non fiction writing ideas year 3

Awards Season
Big Stories
Pop Culture
Video Games
Celebrities

2021’s New Surefire Bestseller Fiction Books

One could argue reading is the quintessential socially distanced activity. And it looks like 2021 will be yet another year that’s perfect for shattering all of your reading challenge records on every bookworm’s favorite social network Goodreads. But because we know finding the perfect read can be a little bit tricky sometimes, we’ve put together a list of 2021’s most highly anticipated new book releases from bestselling authors.

And since sometimes what you need to escape from reality is an international thriller, but there are also weeks when nothing will do but a swooning romance, we made sure to include a diverse array of genres. Now, let’s get reading.

Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas

Author Angie Thomas revisits the universe and characters of The Hate U Give (2017) setting Concrete Rose 17 years before her debut novel. Concrete explores Black boyhood and tells the story of Maverick Carter — Starr’s dad in The Hate U Give — and how he became a father at just 17.

Publication date: January 12, 2021.

The Committed by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Vietnamese-American author Viet Thanh Nguyen won a Pulitzer Prize with his 2015 novel The Sympathizer and sold over a million copies of it worldwide . His new work of historical fiction, an account of his narrator and “man of two minds” as he arrives in Paris as a refugee, is a sequel to that award-winning story.

Publication date: March 2, 2021.

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

Japan-born British novelist Kazuo Ishiguro pivots from the historical fiction genre he captured in The Remains of the Day and When We Were Orphans to take his first plunge into science fiction since Never Let Me Go . Klara and the Sun is the author’s first book after winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017 and tells the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend hoping for someone to choose her soon.

How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue

Imbolo Mbue’s debut novel, Behold the Dreamers , was an Oprah’s Book Club selection and New York Times bestseller. In How Beautiful We Were , the Cameroon native and New York transplant takes us to the fictional African village of Kosawa to tell the story of its collision with an American oil company degrading the environment.

Publication date: March 9, 2021.

First Person Singular by Haruki Murakami

From Japanese Magical Realism master Haruki Murakami ( Norwegian Wood , 1Q84 ) comes this compilation of eight short stories told in the first person. The stories touch on love and solitude, childhood and memory, and blur the lines between fiction and memoir.

Publication date: April 6, 2021.

Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian

If you saw Kaley Cuoco’s engrossing and very bingeable HBO Max show The Flight Attendant you might be intrigued by the author of the series’ source material. In his new title, Chris Bohjalian narrates the life of a 24-year-old woman living in 1662 Boston who’s trying to escape an abusive husband — all while hoping she doesn’t end up as more prey for the witch hunt.

Publication date: April 20, 2021.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

One of the biggest names on this list — not everyone gets his first published novel, The Martian , which was made into a movie directed by Ridley Scott — dives into science fiction yet again with Project Hail Mary . In it, the partially amnesiac astronaut Ryland Grace is the only survivor in a mission to save Earth. There’s no doubt that Andy Weir will science the sh-t out of this book too.

Publication date: May 4, 2021.

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

Emily Henry’s previous novel’s title said it all: Beach Read . The contemporary romance was a breezy page-turner with the right amount of romantic angst and humor. Now comes People We Meet on Vacation , a story about two best friends who find their way back to each other while on a trip together.

Publication date: May 11, 2021.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones & The Six won the 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards in the Historical Fiction category and the Book of the Month’s Book of the Year award. And her 2017 novel, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo , was a finalist for the Book of the Year recognition. With Malibu Rising she bets yet again on historical fiction. The book is set in 1983 and tells the story of four famous siblings throwing one over-the-top party before the end of the summer.

Publication date: June 1, 2021.

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

British Cypriot author Alex Michaelides is another name with Book of the Month and Goodreads Choice Awards credentials, all thanks to his 2019 debut mystery novel The Silent Patient . In his new book, The Maidens , the writer untangles the story of a secret society of female students at Cambridge University and the woman focused on uncovering the mystery behind it.

