We are exploring a new genre during our literacy block--procedural, or "how to" texts. Since we will soon be writing these in writing workshop, we're exploring them through reading experiences first. This immersion in the genre helps students better understand the different structure these books use. A procedural text teaching how to do something looks and sounds much different than a story!
This week, students in one of my guided reading groups had the opportunity to follow the steps in one of their texts, Making a Bird. They completed the project quite independently!
Experiences with this type of reading can happen at home too. Following recipes, doing craft projects or science experiments, using the guide when building a Lego set, learning to play a new game--all involve text and sometimes photos/illustrations to teach how to do something.