**Lesson Plan: Reading Comprehension (Literature and Non-Fiction)**
**Grade:** 7
**Subject:** English Language Arts
**Duration:** 90 minutes
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**Objective:**
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to demonstrate improved reading comprehension skills, identify key themes and details, and differentiate between elements of literature and non-fiction texts.
**Materials:**
- Copies of a short story (literature)
- Copies of an article (non-fiction)
- Chart paper and markers
- Graphic organizers
- Highlighters
- Notebooks and pens/pencils
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**Lesson Overview:**
1. **Introduction (15 minutes):**
a. **Hook/Engagement:** Begin with a quick discussion about the different kinds of texts students read in their daily lives (books, articles, social media posts, etc.). What makes them different?
b. **Learning Goals:** Explain that today's lesson will focus on improving understanding of literature (stories) and non-fiction (informational texts). Provide a brief overview of the activities.
2. **Instruction (15 minutes):**
a. **Literature Texts:** Briefly review elements of literature (plot, characters, setting, theme, conflict, resolution).
b. **Non-Fiction Texts:** Outline key aspects of non-fiction texts (main idea, supporting details, facts, author's purpose, and structure - description, cause/effect, comparison, etc.).
3. **Guided Practice (20 minutes):**
a. **Literary Text - Short Story:**
- Distribute the short story copies.
- Read the story together as a class, pausing at key moments to discuss and highlight important information.
- Use a graphic organizer to identify key elements (plot, characters, setting, theme).
b. **Non-Fiction Text - Article:**
- Distribute the article copies.
- Read the article together as a class, pausing to underline main ideas and supporting details.
- Use a graphic organizer to capture the main idea, supporting facts, and the author’s purpose.
4. **Independent Practice (20 minutes):**
- Provide students with a short passage (either literature or non-fiction) to read independently.
- Have students fill out provided graphic organizers to capture important elements (plot, main idea, etc.).
- Allow students to work individually or in pairs.
5. **Discussion and Analysis (10 minutes):**
- Facilitate a class discussion comparing the elements of literature and non-fiction based on their independent practice.
- Highlight differences and similarities as identified by the students and compile these on chart paper.
6. **Application (10 minutes):**
- Assign a brief writing task where students must summarize the key points of either the short story or article, explaining its main ideas/elements and why the text is classified as literature or non-fiction, respectively.
7. **Review and Closing (10 minutes):**
- Review the day’s key points through a quick Q&A session.
- Close with a reflective question: Why is it important to understand different types of texts? How does it help us in our daily lives? Allow a few students to share their thoughts.
- Provide a brief overview of what will be covered in the next lesson.
**Assessment:**
- Formative assessment through observation and participation during guided practice and discussion.
- Evaluation of completed graphic organizers.
- Written summaries will serve as a summative assessment of comprehension and differentiation skills.
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**Extension and Homework:**
- For homework, ask students to choose a book from the library and determine if it is literature or non-fiction. They should write a brief explanation of their decision.
- Suggest students prepare a presentation on their chosen book, highlighting key themes or facts, to share with the class in a future lesson.