Nonfiction text structures (compare and contrast, sequential order, cause and effect) can be tricky for students to understand. That’s one of the reasons I like reviewing this challenging skill with these holidays around the word passages. It’s not what I use to introduce these text structures, but it is a fantastic review.
Since my style of instruction changes from year to year to meet the needs of each group of students, I created multiple options of this resource.
Task Cards
One way to use this activity is with task cards. In this version, the passage is written on a half-page task card. I prefer the larger recording sheet, but I also included half-page recording sheets. You never know what you will need! In the lesson shown below, students sequence holiday traditions in The Netherlands.
You can see how the same format works with practicing cause and effect with the Holidays in Japan task card.
Worksheet
There is another version that includes the passage and the graphic organizer on one page. In the example below students compare and contrast holiday traditions in China with their own holiday traditions. You could also have students compare and contrast traditions in China with another country students have studied.
This is another example of the graphic organizer-worksheet version of the resource. In the worksheet below, students find and describe cause and effect relationships using holiday traditions in Norway.
Traditional Worksheet
Another version of this resource includes traditional questions that incorporate nonfiction text structures. It’s a great way to have students apply their understanding.
I have a different holidays around the word resource that I love too! These are two completely different resources. This resource includes all new countries, so there isn’t any overlap of content. In the nonfiction text structure resource students learn about traditions in: Russia, China, England, India, Japan, Norway, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Netherlands, and Argentina.
