Adventurous Ants:

Contrasting Fact & Fiction

Objective:
By the completion of the lesson students will be able to:
Compare information about ants in fictional and non-fictional text.
Map charts that detail facts from stories.

Grade Level:
Kindergarten
Allotted Time:
Three 40-minute sessions
NJCCCS Addressed:

K.RL.1. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

K.RL.4. Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.

K.RL.10. Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.

K.RI.1. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

K.RI.2. With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

K.RI.4. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.

K.RI.9. With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the
same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).

K.RF.4. Read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding.

K.W.8. With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information
from provided sources to answer a question.

K.SL.2. Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by
asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.

K.SL.5. Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.

K.L.5.c. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., note places at school that are
colorful).

K.L.6. Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to
texts.






Required Materials:
Day 1:

Anchor chart paper

Markers of varying colors

Armies of Ants by Walter Retan (non-fiction)

Day 2:
Anchor chart paper
Markers of varying colors

Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg (fiction)

Day 3:

Anchor chart paper

Markers of varying colors

Two pictures of print that are non-fiction

Two pictures of print that are fiction

Poster board

Pencils

Crayons












Step-By-Step Procedure
Day 1:
Non-Fiction Read-Aloud

Students will be invited to sit in a semi-circle.
The teacher will introduce the lesson by presenting two articles that are non-fiction such as a sports article and
a weather report.
The word non-fiction will be defined as something real.
The teacher will provide three examples of factual information that is relatable to the students.
A chart will be posted with the following title, What We Know About Ants.
Students will be gathered to listen to a read-aloud. They will be told that the book is a non-fictional story about
ants meaning that the book contains information that is real about our ant friends.
The book Armies of Ants will be read aloud.
Following the reading of each page the teacher will ask the students what they learned about ants.
Examples can include the color of ants, the names of varying types of ants, and what they eat.
Student responses will be noted onto the anchor chart.
Following the first few student responses, the teacher will explain why this information is real,
or non-fiction. This will then transition into students explaining why their statements are real, or
non-fictional.
At the conclusion of the story, students will share what they have learned about ants from the book. This will
sum up the days lesson.
Guiding questions will include:
What did these ants want to eat?
How hard did the ants have to work to get what they wanted?
Can you tell anything about where the ants live from this story?
What do ants look like?


















Day 2:

Step-By-Step Procedure:
Fictional Read-Aloud

An anchor chart will be prepared for the days lesson entitled What We Imagine About Ants.
Students will be invited to sit in a semi-circle.
The teacher will introduce the lesson by reviewing information from the previous days lesson.
The teacher will ask the students if they remember what non-fiction means.
If the students have difficulty, the teacher will review the information that was provided from the
previous days lesson.
The teacher will then introduce and define the term fiction as something that is not real.
The teacher will provide three examples of fantasy information that is relatable to the students.
The teacher will follow up by explaining why these examples are not real.
Following the explanation, the teacher will then transition into explaining that the students will be reading a
story about ants that is fun but it is also fictional meaning that it is not a real story.
The teacher will read Two Bad Ants aloud.
Time will be allotted to discuss the actions of the ants as the story is read and explain why they are
fictional.
The first two events will be explained, the lesson will then transition into student based
explanation of why the actions of the ants are fictional.
Once students have articulated fictional details from the story, they will be asked the following question:
From listening to the tale, what do you think is not real, or fictional, about the ants?
Students responses will be charted. All responses must be accompanied by examples directly from the story.
*Responses that do not relate directly to the story can be noted in the margin for future reference.
At the conclusion of student responses, students will be asked to explain fiction and how it was seen in the
days reading. This will sum up the days lesson.























Day 3:

Step-By-Step Procedure:
Record Information/Group Discussion:

Students will gather in a semi-circle to participate in a group discussion.
The teacher will introduce the lesson by presenting an anchor chart with two columns, one titled
Nifty Non-Fiction the other will be titled Fun with Fiction.
The teacher will then transition into explaining that non-fiction is real while fiction is not real.
The definitions will be noted onto the chart under their titles.
The teacher will have two pictures that are non-fiction and two pictures that are fiction.
Examples of non-fiction are a school calendar and a lunch menu.
Examples of fiction are pictures of the books Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast.
Following the explanation of the definitions, the teacher will show the students the two articles that are fiction
and non-fiction.
The teacher will present the school calendar and ask the students
Is this real or not real? Is today (insert the day of the week)?
The teacher will then place the picture of the calendar onto the non-fiction anchor chart, explaining and
reiterating why it is non-fiction.
The teacher will present a picture of the story Cinderella and ask the students
Is this real or not real? Can a princess go to a party in a chariot that was once a pumpkin?
The teacher will then place the picture of Cinderella onto the fiction anchor chart, explaining and
reiterating why it is fiction.
The teacher will then present the students with a picture of Beauty and the Beast.
Students will be asked whether the story is fiction or non-fiction.
Students will additionally be asked to explain how they determined which genre the book falls into.
Once students successfully recognize that the book is fiction, it will be placed onto the fiction
anchor chart.
The teacher will then present the students with the school lunch calendar.
Students will be asked whether the calendar is fiction or non-fiction.
Students will additionally be asked to explain how they determined which chart the calendar belongs to.
Once students successfully recognize the calendar is non-fiction, it will be placed onto the non-
fiction anchor chart.
Following the review, the teacher will explain that students will be grouped into 3-4 classmates.
The teacher will then present a poster board fashioned mimicking the fiction and non-fiction anchor chart.
Students will engage in an activity in which they will place statements from the books, which have been
printed and glued to colorful index cards, into the fiction and non-fiction columns.

Assessment Based On Objective:
Informal teacher-based observation will be used to focus on the following:
Participation in discussion
Engagement in recording information onto the fictional anchor chart What We Imagine About Ants
and the non-fictional anchor chart What We Know About Ants
Formative assessment will be used through recorded information of the fiction and non-fiction poster boards.