• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Stay Connected

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Having Fun First

Helping you to creatively reach all your unique learners

Subscribe

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Shop
    • Shop Website
    • Teachers Pay Teachers
    • Amazon Storefront
  • FREEBIE
  • Curriculum
  • Contact

on November 24, 2021 · Leave a Comment

Nocturnal Animal Activities & Nonfiction Text Features

Hey there friends,

Are you a teacher that loves a good, themed unit? If you haven’t figured it out yet, I am definitely one of those educators! This week of nocturnal animal activities is no different. Once the calendar flips to October, I always get excited about scarecrows, turkeys, and one of my other faves… nocturnal animals. There is so much fun to be had with a full week of nocturnal animal activities while teaching nonfiction text features!

nocturnal animal activities bundle

A Week of Nocturnal Animal Activities

My teammates and I always went all out for Nocturnal Animals week. We studied the habitats, appearances, and compared behaviors of the nocturnal and diurnal creatures. With the completion of each day’s activity, the excitement grew as the classroom became more and more decorated with my students’ nocturnal animal art and informative writing.

In the first few years of teaching this unit, we focused on bats, owls, and other popular animals of the night. More recently, I decided to venture out to include other unique creatures such as koalas, beavers, kangaroos, skunks, and porcupines.

nocturnal animal activities

Teaching Nonfiction Text Features

As I was planning this guided reading unit, I had a difficult time finding books at the right level that also showcased the nonfiction text features I wanted to teach about. So, I wrote my own nonfiction readers for each of the animals to assure each book had the text feature of “captions,” which is the skill I wanted to focus on teaching.

teaching nonfiction text features

I even ended up adding all the nonfiction text features appropriate for 2nd grade into the readers. If you are strictly looking for nonfiction text or nocturnal animals worksheets you can check those out separately in my store.

nocturnal animals nonfiction texts

End of Unit Nocturnal Animal Activities

After diving into the guided reading activities, crafting cute creatures, and writing informative text on nocturnal animals, we love to wrap up the week with a celebration. We celebrate with an exciting, “nocturnal day,” featuring nocturnal animal activities, snacks, and more. We turn down the lights, black out the windows with butcher paper or blinds, and learn by moonlight (flashlights and lanterns). Years ago, I picked up a couple of Halloween tablecloths decorated like a dark forest, and they were a fun addition to the walls. Another fun way we brought our nocturnal studies to life was by playing nocturnal animal sounds during work times. We would also make fun-themed snacks such as moon cookies and these adorable bat snacks I found on Pinterest from copy-kids.com.

nocturnal animal activities bat snacks
https://www.copy-kids.com/post/snack-bats

Guided Reading with a Purpose

This is such a fun week in Guided Reading with a Purpose. We as teachers genuinely loved teaching this unit and the kids equally loved learning all about everything nocturnal. I find that there is something about nonfiction text that always gets the kids excited and it is fun to capitalize on that.

Remember, that Guided Reading with a Purpose isn’t all reading… It is a multi-subject curriculum strong in reading and writing and always has fun art extensions! You will learn this as you explore the many resources that are part of this year-long curriculum.

As always, feel free to reach out with questions, suggestions or just to connect!

  • nonfiction text features posters
  • nocturnal animals guided reading bundle
  • nonfiction reader nocturnal animals

Filed Under: Curriculum, Guided Reading with a Purpose Tagged With: Guided Reading with a Purpose, Nocturnal animals, non-fiction units

Previous Post: « 3 Thanksgiving Activities for the Classroom that are Sure to Inspire
Next Post: Engaging Winter Activities for the Classroom »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Stay Connected

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Shop the Site

Visit the Shop


Shop Featured Materials + Resources

Shop Amazon

Subscribe

Sign up to gain access to valuable free resources, encouraging tips and sale alerts.

Find it Fast

Read by Category

Popular Posts

Creating a STEM Bin
Travel Vacation Journal for Students
6 Activities for STEM and Reading Comprehension
5 Reading Comprehension Activities for Context Clues
Meaningful End of the Year Gifts for Students
Back to School Activities for 2nd Grade {with FREEBIES}
Guided Reading Program: Guided Reading With A Purpose!
Reading Comprehension Bookmarks
Taking Care of the Earth: 5 Text to World Connections Books and Activities
Teaching Text Evidence with the book "Blizzard"

Grab My Button

Grab My Button

Subscribe

Sign up to gain access to valuable free resources, encouraging tips and sale alerts.

Footer

Latest on Facebook

Latest on Instagram

Brown’s work vs. mine this week. Mason had Flu A Brown’s work vs. mine this week. Mason had Flu A and Wyatt had a horrible spell of migraines this week. 😣 I may need a vacation 😆 Luckily the boys were super sweet and thankfuk for super mom. Ha. I guess Dave did some stuff too. 💪 👨‍🚒
This anti-bullying and kindness-themed reading com This anti-bullying and kindness-themed reading comprehension and writing bundle is designed to help students analyze morals and lessons in stories while reinforcing essential comprehension strategies. Through six different mentor texts, students will explore sequencing, text connections, asking and answering questions, story elements, character analysis, problem and solution, and more. Perfect for social-emotional learning, kindness, and anti-bullying lessons!

