10 Mini Lessons Narrative Nonfiction Reading Unit TC Format

Unit of Study: RW Nonfiction Teaching Point: Good readers determine the genre they are reading by looking through their text. Connection: Readers, we have been talking about nonfiction texts, looking at the text features, and learning lots of new information about our topics. Today, we are going to look at a different kind of nonfiction texts. Today, we are going to look at narrative nonfiction texts. I am going to teach you how good readers determine the genre they are reading by looking through their text. Teach: Readers, books are divided into categories called genres. These categories tell us what type of information we will find in the book. Some genres that we already know about are poetry, mystery, and biography. Today, we are going to take a look at some nonfiction genres together. (chart): Nonfiction Genres Autobiography Biography Diary Entry Journal Entry Letter Essay Narrative Let’s take a look at a passage together and try to determine the genre by looking through the text. (chart): Hot Shot on In-line Skates (TFK Narrative Passage 5) Readers, this seems like a passage from a biography. This passage is telling me about Fallon Heffernan, an in-line skater. The passage describes her famous skating move, the Miller Flip, and it tells us that Fallon was the champion of a big skating contest. It told me facts about her life, just like a biography. Active Involvement (1): Readers, now it’s your turn. Let’s look at another passage together. (chart): A Day In The Life (TFK Narrative Passage 4) Turn and talk to your partners…what is the genre of this passage? How do you know? Active Involvement (2): What is the difference between nonfiction and narrative nonfiction? Turn and talk to your partners.

Accommodations and Questions: Must Know (All): Which genres can be classified as nonfiction? Should Know (Some): What is the difference between nonfiction and narrative nonfiction? Could Know (Able): What are some similarities and differences between narrative nonfiction passages and fiction passages? Link: When you go back to your seats, you are going to work on determining the genre that you are reading by looking through your text. You are going to read from a selection of narrative nonfiction passages. Teaching Share: Students will share how they determined the genre by looking through their narrative nonfiction text. They will also share any new information that they discovered.

Unit of Study: RW Nonfiction (SS)

Teaching Point: Good readers of narrative nonfiction use all they know about characters by thinking, “Who is the story about and what are their character traits?” Connection: Readers, last time we talked about how good readers can determine the genre they are reading by looking through their text. We looked at several narrative nonfiction texts and talked about some of them. Today, as we continue to look at narrative nonfiction texts, I am going to teach you how good readers use all they know about characters by thinking, “Who is the story mostly about and what are their character traits?” Teach: Readers, today we are going to talk about the “characters” that are in our narrative nonfiction passages. Since we are reading nonfiction, the characters are real people that have actually lived! Review character traits. Let’s look at a passage together. (chart): Slamming Sammy (TFK Narrative Passage 13) Readers, watch as I use all I know about characters…Who is mostly in this story? Well, I think that the main character of this passage is Sammy Sosa. The passage is mainly about how Sammy Felt about playing baseball. Sammy is always smiling and has a little dance before he goes to bat. What are some of His character traits? Well, since Sammy enjoys playing and is always smiling, I think that he must be an playful and happy person. Readers, notice how I chose character traits that could be supported from the text? Sammy may also be a funny person, but since he did not do anything funny in the text, I cannot support that character trait with any evidence. Active Involvement (1): Readers, now it’s your turn. Let’s look at another passage. (chart): The Fossil Finder (TFK Narrative Passage17 ) Turn and talk to your partners…who is mostly in this story? Who is the main character? Active Involvement (2): What are some of his character traits? How do you know? Support them with evidence from the text. Accommodations and Questions: Must Know (All): Who is the main character in the passage? Should Know (Some): Which character trait best fits this main character? Could Know (Able): What happened in the text to support this character trait?

Link: When you go back to your seats, you are going to work on using all you know about characters by asking, “Who is mostly in this story and what are their character traits?” You will be reading some texts from our selections of narrative nonfiction passages as you work

on this new reading strategy. Teaching Share: Students will share how they used all they know about characters by thinking, “Who is mostly in this story and what are their character traits?” They will also share any new information that they discovered.

Unit of Study: RW Nonfiction (SS) Teaching Point: Good readers of narrative nonfiction think about how an issue or a

concern affected the character in the passage. Connection: Readers, last time we talked about how good readers of narrative nonfiction can use all they know about characters to think, “Who is mostly in this story and what are their character traits?” Today, we are going to continue thinking about the characters in our text. Today, I am going to teach you how good readers think about how an issue or a concern has affected the character in the passage. Teach: Readers, we can sometimes learn a lot about our character by studying how they deal with an issue, or how they react when they are concerned with something. How a character deals with a problem can tell us what type of person they are on the inside. Let’s take a look at a passage together and I will show you what I mean. (chart): A Lucky Brake (TFK Narrative Passage 12) In this passage, Larry Champagne was faced with a big problem…his bus driver passed out on the way to school. The way that Larry reacted shows us a lot about the type of person that Larry must be. Larry didn’t get scared and hide…he ran to the front of the bus and hit the brakes to stop it before anyone could get hurt! This really shows us that Larry was a brave person. He was also very smart to think so quickly and react in time to save the people on the bus! How did this issue affect Larry? I think that Larry knows that he did a great thing by saving the people on the bus. I think that if he was faced with a dangerous situation again, in the future, that he would do the same thing and react bravely. Readers, notice how I looked at the way that Larry reacted to a problem to learn about him as a character. Active Involvement (1): Now, let’s look at another passage together. (chart): Honor At Last (TFK Narrative Passage 1) In this passage, Bill Clinton was faced with an issue. Henry O. Flipper had been forced to leave the army, even though he had been found not guilty, because he was an AfricanAmerican. How did Bill Clinton react to this issue? What does that tell us about Bill Clinton? Active Involvement (2): How do you think this issue affected Bill Clinton? How do you think it affected the family members of Henry O. Flipper?

Accommodations and Questions: Must Know (All): What issue or concern did the main character face in the passage? Should Know (Some): How did the main character deal with the issue or the concern? Could Know (Able): What did you learn about the character based on their reaction to the issue or the concern? Link: When you go back to your seats, you are going to work on thinking about how an issue or a concern affected the character in your narrative nonfiction passage. You will continue reading from our selection of narrative nonfiction texts. Teaching Share: Students will share how they thought about how an issue or a concern may have affected the character in their narrative nonfiction text. They will also share any new information that they discovered.

Unit of Study: RW Nonfiction (SS)

Teaching Point: Good readers of narrative nonfiction use all they know about characters by thinking, “How did this person change?” Connection: Readers, last time we talked about how good readers of narrative nonfiction think about how an issue or a concern may have affected the character in their passage. Today, we are going to move one step further. I am going to teach you how good readers use all they know about characters by thinking, “How did this person change?” Teach: Readers, sometimes when a character goes through an event in their life, the event can change the character. For example, if a character does something brave, they might overcome a fear and be changed for the rest of their life. Let’s look at a passage together and see if the character in the passage went through a change. (chart): A Lucky Brake (TFK Narrative Passage 12) Readers, the character in this passage is Larry Champagne. Larry did something very brave by saving the kids on his bus when his bus driver passed out while he was driving. Larry said that his grandmother always told him to do what was right…his grandmother’s advice must have had a big effect on Larry. Larry changed by doing something very brave and saving a lot of people’s lives on the bus.

Active Involvement (1): Let’s look at another passage together. (chart): Police Officer Next Door (TFK Narrative Passage 19) Readers, turn and talk to your partners. How did the kids’ lives change when Officer Sinclair moved into their neighborhood? Active Involvement (2): Turn and talk to your partners again…how do you think Officer Sinclair’s life changed since he moved into the neighborhood? The passage does not really tell us, so we will have to infer. Accommodations and Questions: Must Know (All): Did the main character change from the beginning of the passage to the end of the passage? Should Know (Some): Was the character’s change a positive change or a negative change? How do you know? Could Know (Able): Make a text-to-text or a text-to-self connection with the character in this passage.

Link: When you go back to your seats, you are going to work on using all you know about characters to think, “How has this person changed?” As you work on this new strategy, you will be reading texts from our selection of narrative nonfiction texts. Teaching Share: Students will share how they used all they know about characters to think, “How has this person changed?” They will also share any new information that they discovered.

