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Stories and Information Books

A 40-minute Grade 1 lesson on the major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information.

Stories and Information Books is a free 40-minute Grade 1 English lesson plan for Common Core standard RL.1.5 — explain how a storybook is different from a book of facts. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the meaning, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.

Grade:
Grade 1
Length:
40 minutes
Standard:
RL.1.5

Grade 1 · Reading: Literature

RL.1.5

Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of text types.

Objective

Students will be able to say whether a book tells a story or gives information, and give a reason from inside the text.

Students are successful when they can

  • Sorts the two frog texts correctly: "Freddy Frog" is a story, "Frogs" is an information text.
  • Gives a reason from inside the text: "It has a character who talks" or "It has facts and a heading."
  • Names at least two features of each kind of book.

What you need

  • Two short frog texts (in the Teach section) on chart paper
  • Six books from the class library, three stories and three information books
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — same subject, two books

5 min
  1. Hold up one story book and one information book about the same animal (two books on bears, for example).
  2. Ask: "Both are about bears. Are they the same kind of book?" Take answers.
  3. Say: "Today we find out how to tell, by looking inside."

Teach — what is inside each one

13 min
  1. Read Text A: "Freddy Frog wanted to fly. He climbed to the top of a tall reed. 'Here I go!' he shouted, and he jumped. Splash! He landed in the pond. Freddy laughed. 'Swimming is better anyway,' he said."
  2. Read Text B with its heading: "Frogs. Frogs live on land and in water. They have long back legs for jumping. A frog can jump many times its own length. Frogs lay eggs in ponds. The eggs are called frogspawn."
  3. Ask: "Which one tells a story?" Text A. "How do you know?" Make a list: a character with a name (Freddy), talking with quotation marks, a problem (he wants to fly), something that could not really happen (a frog that talks).
  4. Ask: "What is Text B doing?" Giving facts. List: a heading, facts that are true, a special word (frogspawn), no characters, no talking.
  5. Write the two lists side by side under the headings "Story" and "Information."
  6. Ask: "If you wanted to learn about real frogs, which would you read?" Text B. "If you wanted a funny story at bedtime?" Text A.
“Do not look at the cover. Look inside. Is there a character with a problem? Or is somebody telling you true facts?”

Guided practice — sort and justify

12 min
  1. Give each table two library books, one of each kind.
  2. Pairs open both and look for features from the two lists. They place each book on a "Story" or "Information" mat.
  3. Each pair must say one reason from inside the book: "It has a contents page and photos" or "The pig talks and has a problem."
  4. Circulate and ask: "Show me the page that proves it." If a pair says "It has pictures," ask: "Do both kinds have pictures?"
  5. Collect one tricky book, such as a story with real animals, and discuss it together.
“Tell me what you found inside. "It has a picture" is not enough — both kinds have pictures. What kind of picture?”

Independent practice

8 min
  1. Students complete the story-or-fact page, circling the right answer for each description.
  2. Read each item aloud for those who need it.
  3. Ask finishers to write one feature of each kind of book from memory.

Close

2 min
  1. Read one sentence: "Bees make honey in a hive." Ask: story or information?
  2. Then: "'I want honey!' said Bear." Ask the same and take a reason for each.

What goes wrong, and why

Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.

Decides from the cover or the animal: "It is about frogs, so it is a fact book."

Why: Real animals feel like facts, so any book about one seems to give information. They are judging by the subject, not by what the book does.

Fix: Read the first page of each aloud. Ask "Is someone having an adventure, or is someone telling us facts?" Put two frog books side by side to show the subject alone cannot decide.

Says "it has pictures, so it is a story book."

Why: Most of the stories they know have pictures, and they have not looked closely at the photos and diagrams in information books.

Fix: Compare a drawing of a talking pig with a labeled photo of a real pig. Ask what each picture is for: one shows what happened, one shows what is real.

Thinks any story with true things in it is an information book.

Why: They have learned "information means true," and a story set in a real place feels true.

Fix: Ask "Is there a character with a problem?" That is a story, even if the place is real. Information books teach facts; stories follow a character.

If they are not there yet

  • Use just two features for each kind: a story has characters and talking; an information book has facts and headings.
  • Give books where the difference is very clear, such as a fairy tale and a photo book about trucks.
  • Let the child point to a feature on the page instead of saying a reason.

If they finish early

  • Find a book that has both: a story with fact boxes at the bottom of each page. Explain what each part does.
  • Turn Text B into a short story by adding a character and a problem.
  • Make a feature hunt checklist for a younger class to use.

Exit ticket

Is this book a story or an information book? Give a reason from inside it, not from the cover.

What to look for: The right type and a feature from inside, such as "It is a story because the bear talks." A reason from the cover or the topic means they still sort by subject. "It has pictures" means they need the picture-for-what comparison.

Printable practice for RL.1.5

Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.

Questions about Stories and Information Books

How long does the Stories and Information Books lesson take?

40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.

Which standard does Stories and Information Books teach?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.5 — RL.1.5, Reading: Literature for Grade 1: “Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of text types.” In plain terms, explain how a storybook is different from a book of facts.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

Two short frog texts (in the Teach section) on chart paper, six books from the class library, three stories and three information books and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.

What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?

Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: decides from the cover or the animal: "It is about frogs, so it is a fact book."; says "it has pictures, so it is a story book." and thinks any story with true things in it is an information book. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.

How do I know whether the lesson worked?

The exit ticket asks: “Is this book a story or an information book? Give a reason from inside it, not from the cover.” The right type and a feature from inside, such as "It is a story because the bear talks." A reason from the cover or the topic means they still sort by subject. "It has pictures" means they need the picture-for-what comparison. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.

Is there a worksheet to go with Stories and Information Books?

Yes — 1 printable RL.1.5 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.

Is Stories and Information Books free to use?

Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on October 8, 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.

Last reviewed 2026-10-08. Aligned to RL.1.5 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.