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Thanks to all ( a lot of you) who responded with great ideas! Original Post: Hi Everyone! I'm looking for help from your collective brains before I re-invent the wheel. A 4th grade teacher has asked me to do a lesson with her class on the different types of fiction. Does anyone have ideas? Thanks! ///////////////////////// Susan.. I would appreciate it if you would post a hit of the information you receive. I always use the Read Write Think website and see what they have available and then adapt it to my situation... here is a link for your to try: http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=270. //////////////////// I have done a genre lesson with 5th graders that my teachers really love. I can send you a draft doc that has evolved since then. You can email me with any questions that you might have. It 's really good to get class discussion going and allow them to peruse the books to look for the particular characteristics. //////////////////////// You might try reading picture books that illustrated the different genres for ex. realistic, mystery etc. then give them some fiction books and see if they can identify the fiction type by reading the blurb etc. Maybe they could work in groups. /////////////////////// I just went through this with my 4th grade with Genres. I picked historical fic, fantasy fic, real-life fic, etc. Does that help? Look at genres ////////////////////// I did a series of lessons over some weeks looking at this but you could possibly adapt it to one lesson by splitting the class into groups. I gave each group samples of the type we were looking at and asked them to identify the characteristics of each type. Then we did a think-pair-share activity to make a common list. You can see some of the results at http://palmdps.act.edu.au/resource_centre/booklook/focus_fiction.htm /////////////////////////////// Try genre lotto - Make bingo boards by typing various genres in a bingo type board (mine is 4 X 4 for a total of 16 squares). Make the cards different with not all same genres on each card and in different positions - I did mine by making a template then using cut-up strips with the genres I glued the strips on the templates and laminated) From your OPAC selected books from differing genres, make yourself an annotated bibliography, and read these off as clues. Make sure you write on your slips which genre you are reaching for. Sometimes you'll need to change some words in the annotation. My students use cut up stickies (1/4" wide strips) to put over the genre term on the lotto board. Four in a row and students raise hand and call out genre lotto! The student then has to read off the genres s/he covered and I check to see if I read an annotation for that genre. If student is incorrect, I just say, sorry, you have one genre incorrect. Then continue. When a student does have lotto, I read the titles of the books and tell the genre so everyone has a good understanding. I give away pencils to winners. Found this idea in a book called "Stretchy Library Lessons." Excellent resource. ///////////////////////// I go over the various genres with the students, then either book talk or read from different ones over the next few weeks. I give them a handout to put in their reading folders and they can fill in a title and author for each genre as well as a sentence about why this book fits in that genre. When they have completed all, they get a treat (an airhead or something like that, I have to keep it cheap). The teachers push it with them as well, so it works out well. I am attaching the difinitions and form that I use. /////////////////////////// One year a teacher had students prepare a puppet or doll based on the alien, monster, robot, or creature from the book. We displayed them around the media center with a copy of the books. One of the funniest was from EXILES OF COLSEC which featured part of a washing machine hose sprayed brown. You had to see it to appreciate it. I've had my fifth graders "find the science" in their science fiction. Perhaps my links on my science fiction page will help. http://www.websterschools.org/classrooms/state_library/science_fiction.html We have a teacher doing a project for the fantasy genre where they design their own fantasy country with maps, descriptions of the inhabitants, and more. They'll be doing power point presentations, and the best will be placed on our school website. travel poster to the setting of the story showing the main characters modeling (clay) of main character, team with art teacher? mobile of main characters , settings, or scenes from story ///////////////////////// just did a lesson on genres, about a 20 minute one, for sixth graders. I just went through each genre, giving an example for each. Then I did quick book talks on several books and had kids guess which genre. Almost every one was guessed correctly. It isn't a fancy lesson, but