English lesson plan · Kindergarten (Reception and Year 1 in England) · 45 minutes
Storybook or information book?
Reading Comprehension
CCSS RL.K.5CCSS RI.K.5England: Reception LiteracyEngland: Y1 Reading (fiction and non-fiction)
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Storybook or information book?.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Who, where and what happened?
Leads to: Fiction or non-fiction? Spot the clues
Materials: A short text or extract (one copy each), Highlighters, Question cards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 5 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Who, where and what happened?). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- The cat sat on the mat. Then it saw a mouse and ran away. What did the cat see? (a dog / a fish / a mouse / a bird) → a mousePrompt: Find the part of the text that talks about this.
- In the night, the owl sat in the tall tree and hooted. When does this story happen? (at lunch / after school / in the morning / at night) → at nightPrompt: What does the character say and do?
- It was raining. Zoe put on her boots and jumped in a big puddle. What did Zoe jump in? (a puddle / a pool / the sea / a box) → a puddlePrompt: Find the part of the text that talks about this.
Hook · 5 min
- Read the first lines of a short text aloud and ask what students predict will happen and why.
- Share the objective: Storybook or information book?. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 10 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Penguins live where it is very cold. They cannot fly, but they swim well. Is this from a storybook or an information book?
- Step 1: Storybooks tell made-up stories. Information books teach true facts.
- Step 2: These are true facts about penguins.
- Step 3: So the answer is: an information book
- Answer: an information book
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 10 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- The moon goes around the Earth. It takes about a month. Is this from a storybook or an information book? (a storybook / an information book) → an information bookPrompt: Is it telling true facts, or is it a made-up story with characters?
- Read the question and choose the best sentence. Which sentence would you find in an information book? (Owls can turn their heads a long way round. / Ollie Owl wore a tiny crown. / The owl told a joke to the moon.) → Owls can turn their heads a long way round.Prompt: Information books tell true facts. Storybooks can have made-up events.
You do: independent practice · 10 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 5 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- Read the question and choose the best sentence. Which sentence would you find in a storybook? (Rain falls from clouds. / The cloud cried because it had no friends. / Clouds are made of tiny drops of water.) → The cloud cried because it had no friends.Prompt: Information books tell true facts. Storybooks can have made-up events.
- The three bears came home and found their porridge was gone! Is this from a storybook or an information book? (a storybook / an information book) → a storybookPrompt: Is it telling true facts, or is it a made-up story with characters?
Watch out for
- Answering from memory or opinion instead of evidence in the text.
- Copying a long quote without explaining what it shows.
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Who, where and what happened?.
- Use concrete materials: a short text or extract (one copy each).
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Move on to: Fiction or non-fiction? Spot the clues.
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/kindergarten.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder