Level 1 • Lesson 64 — Reading a nonfiction book

Objective

Read a simple nonfiction book, use parts like the cover, title, headings, pictures, and captions, and tell the main idea of a page.

Materials

1–2 easy nonfiction books (about animals, weather, Earth, or community helpers)
Sticky notes or small tabs to mark pages
Paper folded in four: “Cover & title”, “Headings”, “Pictures”, “Facts I learned”
Pencil ✏️ and crayons

Mini-lesson — Reading a nonfiction book

We can read two kinds of books: stories and nonfiction.

A story book is usually made up. It has characters, a setting, and events that might not be real.

A nonfiction book gives us real facts about something in our world. We read nonfiction to learn.

Most nonfiction books have special parts that help us:

The cover and title tell what the book is about.
The table of contents shows the sections and page numbers.
Headings are mini-titles on pages that tell what each part is about.
Pictures and captions show and tell extra facts.
Labels point to parts of a picture and name them.

Good nonfiction readers do a quick book tour before they read:

Look at the cover and title and say: “This book is about ___.”
Peek at the table of contents and ask: “Which part do I want to read first?”
On each page, read the heading and think: “This page is about ___.”
Look at the pictures, captions, and labels and ask: “What new fact do they teach me?”

Today, you will practice reading a simple nonfiction book. For each page, you will:

Use the heading and picture to guess what it is about.
Read the fact sentences carefully.
Say a main idea sentence: “This page is about ___.”
Tell one fact you learned: “One fact is ___.”

Picture strip: Parts of a nonfiction book

Guided Practice — Mini-book: Reading a nonfiction book

How to use this mini-book:

Read each page as if it is a page in a nonfiction book.
Point out parts: cover, title, table of contents, headings, pictures, captions, labels.
Ask your child to tell the main idea and one fact from any page.

Use a real nonfiction book alongside this mini-book so your child can find the same parts in a real text.

Nonfiction words

nonfiction cover title heading picture caption facts

Frames: “This book is about ___.” “This heading is about ___.” “One fact I learned is ___.”

Mini-Book: Reading a nonfiction book

1

The cover and title

This book is nonfiction. It tells real facts, not a made-up story. The cover shows the title and a picture to tell what it is about.

What do you learn from looking at the cover?

2

Title page

The title page repeats the title and the author’s name. It helps you remember what the book will teach you.

What does the title page show you?

3

Table of contents

Some nonfiction books have a table of contents. It is a list of chapters or sections and the page numbers where they start.

How does a table of contents help you?

4

Headings

Nonfiction pages often have headings. A heading is a short title at the top of a section that tells what that part is about.

Read a heading. What is that section about?

5

Pictures and captions

Many nonfiction books use photos or drawings. Captions are tiny sentences near a picture that tell what the picture shows.

What does a caption help you understand?

6

Labels and diagrams

Nonfiction books can have labels and simple diagrams. Labels point to parts of a picture to name them and teach you facts.

Point to a label and read what it names.

Reading Practice — Using a nonfiction book

Read each short nonfiction book description. Choose the best answer. Then press “Check answers”.

1) “The cover shows a picture of sharks. The title is ‘Sharks in the Ocean.’”
What do the cover and title tell you?

2) “The table of contents shows ‘Baby Sharks – page 4’ and ‘Shark Food – page 8.’”
How can this help you?

3) A heading says “Where Sharks Live.”
What will this section probably tell you?

4) Under a picture of a shark, it says, “This shark has many sharp teeth.”
What is this sentence?

5) What is one reason to read a nonfiction book?

6) How can you find the main idea of a nonfiction page?

7) On a picture of a shark, arrows point to the fin and tail with words next to them.
What are those words?

8) After reading a nonfiction page about shark teeth, what is the best way to talk about it?

Quick Check (10 questions)

1) What is a nonfiction book?

A silly story that is not true A book that gives real facts about a topic A book with only blank pages

2) What does the cover of a nonfiction book usually tell you?

What your friend likes to eat How many pages the book has The title and picture to show what the book is about

3) A table of contents helps you…

find where each section starts color the pictures in order remember your favorite toy

4) What is a heading?

A picture in the middle of the page A short title at the top of a section A list of names at the end of the book

5) What is a caption?

A big word in the title A number in the table of contents A small sentence near a picture that tells about it

6) Labels in nonfiction books are used to…

name parts of a picture show you the author’s favorite food tell you what time it is

7) Which question helps you find the main idea of a nonfiction page?

“What is my favorite game?” “What is this page mostly telling me about?” “How many letters are on this page?”

8) A page has the heading “How Penguins Stay Warm.” Which sentence fits this page?

“Penguins eat ice cream every day.” “This page is about spaceships.” “This page tells how penguins keep warm in the cold.”

9) If you forget a fact from a nonfiction page, you should…

read that part again and look at the pictures close the book and never read it again make up a new fact that sounds fun

10) To get better at reading nonfiction, you can…

only read books with dragons read short nonfiction books and tell someone the main idea and one fact skip all headings and captions

Assessment (parent/teacher)

Can explain that nonfiction books tell real facts Can use the cover and title to say what a book is about Can find headings, pictures, and captions in a simple nonfiction book Can state the main idea of one nonfiction page Can tell at least one fact learned from a nonfiction book

Exit ticket (student)

😀 I can read a nonfiction book and tell what I learned 🙂 I need more practice with nonfiction books 😅 Nonfiction still feels tricky

I will practice…

Looking at the cover and title before I read Using headings and pictures to help me understand Saying the main idea and a fact after I read a page

Lesson 64: Reading a nonfiction book