it went well, and all the books I presented were put on hold by the end of the day. 2. Last year our Yearlong Reading Theme was Books in Bloom: A Garden of Genres.I created websites full of links and books... Perhaps some of the links on the different Genres will be of assistance. Each has lesson plans too. http://www.websterschools.org/classrooms/state_library/genres.html 3. http://nancykeane.com/rl/default.htm#Genres /////////////////////////// www.proteacher.com Teaching Genre by Tara McCarthy http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/scimathlit/genres.html gives a brief description /////////////////////// I use a lesson from Genres of Literature: An Elementary Exploration of the World of Books, Grade 2-5 by Kelly Speer Hatfield. available at www.instructionalfair.com for $9.99. The book has a flow chart in it that I use with the kids. I have one book that fits each category and we go through the questions in the flow chart to determine in which genre each book belongs. I can send the lesson plan, if you can get the book. Also, check out my Reading Page online for genres. http://www.websterschools.org/classrooms/state_library/reading.html Our yearlong reading theme this year is Books in Bloom: A Garden of Genres. I have web sites and booklists for the first three months so far...Folklore, Mystery, & History. http://www.websterschools.org/classrooms/state_library/genres.html I just did a great lesson today with the third grade using the Time Warp Trio series and we put them all on a timeline. Probably could do this for Magic Tree House too. ///////////////////////// The hardest part is making the list of what genre categories there are! Every list I've seen has different listings, and then you must take grade level into account. I did a genre talk last week for 3rd through 6th graders. A 3rd grade teacher requested it and gave me a grid format with various genre types (from a teachers' resource book, not a teachers' textbook) plus some author names. I added a few others, but next time I will do a genre talk one week, and an author & illustrator comparison a different week - it was too much for some of the third grade classes. Here's what I did for 3rd - 4th: Research what genre types appropriate for the grade levels. Listed all the genre types I needed to cover (list on a long descending banner or an overhead transparency) and got 2 or 3 books to fit (demonstrate) each category. (Get a long box and put them in order). I selected books that gave some clue to the genre on the cover or would be commonly known as a particular genre. For example, Alice in Wonderland is fantasy. The book Chocolate Touch has a woman turning to chocolate on the cover - fantasy. I got some mysteries (we discussed that titles with the word "mystery/ies" give us the clue, as do "The case of. . ." because a case requires detective work) but some books aren't that obvious. However, reading the jacket flaps or the back cover might give them a clue. Then you simply hold them up one at a time and ask/tell what genre category it is. Ask kids what tipped them off. Another important thing to mention is that many books are not only one genre - there are many that overlap two or more categories. One thing I will do next year is eliminate the general term "fiction" from the list. We found that all the books (3rd grade level & up)could fit in other genre categories - none were just "plain" fiction! (Can you think of any that don't fit into other categories?) So my list will say Fiction Genre at the top and then list the genre & sub-genre (example, ghost stories are a sub-genre of horror, or fantasy) A good place to start is your state's official educational website for state standards, or the national standards. For the 5th & 6th graders I made a list of the past nominees of our annual state reading program (California Young Readers Medal)and I pulled all the books from the first column (about 20)from my library shelves. I gave each student a list to keep, and as I did a quick book-talk on each title in descending order, they marked to the right whether it was FA (fantasy), M (mystery), RF (realistic fiction), etc. I had my genre list of definitions and abbreviations on an overhead so they could see them as we went along. I told them to put a dot to the left of the title if they were interested in reading that book. At the end, I told them to see if the dots showed a trend in their favorite genre. Lots of kids noticed that they preferred mysteries, or fantasies, or realistic fiction, etc. They also had a great list of potential titles which most of them had passed over the year before, just because the spine or title hadn't appealed to them. /////////////////// Fantasy: I asked the children to make and bring to the library an object from their book that has magical power and write about how it fits into the story. For example a magic wand that they made, a book, a slipper. This works if the teacher can follow up in the classroom to remind them. Historical Fiction: Students created timelines of ten events that really happened in history at the time the book takes place. They could be events that happened in the book. I often have kids do a library search worksheets using the online catalogs to find books related to a specific genre. I have stayed away from science fiction because our library doesn't have many of those books. Hope this helps. I just sent this to someone else asking about mysteries. I just did one that worked great. I made up clues for five groups. That clue for each group led to another clue somewhere in the library. When they found the second clue, it led them to a mystery book on the shelf. They pulled it and came to sit with me. It was a bit noisy but they settled down when everyone finished. I read the titles of all the books found and asked what they had in common. (mysteries) I held up a poster that had good characteristics of a mystery. -Characters are well developed. -Reader can solve mystery along with main character because all clues are given -something like, plot is interesting and keeps moving.... -mystery is always solved at end of the book (I'm at home and can't remember them all, I got it from a recent BOOKBAG, I think October 2001) Then I explained that mysteries are good for problem solving which makes us smarter. 2nd visit, I read some passages from good mysteries to get them interested. They also will be writing a paper called, The day the librarian disappeared, which will be collected into one booklet and put in the library magazine area so others can read the stories. I used several resources for teaching genre. Among them were: "But That's Another Story" edited by Sandy Asher "Reading and Writing Literary Genres" by Kathleen Buss & Lee Karnowski "Teaching Genre" by Tara McCarthy Of the three, "Reading & Writing" and "Teaching Genre" were also used heavily by the faculty in my professional collection. Good luck! But that's another story: famous authors introduce popular genres/edited by Sandy Asher. -- NY : Walker Publishing Co, 1996. 166p., photos. Contents: Angela Johnson; Barbara Robinson; Elaine Marie Alphin; Kristi Holl; Gary L. Blackwood; Patricia Calvert; Joyce Hansen; Pamela Service; H. M. Hoover; Marion Dane Bauer; Carol Kendall and Yao-wen Li; Marie G. Lee. Includes short stories of various genres, author interviews, and an introduction to each genre. ISBN 0802775705 1. Short stories. Withington, Janice J. Genres of literature: thematic study guides & bibliographies. -- Torrance, CA : Good Apple, 1996. 144p. Includes: genres of literature, assessment, worksheets, Bloom's taxonomy. ISBN 1564178447 1. Childrens literature. 2. Genres. Hi! I tai=ught 4th grade for 4 years. I Used a book caleed Teaching Genre which gave the various elelment s of genre to point out to students. A better source is Fountas and Pinell's book, Guiding Readers and Writers, Grades3-6, which suggests books for the genres and tells you characteristics for each genre. . Students loved The Pagemaster for fantasy. I read it aloud. Discussed the elements of fantasy , and then watched the video to make a comparison. We also read Flat Stanley (Brown 1962 hard to find) and each made a Flat Stanley to send around the world. The person who received Stanley had to take pictures and so something spedial with Stan and then return to the sender. It is an awesome activity. Fourth graders love the following for historical fiction: Sarah,Plain and Tall narrated by Glenn Close is excellent. Students read along silently. Farmer Boy and Little House on the Prairie are also good reads which 4th graders loved. Students were put in groups and chose favorite chpater in Farmer Boy to role play. I video taped. They loved the activity. In science we studied the prairie, visited the prairie, and read the stories in lit so it was all integrated. //////////////////// pull the books a put them on a specially decorated cart to make it easy for the kids to find the featured genre of the month. I publicize what I'm doing in a newsletter to my teachers. --- My news team talks about fairy tales on the morning news broadcast with stories and/or jokes... for the older kids I have made a fairy tale Jeopardy game. --- If you can get your hands on a copy of Educator's Companion to Children's Literature, Volume 1: Mysteries, Animal Tales, Books of Humor, Adventure Stories, and Historical Fiction and/or Educator's Companion to Children's Literature, Volume 2: Folklore, Contemporary Realistic Fiction, Fantasy, Biographies, and Tales from Here and There. These are available through bn.com and cost about $24. ------ We make a book bingo w/genre. Historical Fiction, Biography, How-To Book, Folk Tale, Fairy Tale, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Free Choice, Animal Book, Plant Book, Poetry Book, Realistic Fiction, etc. The students bring their book bingo