Reading: Comparing Fiction and Nonfiction

Skill focus: Comparing Fiction and Nonfiction

Photo: Sam Lion / Pexels

For the parent

We're working on comparing fiction and nonfiction. Read the passage out loud first, then have your child read it back. Ask questions in your own words before they answer the worksheet. Underline together to find clues in the text — this is a real reader's habit.

What you'll need

pencil
paper
highlighter (optional)

Cards to use

Write differences on the sides and shared traits in the middle.

Differences on the sides · Shared in the middle

Warm-up

Tell each other one interesting thing you noticed today. That's a 'detail' — your brain is already working.

Vocabulary

honeybees

Look up this word in a dictionary, then use it in a sentence.

invisible

Look up this word in a dictionary, then use it in a sentence.

between

Look up this word in a dictionary, then use it in a sentence.

Sentence frames

The main idea of this passage is .

One detail that supports this is .

This reminds me of .

Guided practice

1
Read this passage: "Honeybees follow invisible paths between their hive and the flowers they visit. When food is scarce, scout bees fly first, sometimes traveling miles in search of fresh blooms. When they find a good source, they fly straight back to the hive — a flight so direct that beekeepers call it a 'beeline.' At the hive, the scouts perform a small dance on the honeycomb. The angle and speed of the dance tell the others exactly which direction to fly and how far. Within minutes, dozens of new bees lift off, following the dance's instructions. The hive can survive only if its scouts find food and share it. In a way, the dance is the bees' language — and a very old one." Q: What is the main idea?
Parent tip: Read aloud once, then ask your child to read it back. Underline answers together.
2
Using the same passage, answer: What is a 'beeline'?
Parent tip: Point back to the line in the text that proves the answer.

Your turn

1
How does the dance share information?
2
Why does the author end by calling the dance 'a very old' language?
3
What happens in the hive within minutes of the dance?
4
Could the hive survive without scout bees? Use the passage to explain.
5
Find one verb in the passage. Write it here.
6
Write one sentence that retells what happened in your own words.
7
Draw a picture of one moment from the passage.
8
What feeling does the passage give you? What word in the text supports that feeling?
9
Underline one sentence you think is the most important. Why?
10
What might happen next? Write one to two sentences.

★ Challenge

Write a 3-sentence summary of the passage in your own words.

Reflection

What is one thing you'll remember from this passage tomorrow?

For the parent

Answer key

guided #1Scout bees find food and use a dance to share its location with the hive.

guided #2A very direct flight path.

independent #1Its angle and speed indicate direction and distance.

independent #2To suggest that bees have been communicating this way for a long time / it is a sophisticated, ancient behavior.

independent #3Dozens of bees lift off to follow the directions.

independent #4No — the passage says the hive 'can survive only if its scouts find food and share it.'

independent #5Open response — varies by passage.

independent #6Open response — student paraphrases the passage.

independent #7Open response — visual response.

independent #8Open response — reader response with text evidence.

independent #9Open response — student picks a key sentence and justifies.

independent #10Open response — prediction.

Bright Hearth · printable for home learning