Nonfiction Animal Passages with Comprehension, Vocabulary, and Writing Activities for Primary Grades and a free sample!

I love using nonfiction with my students! I did not have a lot of nonfiction books available and my students LOVED learning about animals so I started making these nonfiction animal passages for the different levels of students in my first grade classroom and they were a HIT!

I find that my low-socioeconomic population needs a lot of building of background knowledge so I included picture vocabulary cards to go over before reading to get students ready for the text.

Having two levels of text, I could teach the same lesson to different levels of learners. They can all learn about the animal at their level!

When I want a shorter lesson, I can use individual pages of the resource and the corresponding comprehension questions.

I love connecting reading to writing so I have included graphic organizers including webs, can have are charts, and writing outlines at different levels. These really helped students organize their thoughts for writing about the animals.

At the end of the year, each student gets to choose a zoo animal to write about. These passages gave them lots of facts to use in their own animal books when I couldn't find a lot of books on the more obscure animals. They loved being able to highlight the information they wanted to write about.

Some of the passages have animal life cycles included.

Here's what buyers have said about my nonfiction animal passages:

"excellent packet thank you for differentiated lessons"

"Great no prep resources are included in this bundle. My students loved learning about hyenas."

"My students loved reading about Toucans and writing about them. It worked perfectly with our rain forest literacy night!"

"Love all the informative texts that you have! Thank you!"

"This pack is good value as it has a range of activities, and is suitable for various ages and stages."

"My 3rd grade intervention group loved these passages they were very interested in what they were learning."

"My students loved learning about Meerkats with this resource. Thank you!"

"We read the story "Koala Lou" in class and this was a perfect non-fiction text to pair with it! Thanks!"

"Great unit to send home to have students complete during distant learning."

"This had two levels which I found very helpful. I loved the photos and vocabulary that were included with it. Thank you!"

"Great resource! The 2 different passages are helpful, as well as the graphic organizers."

"Great resource to help my students with informational reports!"

"Great supplement to an animal research project!"

"I bought this product to do with my reading enrichment group. We had a fun time with it and learned a lot."

"Great for reading groups, and differentiated for different leveled learners!"

"My kids loved learning more about owls! I thought the price was great for the amount of material provided."

"I love this bundle! Can't wait to save up to buy more of them! Perfect for differentiation in my mutli-level ability classroom."

"You are truly an amazing and gifted resource person. You have a great insight into what teachers need. Thank you for sharing this amazing resource. I use a lot of comprehension exercises in my class and this will be perfect."

"My first graders loved this resource!"

"Students love animals and learning about them! This resource had the facts I needed for a mini-lesson on Llamas and compared it to fiction stories like Is Your Mama a Llama. Very engaging!"

"MY KIDS LOVED THIS! Great resource!"

"My students loved reading about flamingos. My theme in my classroom is flamingos so it was easy to engage them. I had them work in small groups to read and find the information. It was really great practice!"

"My students were curious about flamingos & I'm so happy that I was able to use this resource to support them in exploring their interest! Thank you so much!"

"This is one awesome, comprehensive resource! It is just what I was looking for, even better than expected."

"This was a perfect resource to use with distance learning. The passages were just right for them which was wonderful since it is hard to get the right resources in the hands of little ones during school closures."

"Love this resource! It has great information about the tiger and great activities to support the comprehension of the text."

"These are great passages to use with my higher first graders for our animal research projects. Thank you!"

"Used these in our after school program for our grizzlies unit. We hung them throughout the program and used the information in them for trivia games. Kids love them!"

"I have a camping theme in my class and the last few days we did everything to relate to it and this resource was so fun to do with them. thank you!"

"I used this at home with my daughter. She loved learning about the different farm animals. Great read for a child who loves animals."

"I appreciate the leveled materials. The use of vocabulary/key terms was great."

"Very useful product! My students loved the activities!"

"Thank you for your skilled and creative work."

Check out this freebie for a sample!