to the library and select books that will help fill in the bingo card. They turn in their short book reports to their teacher including the type of genre. The students are rewarded accordingly. It works out really well. ---- I use genre tags - plus have some great (older) filmstrips from Pied Piper - I think they have them on video now about different genres. We do worksheets that tie in with them where students answer questions and list titles from each genre by looking at fiction shelves. I also have large posters explaining each genre that are hung in that section. --- I have used the following website: http://www.nashville-schools.davidson.k12.tn.us/CurriculumAwards/lakeview/ge nres.html ---- I've found this useful: Teaching genre: exploring 9 types of literature to develop lifelong readers and writers - McCarthy, Tara. - Scholastic Professional Books, New York: c1996. ISBN 0-590-60345-0. It is very thorough amazon.com for about $11. ---- I have a "genre of the month" lesson each month. A bulletin board displays posters of books in the genre plus a poster I made of the characteristics of the genre. We talk about the characteristics as I booktalk for the upper grades or read a picture book for the younger kids. It works great. Of course the first thing we did this year was to discuss what we mean by "genre". --- I do a program with my third grade called Fiction is Fun. The students are told about 12 genres of fiction books, e.g. mystery, sci fi, etc. For each book they read they get a sticker for the genre on a certificate. (got them from Highsmith). I made up some to go with some stickers...then at the end of the year, they get points for each sticker to spend at the "factory outlet sale" (small things I collect throughout the year and from the bookfair, etc.) They only get one sticker for each genre; any additional books in the same genre counts for points but doesn't get another sticker. If they collect all 12 stickers, their points are doubled. Very motivating and they get to discover all of the different kinds of fiction. ---- I am doing "Genre Genre" this year in my media center -- I am offering a session a week for up to four weeks on 8 different genres. I start with first session defining and then sharing an example. With fairy tales, I talked about variants and read some and we did some compare contrast. If teachers bring back for a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th time, I continue to read fairytales and we talk about elements that make the story a fairy tale. I also have a web page with links to different fairy tales and activities I've found on the web. I'll repeat this kind of thing each month with each genre. /////////////////// One approach I have used is to have the youngsters read a fantasy and identify elements that could really happen and elements that are fantasy. Venn diagram perhaps could be used as a graphic organizer. This could be modeled using a picture book such as Hot Air Henery in which a cat accidentally flies a hot air balloon. The factual part about flying theballoon is accurate but the cat's participation is fantasy. By practicing in small groups on picture books they can then independently apply the strategy on a chapter book. If it's still in print, Fantasy For Children by Lynn is great Fantasy is basically a fairy tale written by one author. All the elements of a good fairy or folk tale can be found in a fantasy Please share what you find out! We are spending a few weeks covering genres in 4th grade and one period was devoted to fantasies. I found some characteristics of fantasies and listed them on an overhead transparency. Then, handed out sheets to the students with questions such as: Does this selection have events that probably would never happen? What were they? List any talking beasts in this selection. Did any of the characters have magical powers? What were they? Stuff like that. Students filled them out while I read a selection from Dahl's James and the Giant Peach. They seemed to enjoy it, but it obviously could have been a better lesson. I would be very happy to hear the ideas you get! ///////////////////// We did a fun exercise at a teacher's retreat yesterday. We were divided into groups of 4 or 5 and worked on poster+ size sudoku puzzles - using religious symbols instead of numbers. We had laminated symbols to place in the empty boxes. After you did your different types of fiction lesson - if you found 9 different kinds - you could do something like this for fun, team building and thinking. You could also do it with 2x2 squares instead of 3x3. I might do this at my school. //////////////////////////// Susan Hanlon K-4 Librarian Northwestern Elementary School 6493 Route 309 New Tripoli, PA 18066 hanlons@nwlehighsd.org -------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law. You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book. 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