Unit of Study: RW Nonfiction (SS)

Teaching Point: Good readers reflect when they have finished a narrative nonfiction text by asking, “How has my thinking grown?” Connection: Readers, last time we talked about how good readers of narrative nonfiction use all they know about characters to think about how their character has changed throughout the text. Now that we have finished a narrative nonfiction text, it is time to reflect. I am going to teach you how good readers reflect when they have finished a narrative nonfiction text by asking, “How has my thinking grown?” Teach: After finishing a text, good readers stop to reflect. This means that they stop to think about what they have learned. Good readers will think, “How has my thinking grown?” as they think about the new information that they have learned from their nonfiction text. Let’s look at a passage that we have already read together, and I will show you how I reflect by thinking, “How has my thinking grown?” (chart): A Lucky Brake (TFK Narrative Passage 12) Readers, I think that Larry did such a brave thing by running to the front of the bus to hit the brakes. I think that most kids would probably be too afraid to do something like that. I noticed how Larry said that his grandma always told him to do what was right. After reading this passage, I can really see how his grandma’s advice meant something to him. Larry really listened to his grandma, and he was so brave! After reading this passage, I can really see how one person can make a difference in the world. Readers, notice how I reflected…I thought about the passage, and I asked myself, “How has my thinking grown?” Active Involvement (1): Readers, now it’s your turn to reflect. Let’s look at another passage. (chart): A Dream Come True (TFK Narrative Passage 8) Turn and talk to your partners about this passage that we have already read and reflect. How has your thinking about handicapped people grown after reading this passage? Active Involvement (2): Readers, do you agree that a retelling is the same thing as a reflection? Why? Turn and talk to your partners. Accommodations and Questions: Must Know (All): How has your thinking grown after reading this narrative nonfiction passage? Should Know (Some): What are some new facts that you have learned about this nonfiction topic? Could Know (Able): Explain this narrative nonfiction topic to a friend that has not read

the passage.

Link: When you go back to your seats, as you finish your narrative nonfiction text, you are going to work on reflecting by asking, “How has my thinking grown?” Teaching Share: Students will share how they reflected by asking, “How has my thinking grown?” They will also share any new information that they discovered.

Unit of Study: RW Nonfiction (SS) Teaching Point: Good readers determine the genre they are reading by looking through

their text. Connection: Readers, we have been talking about nonfiction texts, looking at the text features, and learning lots of new information about our topics. Today, we are going to look at a different kind of nonfiction texts. Today, we are going to look at narrative nonfiction texts. I am going to teach you how good readers determine the genre they are reading by looking through their text. Teach: Readers, books are divided into categories called genres. These categories tell us what type of information we will find in the book. Some genres that we already know about are poetry, mystery, and biography. Today, we are going to take a look at some nonfiction genres together. (chart): Nonfiction Genres Autobiography Biography Diary Entry Journal Entry Letter Essay Narrative Let’s take a look at a passage together and try to determine the genre by looking through the text. (chart): The Fossil Finder (TFK Narrative Passage 7) Readers, this passage seems like a biography to me. It tells me some facts about Sam Girouard, a scientist. It talks about some of the work that Sam has done as a fossil scientist, and I learned that he started out very young! Active Involvement (1): Readers, now it’s your turn. Let’s look at another passage together. (chart): My Trip On A Plane (TFK Narrative Passage 10) Turn and talk to your partners…what is the genre of this passage? How do you know? Active Involvement (2): What is the difference between nonfiction and narrative nonfiction? Turn and talk to your partners.

Accommodations and Questions: Must Know (All): Which genres can be classified as nonfiction? Should Know (Some): What is the difference between nonfiction and narrative nonfiction? Could Know (Able): What are some similarities and differences between narrative nonfiction passages and fiction passages? Link: When you go back to your seats, you are going to work on determining the genre that you are reading by looking through your text. You are going to read from a selection of narrative nonfiction passages. Teaching Share: Students will share how they determined the genre by looking through their narrative nonfiction text. They will also share any new information that they discovered.

