Predicting and Gathering Information With Nonfiction Texts

Materials and Technology

Student Interactives

Printouts

Websites

Preparation

 

MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY

• Clipboards for groups of students

• Computers with Internet access

• Overhead projector and marker

• Collection of nonfiction books

 

back to top

 

STUDENT INTERACTIVES

Grades   3 – 6  |  Student Interactive  |  Inquiry & Analysis

Animal Inquiry

Supporting inquiry-based research projects, the Animal Inquiry interactive invites elementary students to explore animal facts and habitats using writing prompts to guide and record their findings.

 

back to top

 

PRINTOUTS

Copies of nonfiction study sheet

back to top

 

WEBSITES

• African Savanna page from the Smithsonian National Zoo

back to top

 

PREPARATION

1.	Designate a comfortable meeting area in the classroom that will seat all students for group work.
2.	Bookmark the following websites on the classroom or school computers: Interactive Animal Study African Savanna page from the Smithsonian National Zoo
3.	Gather clipboards with paper for students to report what their teams find from their nonfiction books.
4.	Make an overhead transparency of the nonfiction study sheet and enough copies for each student.
5.	Set up three research stations. One station area will be on the computer with the African Savanna page bookmarked. Arrange your collection of nonfiction books related to the African Savanna (or books related to another theme) so that several books are at each of the other two stations.
6.	Plan to arrange students into four groups. You may want to include at least one student in every group who knows how to work on the computer and with the Internet. If your students are not computer savvy, recruit older "experts" from other levels to help with the Internet research station.

back to top