Comparison of Fiction and Non-Fiction Texts

Using the MacMillan McGraw Hill Treasures reading series, I compared a non-fiction leveled reader text with a related fiction text from the student textbook.  Both texts were written about desert animals and desert ecosystems; the fiction text was written from the point of view of the desert animals as they went on the hunt for food and water while the non-fiction text gave information about how desert animals use their biological adaptations to find sustenance.  Both were engaging pieces, with features that could support an ELL in their quest to make meaning; however, there were some differences in each that, as an educator, I will need to make adjustments for when presenting the material to my students.  The graphic organizer below illustrates these differences, highlighting the text features that will and will not prove challenging for ELLs. 



One thing I will need to pay attention to when expecting ELLs to read these different desert animal texts and gather the appropriate information is the language and vocabulary used in each.  While the more simplistic word choice and dialogue between characters in the fiction piece will be more engaging and readily understood, the figurative language will pose a challenge.  The fiction story is filled with similes and idiomatic language that will need to be explained to ELLs.  In the nonfiction article, although there is no figurative language to provide a linguistic barrier, the more sophisticated word choice will likely prove problematic for ELLs.  The scientific words such as "ecosystem", "habitat", "drought", and "precipitation" will need to be explicitly taught and made more comprehensible by use of non-linguistic representations. 

 

Both texts have features that will support ELLs in their comprehension; the engaging illustrations and photographs, and the captions and different fonts will be helpful in drawing their attention to important facts and events in each.   The illustrations in the fiction text provide a visual summary of the important events and characters while the desert photographs in the nonfiction text provide examples of the characteristics of each animal and details about the desert ecosystem.  The captions and headings in the nonfiction text keep the reader focused and organized as they gather information.  The use of different font in both texts help the reader concentrate on certain words as either important academic vocabulary (non-fiction text) or insights into the feelings of the characters (fiction text).

 

This exercise further cements the idea that, in order to effectively teach comprehension, the information must be made comprehensible regardless of the genre.  Some of the same sheltered strategies used in fiction comprehension can be valuable when teaching non-fiction; assessing the different features of each illustrate for the teacher which strategies are best.