Reading & Understanding Realistic Fiction to Become a Realistic Fiction Writer
Students have been learning about the difference between fiction, 

nonfiction, and realistic fiction. Throughout the year, students have been 
writing a variety of fiction stories (remember our Penguin stories?) and 
allowing their imagination lead them across pages. Students then began 
writing informational text on real topics they knew a lot about and are 
now researching and writing reports on Vermont animals.  Before we 
begin writing realistic fiction stories (and before every genre we study) 
I immerse the class in the genre during literacy learning.  
Throughout this week and the following, we have been immersed in 
realistic fiction books. We've read a variety of realistic fiction stories
 about a variety of animals in North America. Students are learning 
about a variety of story elements and identifying them while reading, 
using a comparative story map. INQUIRE with your child what these 
words mean in stories - character, setting, problem, and solution. 
Students are learning that all good authors include these elements 
when writing. Some students are even beginning to identify the 
different events that occur in a story that lead up to the climax. 
To help your child prepare to write their own realistic fiction story, 
have them practice telling you a story about their Vermont Animal 
orally, complete with a beginning, middle, and endl! 

If you're at the library, be sure to check out the Smithsonian Collection 

of Realistic Fiction Animal stories or any of Jim Arnosky's books.