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

Even though The Other Black Girl is Zakiya Dalila Harris’ debut novel, we’ve included it in this list because the book has already secured a contract with Hulu and was in a bidding war among publishing houses that ended in a seven-figure deal for Harris. The author knew the editorial world firsthand after having worked at Knopf/Doubleday for three years. In The Other Black Girl, she tells the story of a young editorial assistant who, for a while, is the only Black employee at publisher Wagner Books.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Red, White & Royal Blue author Casey McQuiston opts again for the romantic comedy formula with this girl meets girl story. In One Last Stop , August has just moved to New York and is not completely charmed by the city. But then she meets Jane on her commute and ends up developing more than just a subway crush.

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

Confessed shy person and author Helen Hoang has a new romantic proposal about misconceptions and right matches: The Heart Principle . Her bestselling debut novel The Kiss Quotient was inspired by her Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis. It told the story of a successful algorithm expert who hired an escort to make up for her lack of sexual experience.

Publication Date: August 17, 2021.

Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The spooky thriller Mexican Gothic was one of 2020’s literary revelations. This year the Mexican-Canadian author Silvia Moreno-Garcia has a new story to tell. In Velvet Was the Night , Moreno-Garcia writes about Maite, a secretary living in 1970s Mexico City. Maite is obsessed with romance stories and her beautiful neighbor Leonora. When Leonora disappears, Maite starts looking for her — but she isn’t the only one.

Publication date: August 17, 2021.

And Many More Reads

And the list of new book releases in 2021 goes on. There are follow-up novels from fantasy franchises, thrillers co-penned by former US presidents, a new entry from the master of horror himself and a few mysteries with a twist.

Here are a few more titles scheduled for publication this year:

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins, author of Hex Hall .

Publication date: January 5, 2021.

Lore by Alexandra Bracken, author of The Darkest Minds .

Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner, author of Alone .

Publication date: January 19, 2021.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, author of The Nightingale .

Publication date: February 2, 2021.

A Court of Silver Flames ( A Court of Thorns and Roses #4 ) by Sarah J. Maas.

Publication date: February 16, 2021.

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey, author of Magic for Liars .

Later by Stephen King, author of The Shining and It.

Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly, author of Lilac Girls .

Publication date: March 30, 2021.

The Crown of Gilded Bones ( Blood and Ash #3 ) by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli, author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda .

Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri, author of The Namesake .

Publication date: April 27, 2021.

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren, author of The Honeymooners.

Publication date: May 18, 2021.

The President’s Daughter by Bill Clinton and James Patterson, co-authors of The President is Missing .

Publication date: June 7, 2021.

Any Way the Wind Blows ( Simon Snow #3 ) by Rainbow Rowell.

Publication date: July 6, 2021.

Planning Non-Fiction Writing (Years 3-4)

Choose your format:

Save to Your Lessons

Save to Homework

Share resource

Your download limit has been reached!

Check out our FAQs for more info.

Help children to develop their knowledge of non-fiction texts with this PowerPoint. It recaps the key features of different non-fiction texts as well as their purpose and audience. Children are then guided through the process of creating a plan for a non-fiction text.

This resource is also available in a handy Lesson Pack, containing a selection of worksheets and PowerPoints on reading and writing non-fiction texts for Y3-4.

View Lesson Pack

Key Stage: Key Stage 2
Subject: English
Topic: Planning
Topic Group: Writing
Year(s): Years 3-4
Media Type: PowerPoint
Resource Type: Front-of-Class Teaching
Last Updated: 23/09/2022
Resource Code: E2PAT148

Plan their writing by discussing and recording ideas.

Other Teachers Downloaded...

Reading Comprehension — Pompeii Newspaper Article (Year 4)

Comprehension
Key Stage 2 English

Reading Comprehension — The Great White Shark (Year 4)

Monet Reading Comprehension (Year 3)

Who am I? — Non-Fiction Genre Cards (Years 3-4)

Themes and Conventions

Fallow Deer Reading Comprehension (Year 4)

The Broken Vase — Inference Scaffolding (Years 3-4)

No reviews (yet!)

