Starters:

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    Students will conduct a short research project about a topic. Students will create a comic to demonstrate their understanding of the researched topic of their choice.

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