Books included in this bundle are:
- “The Proudest Blue”
- “Each Kindness”
- “Bully Beans”
- “Weird”, “Dare”, “Tough” (3 Book Bundle)

What’s included:
- A unique craft
- Writing prompts
- Graphic organizers
- Story element posters
- Anchor chart headers
- Focused worksheets to deepen comprehension
- Book talk questions
- Parent connection materials
- Morning work or fast finisher activities
- Mini lessons
- Lesson plan ideas and more!

✨✨CLICK the Link in Bio to get this amazing bundle!✨✨ OR COMMENT “KINDNESS” and I’ll send you the link!✨✨ 

#AntiBullying #KindnessMatters #SocialEmotionalLearning #ReadingComprehension #BookCompanion #GuidedReading #CharacterAnalysis #TeacherResources #TpTResources #LiteracyActivities #SELActivities #TeacherLife
Spread kindness in your classroom with this FREE k Spread kindness in your classroom with this FREE kindness activity! This resource includes a fun coloring sheet and a word search featuring words of compassion and inspiring quotes about being kind. Perfect for promoting social-emotional learning and building a positive classroom environment. 

✨✨CLICK the Link in Bio to download this FREE Kindness Activity!✨✨ OR COMMENT "KINDNESS" and I’ll send you the link!✨✨ 

#KindnessMatters #FreeClassroomActivity #SELresources #CompassionInClassroom #TeacherFreebies #KindnessActivities #TeachersOfInstagram #TpTFreebies #PositiveClassroom #SocialEmotionalLearning
Wyatt and I scored a day together while Mason is a Wyatt and I scored a day together while Mason is at University of Toledo Honor Band. Bonus we discovered a yummy coffee shop! @siptoledo
Teach your students about kindness, empathy, and i Teach your students about kindness, empathy, and inclusion with this engaging reading comprehension and writing unit for *Each Kindness* by Jacqueline Woodson. This guided reading unit focuses on anti-bullying, kindness, and social-emotional learning, featuring over 15 comprehension strategies with an emphasis on lessons and morals. The interactive ripple effect craft helps reinforce these important messages in a fun and meaningful way. Perfect for small or whole group instruction, this unit is ideal for Anti-Bullying Month, Unity Day, and daily social skills practice.

This comprehensive book companion unit includes:
- A unique craft
- Writing prompts
- Graphic organizers
- Story element posters
- Anchor chart headers
- Focused worksheets to deepen understanding of the story elements
- Book talk questions
- Parent connection materials
- Morning work or fast finisher activities
- Mini-lessons
- Lesson plan ideas and more!

Comprehension skills covered:
➙ Schema 
➙ Making Predictions 
➙ Text Evidence 
➙ Character, Setting, Plot 
➙ Retell 
➙ Author's Purpose 
➙ Character Analysis 
➙ Lesson & Moral 
➙ Text Connections 
➙ Key Events 
➙ Problem and Solution 

✨✨CLICK the Link in Bio to get this anti-bullying & kindness resource!✨✨ OR COMMENT “ANTI BULLYING” and I’ll send you the link!✨✨

#AntiBullying #KindnessMatters #SocialEmotionalLearning #TeachersOfInstagram #TpTResources #CharacterEducation #ReadingComprehension #TeacherLife #SocialSkills #Empathy #Inclusion #LiteracyActivities #LiteracyResources
Dive into this Antarctic penguin-themed reading co Dive into this Antarctic penguin-themed reading comprehension and writing bundle! This engaging unit includes 5 nonfiction passages that focus on text features like glossaries, bold print words, and more. It’s perfect for practicing nonfiction reading strategies such as identifying the main idea, finding text evidence, asking and answering questions, and activating schema.

Each passage is packed with helpful text features, including:
- Diagrams
- Labels
- Captions
- Glossary
- Index
- Table of contents

Topics covered include:
- Appearance
- Food
- Habitat
- Life cycle
- Predators
- Special adaptations
- Interesting facts

The bundle also includes:
- Nonfiction reader for each animal
- A unique craft
- Writing prompts
- Graphic organizers
- Story element posters
- Anchor chart headers
- Focused worksheets to deepen comprehension
- Book talk questions
- Parent connection materials
- Lesson plan ideas and more!

This easy-to-implement, penguin-themed unit will make learning fun and memorable. It’s perfect for guided reading groups and will help your students develop key nonfiction reading skills! 🐧

✨✨CLICK the Link in Bio to grab your penguin reading bundle!✨✨ OR COMMENT "PENGUINS" and I’ll send you the link!✨✨

#PenguinThemed #NonfictionReading #ReadingComprehension #GuidedReading #TextFeatures #TeacherResources #PenguinFun #LiteracyActivities #TpTResources #TeachingWithPenguins #TeacherLife

Stay Connected

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Latest on Pinterest

Copyright © 2025 · BRANDING + WEBSITE DESIGN BY LAUGH EAT LEARN