Related Resources

Planning Non-Fiction — Persuasive Texts (Years 3-4)

Planning Non-Fiction — Persuasive Texts (Years 5-6)

Planning Non-Fiction — Instructions (Years 3-4)

Form, Audience and Purpose — Multiple Text Types (Years 3-4)

Drafting and Writing

Planning Non-Fiction — Reports (Years 3-4)

Planning Non-Fiction — Reports (Years 5-6)

Purposes and Forms of Texts — Match Game (Years 5-6)

Pre-Planning a Text — Discussion Cards (Years 5-6)

Planning Non-Fiction — Instructions (Years 5-6)

Planning Non-Fiction — Recounts (Years 3-4)

Planning Non-Fiction — Discussions (Years 3-4)

Planning Non-Fiction — Recounts (Years 5-6)

Cookies are disabled on your browser. This means some features of the site won't be fully available to you.

CGP uses cookies to give you a smooth shopping experience and to help us understand how well our site is working. To agree to us using all cookies, click 'Accept', or to reject optional cookies click 'Customise'.

Accept cookies Customise cookies

International
Schools directory
Resources Jobs Schools directory News Search

70 Non-Fiction Writing Prompts

Subject: English

Age range: 11-14

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

12 February 2020

Share through email
Share through twitter
Share through linkedin
Share through facebook
Share through pinterest

70 non-fiction writing prompts for KS3/KS4: letters (formal/informal), speeches, articles, leaflets/guides and a review included.

Creative Commons "Sharealike"

Your rating is required to reflect your happiness.

It's good to leave some feedback.

Something went wrong, please try again later.

Really fantastic! thanks so much, going to get a lot of use out of these :)

Empty reply does not make any sense for the end user

rachelbeswick

Brilliant resource, thanks so much for creating it. The prompts are varied and are beautifully presented, which engages students. They are also fairly nuanced, which helps pupils write developed and lengthy responses.

friedgreentomatoes

These are great, thank you!

ohdannyboy2

I have used some these tasks at KS2 - they're engaging and a good assessment of independent writing.

Report this resource to let us know if it violates our terms and conditions. Our customer service team will review your report and will be in touch.

Not quite what you were looking for? Search by keyword to find the right resource:

Progression in Non Fiction Writing
Progression in Letter Writing
Progression in Explanatory Writing
Progression in Discussion Writing
Progression in Persuasive Writing
Progression in Recount Writing
Progression in Non Chronological Report Writing
Progression in Instructional/ Procedural Writing

Unfortunately not the ones with chocolate chips.

Our cookies ensure you get the best experience on our website.

Please make your choice!

Some cookies are necessary in order to make this website function correctly. These are set by default and whilst you can block or delete them by changing your browser settings, some functionality such as being able to log in to the website will not work if you do this. The necessary cookies set on this website are as follows:

Website CMS

A 'sessionid' token is required for logging in to the website and a 'crfstoken' token is used to prevent cross site request forgery. An 'alertDismissed' token is used to prevent certain alerts from re-appearing if they have been dismissed. An 'awsUploads' object is used to facilitate file uploads.

We use Matomo cookies to improve the website performance by capturing information such as browser and device types. The data from this cookie is anonymised.

Cookies are used to help distinguish between humans and bots on contact forms on this website.

Cookie notice

A cookie is used to store your cookie preferences for this website.

nonfiction writing 3rd grade

All Formats

Resource types, all resource types, nonfiction writing 3rd grade.

