Free Nonfiction Research Writing Project!

iPads, tablets, laptops, Chromebooks, etc.

It is likely that your students are well-versed in all of the above and more. If they aren’t yet well- versed in technology, they are at least familiar with it and learning rapidly about it. As more and more schools continue to gather technological devices for their students to use in the classroom, the need for educational digital experiences grows.

Every year my students complete their own research project all about an animal of their choice and it is during that time that I have a hard time finding books and passages my students can read at their level. There are databases and websites that we use, but often the text is too limited or too difficult to make it just right for first or second graders.

That being said, I also know how much my students LOVE to read nonfiction. They love the photographs and they love learning new and real facts about all sorts of topics.

So I took the time recently to complete a project I am very excited about called:

Digital Nonfiction

*There is a COMPLETELY FREE version for you to try out at the bottom of this post, but read on to see what it’s all about!*

This screenshot below is the home page of the African Animals version.

Students are able to choose a topic (or in this case, an animal) they want to learn more about and explore. Students click on the animals to explore each one deeper. At the end of each animal, students get to take an interactive quiz to see what they’ve learned. They will be able to see if their answer was correct or incorrect and learn more.

Also included are printable, “brochures” where students can access all the same information in printable form. Students can also take the same quiz on the back to show their learning!

While your students are clicking away and reading all sorts of nonfiction fun, they can practice writing down and summarizing what they’ve learned on the included recording sheets. Students can then keep the recording sheets for themselves, or use them to share what they learned with others!

Also included are some extension printables where students can compare animals, choose their favorite, and more!

If you want to try out a COMPLETELY FREE version all about Rainforest Animals, just click the image below and follow the steps. The downloadable files will come right to your inbox! This free version includes an option with audio so students can listen to the passages as well as read them. I am thinking of including that in all the series!