Themed Nonfiction Series

Why Use Themed Nonfiction Series

Many state and national standards call for an increased use of informational texts in the classroom and for the development of analytical skills using multiple texts on similar topics in order to build knowledge and compare information.

Each collection of Leveled Books found in the Themed Nonfiction Series is designed to capture students' interest while meeting the requirements of curriculum standards. Multiple levels of texts also make differentiated instruction easier. Each series is accompanied by:

• Lesson Plans or Teaching Tips
• Sets of Worksheets or Activity Cards
• Comprehension Quizzes
• Discussion Cards or Text-Dependent Questions
• And more!

How to Use Themed Nonfiction Series

The variety of informational texts and resources available in each Themed Nonfiction Series allows for flexibility in your instructional approach.

• Follow suggestions in the Lesson Plans or Teaching Tips that accompany each series for classroom activities involving the Worksheets or Activity Cards.
• Use the Comprehension Quizzes to check for understanding of the text and inform you of students' instructional needs.
• Provide instruction or additional information using resources, such as maps and posters, to teach various skills specifically needed to access nonfiction text.
• Assign books at the most appropriate reading level for students to read independently.
• Improve comprehension and take readers beyond the text by having them answer the Discussion Questions, Essential Questions, or Beyond the Book questions.
• Have students choose a topic related to the collection's theme to write about using the books from the collection as models.
• Assign a research project related to one of the books in a collection.

Other Resources for Nonfiction Texts

• Shared Reading nonfiction books ensure early readers work with informational texts.
• Our Close Reading Packs contain a large selection of informational texts to support reading multiple short texts closely.
• Visual Devices feature explicit instruction on text elements, such as graphs, charts, maps, schedules, or other visual texts.
• Content Area Reading organizes leveled books into featured groups of common content area topics.
• Informational Texts collection brings all the nonfiction Leveled Books together in one place and organizes them by level.