Rating Count
Price (Ascending)
Price (Descending)
Most Recent

Summarizing Nonfiction Text Summary Writing Graphic Organizer 3rd 4th Grade Work

Google Apps™

Reading and Writing Test Prep 3rd Grade ~ ELA Practice with ANSWERS

Nonfiction Reading and Informational Writing ~ 2nd Grade 3rd Grade BUNDLE

Summarizing Nonfiction Text Conclusion Writing Conclusions 3rd 4th 5th 6th Grade

Easel Activity

Non-Fiction Summary Writing Lesson with Handouts 2nd 3rd Grade

Digital Non Fiction Summary Writing Lesson 2nd 3rd Grade

Google Drive™ folder

Non-Fiction Writing Unit: Research Report on Air Pollution! ( 3rd -5th Grade )

Nov. 15: I Love to Write Day | Non Fiction and Fiction | 3rd -5th grade

Third grade Nonfiction Reading and writing Test Prep

SBAC Test Prep 3rd Grade ELA Reading, Writing & Language BUNDLE

Reading Comprehension Passages and Questions with RACE writing prompts 3rd

POETRY Unit Reading Writing Bundle ~ Poetry Elements 2nd Grade and 3rd Grade

Compare and Contrast Nonfiction Reading Response Essay Writing Unit

Morning Work Packet - Third Grade - No Prep

Thanksgiving Nonfiction Reading Comprehension Passages and Questions

3rd Grade READING Practice Test Fiction, Nonfiction , Grammar ELA FAST Test Prep

2nd 3rd Grade Writing Workshop Bundle~ Opinion Informational with Minilessons

$non fiction writing ideas year 3$

100th Day of School Activities Reading Writing Math 3rd 4th Grade

Paired Passages and RACE Strategy: 3rd Grade RACE writing prompts

Realistic Fiction Writing Unit 2nd/ 3rd Grade ~ Fictional Narratives MINILESSONS

Earth Day Unit - Science, Reading & Writing Activities - Recycling - Crafts

Fall Season Science Unit - Reading & Writing Activities - Pumpkins Leaves Apples

Winter Comprehension Passages | Text-Based Evidence | 2nd Grade Reading Comp

Owl Bird Science Unit - Reading & Writing Activities - Fall Fact Project & Craft

We're hiring
Help & FAQ
Privacy policy
Student privacy
Terms of service

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience.

View catalogue
Wishlist (0)

Development teach children writing skills in a variety of non-fiction genres, the differentiated writing scaffolds provide guidance and ideas for planning and writing. Many texts are cross-curricular, thus developing these writing skills will benefit other subject areas.

Year 5 Teachers' Guide includes:

background information on each genre;

exemplar stories, annotated to demonstrate the grammar, punctuation and writing techniques used;

guidance on teaching specific grammar and punctuation skills;

notes and tips to impart to children on how to write in a particular genre.

Genres covered:

Historical event

Instructional text

Non-chronological report - comparative

Non-chronological report - non-comparative

Non-chronological report - Comparative

Explanatory text

Persuasive writing

Persuasive text

Discussion text

Non Fiction Writing Scaffolds - Teacher's Guide Year 5

Non Fiction Writing Scaffolds - Teacher's Resource Book Year 5

Non Fiction Writing Scaffolds Teachers Guide Year 4

Non Fiction Writing Scaffolds Teachers Guide Year 6

Return policy
Cookie policy
Privacy policy
Terms & conditions

Oxford Education Blog

The latest news and views on education from oxford university press., five ideas to fire up children’s non-fiction writing power.

It might be tricky to spot potential novelists in a primary class, but one thing is certain: every child will grow up to be a non-fiction writer. From emails, blogs and reviews to reports, articles and proposals, factual writing is a key communication tool in every line of work.

Information books are often used in the classroom to exemplify text types, but they can also demonstrate how non-fiction writers draw on the same creative thinking and rich language used by writers of fiction. Here are some ideas to get even the most reluctant writers fired up about non-fiction.

Write what you want to know

When I ask children what they’d most like to write about, one often says ‘Minecraft™’ with a slightly guilty look, certain it’s the wrong answer.