Unit of Study: RW Nonfiction (SS)

Teaching Point: Good readers of narrative nonfiction use all they know about characters by thinking, “Who’s mostly in the story and what are their character traits?” Connection: Readers, last time we talked about how good readers can determine the genre they are reading by looking through their text. We looked at several narrative nonfiction texts and talked about some of them. Today, as we continue to look at narrative nonfiction texts, I am going to teach you how good readers use all they know about characters by thinking, “Who’s mostly in this story and what are their character traits?” Teach: Readers, today we are going to talk about the “characters” that are in our narrative nonfiction passages. Since we are reading nonfiction, the characters are real people that have actually lived! Let’s look at a passage together. (chart): A Dream Come True (TFK Narrative Passage 8) Readers, watch as I use all I know about characters…Who is mostly in this story? Well, I think that the main character of this passage is Hannah Kristan. She is a young girl in a wheelchair that helped to raise money to build a special playground for kids in wheelchairs. What are some of her character traits? Well, since Hannah helped to raise money for such a good cause, I think that she is a very generous person. She also seemed very determined to help build a playground for kids in wheelchairs. Readers, notice how I chose character traits that could be supported from the text? Hannah may also be an artistic person, but since she did not do anything artistic in the text, I cannot support that character trait with any evidence.

Active Involvement (1): Readers, now it’s your turn. Let’s look at another passage together. (chart): A Lucky Brake (TFK Narrative Passage 12) Turn and talk to your partners…what is the genre of this passage? How do you know? Active Involvement (2): What is the difference between nonfiction and narrative nonfiction? Turn and talk to your partners. Accommodations and Questions: Must Know (All): Who is the main character in the passage? Should Know (Some): Which character trait best fits this main character? Could Know (Able): What happened in the text to support this character trait?

Link: When you go back to your seats, you are going to work on using all you know about

characters by asking, “Who is mostly in this story and what are their character traits?” You will be reading some texts from our selections of narrative nonfiction passages as you work on this new reading strategy. Teaching Share: Students will share how they used all they know about characters by thinking, “Who is mostly in this story and what are their character traits?” They will also share any new information that they discovered.

Unit of Study: RW Nonfiction (SS) Teaching Point: Good readers of narrative nonfiction think about how an issue or a concern affected the character in the passage. Connection: Readers, last time we talked about how good readers of narrative nonfiction can use all they know about characters to think, “Who is mostly in this story and what are their character traits?” Today, we are going to continue thinking about the characters in our

text. Today, I am going to teach you how good readers think about how an issue or a concern has affected the character in the passage. Teach: Readers, we can sometimes learn a lot about our character by studying how they deal with an issue, or how they react when they are concerned with something. How a character deals with a problem can tell us what type of person they are on the inside. Let’s take a look at a passage together and I will show you what I mean. (chart): A Dream Come True (TFK Narrative Passage 8) In this passage, Hannah Kristan was faced with an issue. She was not able to play with her friends at recess because she was in a wheelchair. She reacted by raising money to help build a special playground for kids in wheelchairs. She was determined to make a change, and she didn’t give up when she was faced with a challenge. How did this issue affect Hannah? I think that now, Hannah knows that she can make a difference. I think that in the future, she will continue to be brave and fight to make a difference in the world. Readers, notice how I looked at the way that Hannah reacted to a problem to learn about her as a character.

Active Involvement (1): Now, let’s look at another passage together. (chart): For One or More Players (TFK Narrative Passage 6) In this passage, our main character was faced with an issue. Her best friend moved away. How did she react to this issue? What does that tell us about her as a person? Active Involvement (2): How do you think this issue affected her? Accommodations and Questions: Must Know (All): What issue or concern did the main character face in the passage? Should Know (Some): How did the main character deal with the issue or the concern? Could Know (Able): What did you learn about the character based on their reaction to the issue or the concern? Link: When you go back to your seats, you are going to work on thinking about how an issue or a concern affected the character in your narrative nonfiction passage. You will continue reading from our selection of narrative nonfiction texts. Teaching Share: Students will share how they thought about how an issue or a concern may have affected the character in their narrative nonfiction text. They will also share any new information

that they discovered.