PENGUIN PASSAGE FREEBIE

Click on the links below to see the passages in my store. 

Apes Passages

Bat Passages

Bear Passages

Camels Passages

Cardinals Passages

Chicken Passages

Cheetah Passages

Cow Passages

Dolphin Passages

Duck Passages

Eagle Passages

Elephant Passages 

Flamingo Passages

Gators and Crocs Passages

Giraffe Passages

Goat Passages

Groundhogs Passages

Hippo Passages

Horse Passages

Hyena Passages

Kangaroo Passages

Koala Passages

Leopard Passages

Lion Passages

Llama Passages

Meerkats Passages

Monkeys Passages

Ostriches Passages

Owl Passages

Panda Passages

Parrot Passages

Peacocks Passages

Pig Passages

Polar Bear Passages

Rabbit Passages

Reindeer Passages

Reptiles Passages

Rhino Passages

Robins Passages

Sheep Passages

Sloths Passages

Snakes Passages

Tiger Passages

Toucans Passages

Turkeys Passages

Turtles Passages

Wolves Passages

Zebra Passages

African Animals Bundle

Zoo Animals Bundle 1

Zoo Animals Bundle 2

Forest Animal Bundle

Bird Passage Bundle

Farm Animals Bundle

Google Slides Nonfiction Animal Passages for Distance Learning on Google Classroom

Kids love learning about animals. My nonfiction animal passages for Google Slides are engaging and full of animal facts for kids to explore. You'll love the vocabulary and comprehension components as well as the webs, writing outlines, and writing paper. 

Each has a similar format for consistency if you choose to assign these regularly or if you want to give students a choice of which animals to read about. Assigning on Google Classroom is easy and no prep. 

Assign one page or two pages together or separately. There is a page of questions for each page and one for the passage as a whole. 

Writing webs, outlines, and online paper is included. All the worksheets can be printed before or after using them online. 

Many animals are available. Click below to see each in my store or click on the bundles to $AVE! 

Here is what buyers are saying about my Google Slides Nonfiction Animal Passages:

"My students love learning about the different animals and having a similar layout in each type of animal. Thank you for this great resource."

"This is a great way to keep the kids interested in learning and writing without having lots of teacher support (since we aren't in class). This kept my students learning and was easy for them to understand and do."

"Some of the words are a bit advanced, but my kids love them all the same. They are enjoying learning about different animals and having similar layouts each week for their work. They really like them and are keeping them learning during this time."

"My students loved this product! It was perfect for virtual learning. Perfect for Field Trip Friday’s to the zoo!"

"Love, Love Love this."

"We used this non-fiction resource along with the book Sylvie. Thanks so much!"

"As an ESY Distance Learning educator and previously a 3rd Grade Special Ed inclusion teacher (next year unknown), I need resources that would both work with my diverse group and be engaging. Students will be able to work independently and with the group throughout the use of this resource. They can be focused and on task. Thanks for offering it during the sale."

"This was a great resource to use for my class for Distance Learning. The students could complete the slides easily and I liked how I could change the document to meet my students needs! Thank you!

"I used this product in the spring and it was a great resource. My students enjoyed the reading passages. Thank you."

"My kids love it and it is easy for them to use."

"This was a great resource to use for my class for Distance Learning. The students could complete the slides easily and I liked how I could change the document to meet my students needs! Thank you!"

"A wonderful digital resource for distance learning!"

"This is a great reading comprehension activity on bats to use with your students in Google Classroom."

"Great resource! I love all the information, vocabulary, and thinking maps for the students to fill out."

