Two great activities are provided to help students learn about genres. Genre Flashcards contain 21 pairs (picture cards with matching fact cards) in a ready-to-use printable format. These are a free download at Teachers Pay Teachers.
Genres, a 40-card deck of interactive task cards from Boom Learning, is sure to be a hit with your students.
Why Teach Genres
Teaching students about different genres is an important way for students to gain a deeper understanding of the text.
- Understanding genres helps students with the concept of theme. Specific genres often center on specific themes such as detective genres trying to solve a crime.
- When students realize they are reading from a specific genre, they can rely on the textual schema to get a general understanding of the text. For example, when a student knows s/he is going to be reading poetry, rhyming scheme, figurative language, and rhythm become the focus of the text.
- Exposing students to fiction, nonfiction, drama, poetry, and folklore helps students become better more well-rounded writers. Once students understand a specific genre, they are more prepared to write following the “rules” of the genre.
Ways to Use the Genre Flash Cards
Response Cards – The picture cards may be used as response cards. The teacher reads the definition or names a book title and the students hold up the correct card.
Matching Games – Games such as Slap Jack or Memory may be played by small groups.
FlashCards – Students work in pairs or small groups holding up a genre card while the other student(s) tells the definition.
Learning Center Activity – Students match definitions to genres and then record their answers on the chart provided on page 9 of the printable.
Organization – Place picture cards on the front of storage containers to help organize your class library.
Boom Learning Decks
Since many classrooms are turning to paperless options, Boom Decks have become a great classroom activity.
Boom Cards live in the cloud. They can’t be printed. They play on most modern browsers, Android, iPads, iPhones, and Kindle Fires. You open a Boom Learning account to play them (to protect the children). Create Fast Play pins to assign your Boom Cards to students.
Boom Learning also has premium accounts. Premium accounts offer advanced assignment tools, individual and whole class performance tracking, and more. If you are a new Boom Learning customer, when you redeem your Boom Cards purchase you get 90-day free trial of a premium account. When your trial ends, you can renew or move to a free account. You may upgrade, downgrade or cancel at any time. Free accounts use purchased Boom Cards with Fast Play pins.
Free Materials
Download Genre Flash Cards at Teachers Pay Teachers.
Access the Genre Digital Task Cards at Boom Learning.