Unit of Study: RW Nonfiction (SS) Teaching Point: Good readers of narrative nonfiction use all they know about characters by thinking, “How did this person change?” Connection: Readers, last time we talked about how good readers of narrative nonfiction think about how an issue or a concern may have affected the character in their passage. Today, we are going to move one step further. I am going to teach you how good readers use all they know about characters by thinking, “How did this person change?”

Teach: Readers, sometimes when a character goes through an event in their life, the event can change the character. For example, if a character does something brave, they might overcome a fear and be changed for the rest of their life. Let’s look at a passage together and see if the character in the passage went through a change. (chart): Hotshot on a Skateboard (TFK Narrative Passage 13) Readers, this passage is about Ryan Sheckler, a skateboarder. When Ryan was six years old, he got to meet Tony Hawk, a very famous skateboarder. After meeting Tony, Ryan’s life was changed. He knew that he wanted to be a skateboarder, just like Tony Hawk. Sometimes, meeting a famous role model can change a person’s life. Ryan is now working hard at becoming a famous skateboarder. He is determined to be just like Tony Hawk.

Active Involvement (1): Let’s look at another passage together. (chart): For One or More Players (TFK Narrative Passage 6) Readers, turn and talk to your partners…how did my main character change when her best friend moved to Oregon? Active Involvement (2): Readers, turn and talk to your partners again. How do you think her friend Kristen’s life changed when she got to her new house? The story does not tell us, so we will have to infer. Accommodations and Questions: Must Know (All): Did the main character change from the beginning of the passage to the end of the passage? Should Know (Some): Was the character’s change a positive change or a negative change? How do you know? Could Know (Able): Make a text-to-text or a text-to-self connection with the character in this passage.

Link: When you go back to your seats, you are going to work on using all you know about characters to think, “How has this person changed?” As you work on this new strategy, you will be reading texts from our selection of narrative nonfiction texts. Teaching Share: Students will share how they used all they know about characters to think, “How has this person changed?” They will also share any new information that they discovered.

Unit of Study: RW Nonfiction (SS) Teaching Point: Good readers reflect when they have finished a narrative nonfiction text by asking, “How has my thinking grown?” Connection: Readers, last time we talked about how good readers of narrative nonfiction use all they know about characters to think about how their character has changed throughout the text. Now that we have finished a narrative nonfiction text, it is time to reflect. I am going to teach you how good readers reflect when they have finished a narrative nonfiction text by asking, “How has my thinking grown?”

Teach: After finishing a text, good readers stop to reflect. This means that they stop to think about what they have learned. Good readers will think, “How has my thinking grown?” as they think about the new information that they have learned from their nonfiction text. Let’s look at a passage that we have already read together, and I will show you how I reflect by thinking, “How has my thinking grown?” (chart): Squiggle Art (TFK Narrative Passage 14) Readers, this passage was about a special kind of artwork. I have been to art museums before, but the paintings that I usually see are paintings of people or places. After reading this passage, my thinking has grown because now I realize that artwork can be anything that the painter wants it to be! A painting can be squiggles, or lines, or anything! Readers, notice how I reflected after reading the passage by asking, “How has my thinking grown?” Active Involvement (1): Readers, now it’s your turn to reflect. Let’s look at another passage. (chart): Police Officer Next Door (TFK Narrative Passage 19) Turn and talk to your partners about this passage that we have already read and reflect. How has your thinking about police officers grown after reading this passage? Active Involvement (2): Readers, do you agree that a retelling is the same thing as a reflection? Why? Turn and talk to your partners.

Accommodations and Questions: Must Know (All): How has your thinking grown after reading this narrative nonfiction passage? Should Know (Some): What are some new facts that you have learned about this nonfiction topic? Could Know (Able): Explain this narrative nonfiction topic to a friend that has not read the passage. Link: When you go back to your seats, as you finish your narrative nonfiction text, you are going to work on reflecting by asking, “How has my thinking grown?” Teaching Share: Students will share how they reflected by asking, “How has my thinking grown?” They

will also share any new information that they discovered.