But just as aspiring fiction authors are advised to ‘write what you know’, write what you want to know is great advice for non-fiction. Letting children select their own focus for factual writing gives them permission to indulge real-life passions.

Need to write a report on Ancient Greece but daydreaming about skateboarding? Explore the history of extreme sports. Studying biography and into gaming? Research the lives of the first coders. No topic is off-limits (and that goes for grown-up authors too, with Minecraft ™ non-fiction books unexpectedly topping the bestseller charts in 2014).

There’s no such thing as boring

It’s hard to get your audience excited about a topic unless you’re excited yourself. This activity helps children to develop their research skills, and find an angle that interests them.

Ask the class to suggest the most boring topics they can think of – something as dull as ditchwater, perhaps, or as dry as dust. Could they write a book about dust?

Encourage them to get hands-on with their research, and find three fascinating facts about the topic. Watching clips, arranging mini field trips, trying out activities and interviewing experts will help children to explore a subject in depth and make their writing richer.

They might swipe a magnet through garden dust to collect micrometeorites, or discover that dust is a vital component of snow. They might find out that the dust in their houses is mostly made up of their family’s skin, or have a microscopic encounter with the mites that feast on it! Any of these would make a good starting point for extended writing.

Surprising structures

Ask children to imagine that each fact they’ve researched is a Lego brick. Simply scooping up all this colourful information and dropping it onto the page would make a confusing mess. They could stack all the facts in a nice, neat list but it would be a bit boring.

The best non-fiction writing uses nuggets of information to build something unique.

Instead of listing facts about space, why not write a travel guide to the solar system, instructions for building a rocket, or an astronaut’s biography?

Facts about life cycles in the savannah could become instructions for looking after a lion, or a discursive text about which predator would prevail in a hypothetical fight.

Get creative, make connections, and take your readers on a journey.

Hook your audience

Hooking the audience doesn’t end with a creative angle. Each paragraph and sentence must work hard to keep readers engaged.

This fishing game demonstrates what we mean by engaging text. Print the first sentences from a range of non-fiction texts. Attach a paper clip to each one, and a magnet to a string. Ask volunteers to fish for sentences, and read them aloud. Then hold a class vote – are they hooked, or will they throw their catch back in?

Challenge children to come up with attention-grabbing first sentences of their own, and repeat the game.

Make comparisons

Some of the world’s most famous non-fiction texts were by early explorers, describing places, people, plants and animals for the first time.

Can you guess what these writers were describing?

1. They are bulkier than horses, have manes and tails, and their heads are like horses’ heads, but their feet like elephants’ feet. 2. They darted tail first, with the rapidity of an arrow, from one side of the pool to the other, discolouring the water with a dark chestnut-brown ink. These animals also escape detection by a very extraordinary, chameleon-like, power of changing their colour. 3. It resembled in size, and in its white woolly covering, a small fat lamb, but had short legs, hand-like feet with large claws, and a long prehensile tail.

1. 14 th Century explorer Ibn Battuta, describing a hippo in the Rihla 2. Charles Darwin, describing a cuttle-fish in The Voyage of HMS Beagle 3. Alfred Russel Wallace, describing a cuscus in The Malay Archipelago

Try passing something unusual around the room (though probably not a hippo). Challenge children to write descriptions for different audiences. They should use all of their senses to come up with the best comparisons. Each group could be challenged to draw an object they have never seen before, based on another group’s description. Who has done the best job?Analyzing the way non-fiction writers use comparisons can help children develop the use of metaphor and simile in their own writing.

Isabel Thomas is a science writer, specialising in books and outreach resources for children and young people. She runs non-fiction writing workshops in schools. Her books for Oxford University Press include The Misadventures of Charles Darwin and How to Change the World ( Oxford Reading Tree inFact , 2015). Try free inFact eBooks on Oxford Owl , and find free teaching notes .

www.isabelthomas.co.uk

Find Isabel on Twitter @raisingchimps