Ape Passage

Bats PassageBears

Camels Passage

Cardinals Passage

Cheetahs Passage

Chickens Passage

Cows and Cowboys Passage

Dolphins Passage

Ducks Passage

Eagles Passage

Elephants Passage

Flamingos Passage

Gators and Crocs Passage

Giraffes Passage

Goats Passage

Groundhogs Passage

Hippos Passage

Horses Passage

Hyenas Passage

Kangaroos Passage

Koalas Passage

Leopards Passage

Lions Passage

Llamas Passage

Meerkats Passage

Monkeys Passage

Ostriches Passage

Owls Passage

Pandas Passage

Parrots Passage

Peacocks Passage

Penguins Passage

Pigs Passage

Polar Bears Passage

Rabbits Passage

Reindeer Passage

Rhinos Passage

Robins Passage

Sheep Passage

Toucans Passage

Turkeys Passage

Wolves Passage

Birds Bundle

Zoo Bundle 

Farm Bundle

I will continue to add more animal passages! Enjoy!

Digital Phonics Lessons for Distance Learning

Do you need digital slide shows for your Saxon Phonics lessons? Or do you want to up your phonics instruction in class? My digital phonics lesson slide shows will engage your students and keep you on track! 

I've been using Saxon Phonics for the last seven years. I have seen its benefits. But it is boring! The lesson plans are hard to follow and the coding...well I could do without a lot of it. But it's the curriculum my district uses so I've done everything I can think of to make it more engaging for students and easier to follow for me. 

There are 140 lessons. Every 5th lesson (10, 15, 20, etc.) is an assessment. I divided the lessons into the 4 quarters of a school year. We generally teach the beginning lessons, which are all the letters of the alphabet, in pairs since they are really a review for 1st graders. 

1st Quarter - Lessons 1-35

2nd Quarter - Lessons 36-70

3rd Quarter - Lessons 71-105

4th Quarter - Lesson 106-140

Here is a sample of a lesson from the teacher's manual. This includes the slides that the students will see and the instructions for the teacher. 

How did I make this video?

For distance learning, I am recording videos using Screencastify. I use the Google Slide files with the coding already on the slides. This is what the slide shows look like on a Chromebook. 

I recorded the books and the worksheets separately and embedded those videos into the slideshow. During the recording, I went through the slides and narrated them using the notes from the teacher's manual. I played the videos during the Screencastify and recorded the recordings. Does that make sense? I can do this because I have a Mac. This wasn't possible on my PC from work. I did this because I wanted my whole lesson in one video. The reader and worksheet videos can be separate. If you purchase the units, I will give you free access to my recorded videos of the readers and worksheets. 

If you would like to use the slide shows in class, I would recommend using the PDF versions. I display them on my interactive whiteboard and use the pen tools to annotate them. They do not have the coding on them but you can add it on your whiteboard. Since I have both in-class students and online learners, they are both getting similar lessons either in person or recorded. 

If you like the lessons but aren't interested in using the coding, I have included lessons without the coding in Google Slide form. 

Units 1 and 2 are done. I will be posting the next units as soon as they are completed. Click here to see them in my store. 

Unit 1 - with coding

Unit 1 - no coding

Growing Bundle with coding

Currently contains Units 1&2

Growing Bundle no coding

Currently contains Units 1&2

Fairy Tale Units with a TWIST for Distance Learning with Google Slides

Once upon a time, there was a first grade teacher with a sweet little class. She loved reading fairy tales to them like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Red Hen, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and many more. But one day, the king told the teacher and the first graders that they couldn't go to school anymore. The poor teacher and students wept bitterly. 

What were they to do? The teacher got out her computer and made a plan. Google Slides to the rescue! And the teacher and her students read happily ever after again!

Does this sound familiar? When the pandemic hit, we were just about to start our fairy tales unit, my favorite part of the school year. I was so disappointed. I had already created these Fairy Tale Units in print so I decided to make them digital for distance learning. My 1st graders loved them and I'm sure yours will too! This would be appropriate for 2nd grade as well. Here is all that is included in each Google Slides Fairy Tales unit. 

These are some sample pages from the popular traditional fairy tale stories I have created including Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and The Little Red Hen. Students can listen to the story read to them or read the Google Slides independently. The fairy tale books can be downloaded and printed also. See a video of The Little Red Hen Here! 

For each book, you can choose from several comprehension and story response activities. The slides have text boxes so the students can type their answers. They cannot move the other graphics and words as they are in the background. This is a digital Cause and Effect Worksheet.

