Here is a comparison of Fiction and Non-Fiction. I used a T-chart as my graphic organizer. One of the class novels we read this year was Holes by Louis Sachar. Other top Fiction texts include:
The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez (1997)
Al Capone does my Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko (2004)
Top Non-Fiction texts include:
The Life and Death of Crazy Horse by R. Freedman
The Abracadabra Kid by S. Fleischman
Any supplemental Non-Fiction material on www.readinga-z.com. (Leveled books for both Fiction and Non-Fiction)
Some elements of Fiction that support ELLs are the use of a pictures, providing a visual reference for learning. It helps students, "Make connections and construct meaning." (Hill, p.102) Also the ability to use imagination in stories, thereby creating connections to the text and referencing background knowlege. Some struggles students may have with fiction could be higher order skills such as inferring character's feelings and situational outcomes, especially when the text that may not be culturally relevant.
Some elements of Non-Fiction that support ELLs is the fact-based format, which requires readers to find information directly from the text. Many non-fiction texts do come with pictures, diagrams, etc. important for ELL processing of new concepts. Non-fiction is very vocabulary heavy, therefore, students need a lot of practice navigating through text. These pieces can be "cognitively demanding and context reduced." (Hill, p.102) Students definitely need graphic organizers to help them think through pieces that are heavily academic.
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