Non Fiction Text Features?!? No Problem

So I’m a HEAD of the game here…I’m making a pun because my brain is spinning and I have 2 days…2 days people until 2 weeks of SPRING BREAK.  That’s 16 days off ~  whoo- whee!  I love my job but we all need a break ya’ know?

The pun is referring to a game we played today to help learn non fiction text features during reading groups.  We played my own version of HEADBANDZ.  I’m sure you have seen it in stores…we actually own it in our house.  Anyway when I was making a new unit I thought why not play the game Headbandz to learn this new concept ~ and guess what?!?  It worked!!!  First of all it was highly motivating – they couldn’t wait to play.  So how did it look in my classroom?  I know that’s what inquiring minds want to know…

First we spent a few minutes reviewing non fiction books as the unit we did on this was a while ago even though we talk about them almost daily. 

There’s some serious teaching going on here!!

Next I had the kids come up one by one with their eyes squeezed shut while I chose a headband to place on their heads

Ok that’s awkward!!  LOL my photographer got me showing how they would wear it and not putting one on a kid..oh well.  You get the idea.

Then watch the magic happen ….I had one person go around and ASK one question like:  Am I in bold?  The rest of us could only answer YES or NO to the questions.  Other questions were:  Am I found at the beginning of the book?  Am I found at the end of the book?  Am I a photograph or a place to find vocabulary words, etc.

We had SOOO much fun!

Oh how ~ I wish my principal or the ‘curriculum police’ were in there during this lesson.  There were academic conversations happening and common core’ish’ words being thrown around…it was pretty awesome to see these things coming from 6 and 7 years olds if I may say….try it… 

IN FACT…..I will give my unit away to  one follower that SHARES  this post on facebook or PINS this post.  Here is a sample of that pack…

Since it works so well with my Fiction vs. Non Fiction pack I will throw that one in as well…

So share away and tell me what you think of it…do you think it would work with your students?