Each story has the Story Elements Questions for character, setting, problem, and solution and also questions that relate to that particular fairy tale. Students click on the text boxes to fill in their answers.

Students can practice Retelling the fairy tale books with these pages with transition words. 

Another way to practice writing and to respond to stories is to write a Letter to a Fairy Tale Character. Students can take on the point of view of one of the characters or write as themselves and tell the character what lesson they should have learned.

Story Maps are another way to see if students are understanding story elements. 

This Fairy Tale Sequencing Activity has the student drag the story pictures to the numbers to put them in order. 

Another drag and drop activity is this Fairy Tale Character Trait Comparison. Students can learn and review adjectives to describe fairy tale characters both heroes and villains. 

Each Fairy Tale has a Nonfiction Book Companion!
Three Little Pigs > All About Pigs

Three Billy Goats Gruff > All About Goats

Goldilocks and the Three Bears > All About Bears

Jack and the Beanstalk > All About Beans

Little Red Riding Hood > All About Wolves

This Gingerbread Man > How to make a Gingerbread Man!

The Little Red Hen > All About Chickens

Each book has Vocabulary Cards from the nonfiction text. Students can listen to the sound explanations of the words. Try one out here! 

These online Vocabulary Worksheets help students practice their newly learned vocabulary from the text. They type their answers in the text boxes. 

Two pages of Comprehension Questions about the nonfiction text are included in each unit. Students type the answers in the text boxes. 

Students can label the parts of the animals and the plant by typing in the text boxes on these Diagrams.

For the Bean Plant Life Cycle and the Pig Life Cycle, students drag and drop them in order.

To organize thoughts for pre-writing, I have provided two Graphic Organizers, the above can/have/are or eat/are/have depending on the subject and the Webs below.

Since reading and writing are so interrelated, using what they learned in the nonfiction text, students can write a Report on the animal or plant. 

There are 2 Choices of Writing Outlines. Less experienced writers can use the outline with the topic and conclusion sentences filled in. The can/have/are organizer makes good sentences for the three facts. 

Writers who have a little more skill can use Level 2. Then after some editing, students can type their final draft on the paper below. Any of these can be printed since they are the 8 1/2 x 11 size. 

This has been a very stressful time. We really struggled this past spring with 3 kids bing "homeschooled" and two of us "working from home." I am one of those parents who threw up her hands and said, "We're not doing any more school!" It was rough!

These are classic fairy tales. Parents are going to know them. First graders may need some assistance from parents, especially if they are unfamiliar with Google Slides, but they are very simple and self-explanatory. You can even add directions in the notes at the bottom of each slide if you feel the need. Second graders should be able to handle it no problem if they have used Google at school. 

You can assign the story and the assignments together or separately in Google Classroom. I have given instructions in the file on how to separate the pages out into individual files if desired. 

I am not a fan of online teaching. I miss my first graders so much! When schools closed, teachers did what teachers do, adapted to the situation with very little guidance or materials and did the very best we could for our students. Eventually, this too shall pass. But I think we all have learned a whole new bag of digital tricks! A computer can never replace a real teacher, but technology certainly has a place in our world. 

These Google Slide Fairy Tale Units can easily be used in the classroom. They can be assigned to Google Classroom. They can be used whole-class or in small groups. I will continue to use them in my classroom when we get back to "normal."

Click to see all my 

Digital Fairy Tale Units for Google Slides. 

Watch the preview videos here:

Three Little Pigs Digital Fairy Tale Unit 

The Gingerbread Man Fairy Tale Unit

The Three Billy Goats Gruff Fairy Tale Unit 

Jack and the Beanstalk Fairy Tale Unit 

Little Red Riding Hood Fairy Tale Unit 

Goldilocks and the Three Bears Fairy Tale Unit

The Little Red Hen Fairy Tale Unit

You may also be interested in my printable 

Fairy Tale Resources. 

Keep on Teaching!