• 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 April 4, 2022 · Leave a Comment

Pass, Shoot, Score! Basketball Nonfiction Readers and a Free Text Feature Scavenger Hunt

Hey there friends,

If you’ve been counting down to the Final Four then you know that this was a huge weekend for basketball. I was even able to watch a few games myself over the last couple of weeks! (crazy for me because I rarely sit-down ha!) But even if you aren’t that into sports, watching these athletes work so hard, the emotions, the pep band, the supportive fans, it is all so amazing to watch.

So, with March Madness in mind, I created a week all about basketball, growth mindset, and the impact these athletes have had on their greater community. I have spent a lot of time immersed in basketball as I researched and wrote five nonfiction readers based on four different professional athletes as well as the game of basketball itself. These printable books also have so many nonfiction text features for your students to explore.

nonfiction basketball readers

Basketball Nonfiction Reading Passages

I chose to write about Lisa Leslie, Lebron James, Stephen Curry, and Michael Jordan. Within these nonfiction biography books, the titles are early life, school, challenges & growth mindset, teams, diagrams, accomplishments, interesting facts, impact as well as timeline. I have also included an “All About Basketball” reader that features the history of the sport, basketball rules, basketball basics, gear and equipment, teams, diagrams, positions, interesting facts, and a timeline.

Lisa Leslie nonfiction basketball reading unit
Michael Jordan nonfiction basketball reading unit
Lebron James nonfiction basketball reading unit
Stephen Curry nonfiction basketball reading unit
All About Basketball nonfiction reading unit

Each of these units is available separately by clicking the images above or can be purchased together with the Basketball Nonfiction Bundle. The 5 printable, nonfiction basketball readers are also available separately.

Finding the Right Nonfiction Text

The initial reason that I wrote the nonfiction small readers was that even though it seems that nonfiction text is becoming more easily accessible I can never seem to find books that are grade-level appropriate with the nonfiction text features I want to work on. Not only that but there are also not many series that feature topics beyond animals. So, I did the research and wrote my own nonfiction texts featuring table of contents, diagrams, labels, captions, bold words, and glossaries based on the fun theme of basketball.

Why I Teach Nonfiction Text Features

I have repeatedly witnessed the excitement that kids get when learning something new, and something ignites in them to share everything they have learned. I LOVE IT! If I want my students immersed in nonfiction more often I want to make sure I aid them with the right tools and approaches to be successful as they explore the genre.

Nonfiction text features are valuable because they help students understand the organization of a text. They can provide them with clues to the genre, the author’s purpose, and help them to approach the information in a successful way.

When students understand where to find and how to use nonfiction text features it builds their confidence. When students are confronted with unfamiliar vocabulary they can head to the glossary, when seeing an interesting picture, they can read captions or look for a diagram for more information.

Ideas for Teaching Nonfiction Text Features

I am a huge visual learner myself and I try to translate that into my teaching whenever possible and teaching the text features is no different. Here are my favorite ideas for teaching nonfiction text features.

#1 Take a Book Walk

I like to start off by introducing each of the text features on a book walk, showing my students where they can find each feature. Often, kids recognize the feature, but simply don’t know their name or their use. This is a great rough start.

A fun way to show the features is to display a nonfiction book up on your interactive whiteboard. If you don’t have an interactive whiteboard you can use a poster!) I like to make giant labels with each of the nonfiction text features such as (bold words, captions, and diagrams) which I have kids go up and label.

#2 Use Visuals

nonfiction text features anchor chart

Making visuals that stay up throughout the unit is also impactful. I only have academic posters and mentor materials up when they apply to what we are working on in that unit. I want kids to know that if it is up, it is useful and encouraged to use as a learning tool. I love the classic anchor chart. On occasion, I have created an anchor chart ahead of time, but I prefer to have some components in place and fill in the rest with student support.

For my text features anchor chart, I simply took pieces of one of my nonfiction readers and placed them on the paper. I made sure that all the nonfiction text features I wanted to address were featured. I left space surrounding each page to write notes of the text features used, not simply a definition. Explanations in kid-friendly language or in question form are the most impactful.

#3 Text Feature Scavenger Hunt

One more approach I use to teaching nonfiction text features is going on a feature hunt. I have created a simple nonfiction text feature hunt where students select any nonfiction book. Once they have selected a book they begin the hunt by locating, exploring, and applying the features found. You can grab the nonfiction text feature hunt right here for free!

text feature scavenger hunt freebie

If you’re looking for more resources for teaching nonfiction text features be sure to check out these other blog posts:

“Nocturnal Animals & Nonfiction Text Features”
“Polar Animals Nonfiction Text Feature Freebie”

I’d love to hear about your favorite ways to teach nonfiction text features so be sure to leave a comment below and, as always, feel free to reach out with questions, suggestions or just to connect!

Kacie Brown Having Fun First signature

Filed Under: FREEBIE, guided reading Tagged With: basketball, nonfiction, text features

Previous Post: « 5 Reading Comprehension Activities for Context Clues
Next Post: Activities for Autism Awareness Month & Teaching Special Needs Acceptance »

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

Simple Steps on How to Implement STEM in Your Classroom
Blurt Beans to the Rescue
5 Reading Comprehension Activities for Context Clues
Taking Care of the Earth: 5 Text to World Connections Books and Activities
6 Activities for STEM and Reading Comprehension
6 Morning Meeting Activities for the Classroom
Travel Vacation Journal for Students
Resources for Planning a Beach Field Trip
Teaching Text Evidence with the book "Blizzard"
Meaningful End of the Year Gifts for Students

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