#9 - Fiction and Nonfiction Text Features

Fiction reading may be easier at time for students because it often mirrors the way stories are related orally.  The challenges of the genre for students can lie in the way that as students get older, stories often stop following a predictable arc, they do not include pictures, the vocabulary is challenging and the language is often filled with metaphors, idioms and other difficulties. 
            Nonfiction can be overwhelming for students because of the sheer volume of information contained on each page. They need guidance and instruction on how to approach each text feature to use it for maximum learning.  Students also need to be taught that they don’t have to read every single word or begin from the beginning of a nonfiction text book, as they might a novel.  Because of the way the content is segmented, nonfiction may actually be easier for ELL students, but they need instruction on how to access the information in an effective manner.
            Graphic organizers like the one used to relate the differences between fiction and nonfiction above can do a lot to aid students as they read both fiction and nonfiction texts.  Venn diagrams, for example, are great for nonfiction texts.  A plot diagram is helpful for guiding students through short fiction stories.  The following two websites provide many free graphic organizers that are great for use in the classroom:
http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/
http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/