Foundations of Language and Literacy · Junior Infants

Active learning ideas

Different Kinds of Books

Active learning helps Junior Infants grasp the difference between fiction and non-fiction books by using real objects and visuals. When children touch, sort, and discuss books, they connect the features they see to the book’s purpose more meaningfully than through passive listening.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - Reading
• NCCA: Primary - Purpose and Genre

• 15–25 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 25 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Fact Finders

Give small groups a non-fiction book about an animal. They must find one 'amazing fact' using the pictures or labels and then 'teach' that fact to the rest of the class using a prop or a drawing.

What is different about a book with real photographs and a book with drawings?

Facilitation Tip

During Collaborative Investigation, model how to turn pages slowly and point out the labels in the book to guide the children’s focus.

What to look for

Provide students with two books, one fiction and one non-fiction. Ask them to point to the book that has real photographs and explain one thing they could learn from it. Observe their ability to identify the non-fiction text and articulate its purpose.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Gallery Walk
• 20 min · Pairs

Gallery Walk: Photo vs. Drawing

Display a mix of storybook illustrations and non-fiction photographs. Students walk around and sort them into 'Story' or 'Real Life' piles, explaining to a partner why a photograph is often used in a fact book.

How can the pictures in a book help us learn something new?

Facilitation Tip

For Gallery Walk, arrange the photos and drawings at child-height and use tape to mark a clear path so students move smoothly from one station to the next.

What to look for

Give each child a picture from a non-fiction book (e.g., a picture of a robin, a historical building in Ireland). Ask them to draw one thing they learned from looking at the picture and write one word to describe the picture (e.g., 'real', 'photo').

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 15 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Expert Question

Before looking at a book about a topic (e.g., Space), students think of one thing they want to know. They share with a partner and then 'check' the book together to see if they can find the answer.

What can you find out just by looking at the pictures in this book?

Facilitation Tip

During Think-Pair-Share, give students 10 seconds of wait time after asking the Expert Question to allow all children time to think before sharing with a partner.

What to look for

Show students a non-fiction book open to a page with a photograph and labels. Ask: 'What is this a picture of? How do you know it's a real thing? What does the label tell us? How does this picture help us learn something new?' Listen for their ability to extract information from visual cues.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with familiar storybooks to anchor their understanding of fiction before introducing non-fiction. Use picture walks in both types of books to highlight differences in structure. Avoid overloading children with too many new terms; focus on observable features like 'real photos' versus 'drawings'. Research shows that concrete comparisons work better than abstract explanations at this stage.

By the end of these activities, students should confidently point out features like photographs, labels, and diagrams as clues that a book provides information. They should also begin to explain why a book is for learning, not just for stories.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Collaborative Investigation, watch for students who assume an animal in a book means it is a story.

  Bring out 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' and a non-fiction butterfly book during the activity. Have students compare the illustrations and text features, guiding them to notice that one has a story with words like 'ate' and 'slept', while the other shows a real photo and labels like 'wings' and 'antennae'.

• During Gallery Walk, watch for students who believe every picture in a book represents something real.

  Place real objects alongside the photos and drawings in the Gallery Walk stations. Ask students to match the pictures to the objects, reinforcing that non-fiction pictures show things they can see and touch in the real world.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Gallery Walk
• Think-Pair-Share