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Teaching Kids About Fiction Genres in the School Library

The school library used to be exclusively the place of card catalogs and quiet reading. Today, with so much library research done on computers, it is easy to forget that students used to learn to navigate book collections without the help of an electronic resource. Nonetheless, students can benefit from learning about the different genres of fiction found in a school library, including children's literature, young adult, science fiction and fantasy, historical and contemporary. If nothing else, it can help instill a love of browsing books and reading that can last a lifetime.
  1. Scavenger Hunt

    • One way for students to learn about the fiction genres in their school's library is to find out for themselves where each genre is located. Give students a list of different fiction genres. Task students with browsing the shelves and finding one book for each genre. If you want to teach the technicalities of citation at the same time, you can have students write a proper reference entry for each book. Have a prize for the first student to finish.

    Classifying Books

    • Learning fiction genres is also about learning to sort books according to their content and style. After you have taught students about the different genres in the library and their specific features, bring a huge stack of books into the classroom or to a space in the library. Have students sort the books into piles according to their genre. Ideally, students will be forced to look through the books and read their synopses to determine where they belong.

    Writing About Genres

    • Even young children will have familiarity with at least a few of the genres in their school library. Have students write a short piece about their favorite genre of those named in class and why. Make sure students reference at least one book they have read and loved. Ask students to share their short essays in front of the class. Lead a discussion about which genre is best and why.

    Reading Chart

    • An efficient way to motivate students to read and explore all the genres in their school library is to set reading goals. Give students a chart with a different genre for each column. Have students keep track of the books they read according to the genre. Work with students individually at the beginning of the year to set goals for how many books of each genre they are to read by the end of the school year or the end of each month.

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