Fiction and Fact Worlds

Overview

Lesson 12 of 16 in Empowered English: Tuarere Tahi. Students explore fiction and non-fiction through shared texts, identify features of each genre, and explain which type they prefer. Use familiar, culturally responsive examples and accept oral, drawn, or written responses.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify fiction and non-fiction texts.
• WALT notice features that help us recognise each genre.
• WALT talk about our reading preferences and give a reason.
• WALT listen respectfully and build on others’ ideas.

Success criteria

• I can sort a text or picture as fiction or non-fiction.
• I can name or show one feature of fiction and one feature of non-fiction.
• I can say, draw, or write which genre I prefer.
• I can give a reason for my choice.

Curriculum links

• Listening, speaking, and interacting: sharing ideas, asking questions, and responding to others.
• Reading: noticing purpose, meaning, and features in texts.
• Writing: creating a short response for a clear purpose and audience.
• Te Mātaiaho English learning area: building knowledge of texts, communicating ideas, and developing a positive reading identity.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 minutes – Welcome and hook Open with the genre mystery hook. Show two contrasting book covers or illustrations: one showing an imaginary character and one showing a real animal or place. Ask: “Which book might tell us something real? Which might take us into an imagined world?” Invite quick partner talk.

2. 5–15 minutes – Introduce the genres Use the fiction and non-fiction teaching slides to explain that fiction is made-up or imagined, while non-fiction gives information about real people, places, animals, or ideas. Discuss age-appropriate features: fiction may have characters, a setting, and events; non-fiction may have facts, labels, photographs, headings, or a contents page. Emphasise that pictures can provide clues, but students should check the words too.

3. 15–25 minutes – Shared text investigation Read a short fiction extract or picture book section and a short non-fiction page aloud, using projected examples from the slide deck or class texts. Think aloud: “I notice a character and a problem, so I think this is fiction.” Then model: “This page gives facts and has a heading, so I think it is non-fiction.” Invite students to identify one clue from each text.

4. 25–38 minutes – Small-group genre sort Place students in groups of five. Give each group several familiar books, covers, or teacher-prepared text images. Groups discuss and sort them into fiction and non-fiction, using the fiction and non-fiction sorting sheet to record a drawing, word, or title in each column. Circulate, asking: “What makes you think that?” and “Could this picture be imaginary even if it looks real?” For Year 0–1 students, allow oral explanations and adult scribing.

5. 38–51 minutes – Preference response Revisit the genre choice prompt. Students choose their preferred genre and respond on the worksheet: “I prefer fiction/non-fiction because…” Year 0–1 students may draw a favourite book and tell a partner; Year 2–3 students write one or two sentences and include a supporting feature or example. Partners take turns sharing, then identify one similarity or difference between their choices.

6. 51–60 minutes – Share and consolidate Use the class reflection and exit prompt. Invite several students to share their preference and reason. Co-construct a class summary: fiction helps us imagine; non-fiction helps us learn about the real world. Finish with a quick oral check: hold up one finger for fiction or two for non-fiction as you describe examples such as “a story about a talking taniwha” or “a page explaining how kiwi live”.

Resources

• the fiction and non-fiction lesson deck
• the fiction and non-fiction sorting sheet
• A selection of familiar fiction and non-fiction picture books
• Projector or interactive display
• Prepared text covers, pages, or enlarged illustrations
• Pencils, crayons, and colouring materials
• Chart paper or whiteboard
• Sticky notes for collecting student ideas

Assessment

• Listen during partner and group discussion for accurate use of fiction/non-fiction vocabulary and reasons based on text features.
• Check group sorts and worksheet responses for correct genre identification and evidence.
• During the final oral check, note students needing further support in distinguishing imaginary events from factual information.

Differentiation

• Support: use highly contrasting examples, picture cues, repeated oral sentence frames, and a small teacher-led group. Offer “I think it is ___ because I notice ___.”
• Year 0–1: accept pointing, sorting, drawing, acting, or oral explanation; provide adult or peer scribing.
• Year 2–3: expect students to identify two features and support their preference with an example from a text.
• EAL and SEN: pre-teach “fiction”, “non-fiction”, “real”, “imagined”, “character”, and “fact” with gestures and visuals; allow home-language discussion, mixed-ability pairing, larger print, and extra processing time.