Non-fiction and comparison | Year 2

💡Understand

FICTION is a made-up story. NON-FICTION is true — it tells us real facts, like a book about animals or a recipe. When we compare two texts, we look at what is the SAME and what is DIFFERENT between them.

“Fiction: 'Once, a brave little penguin set off on an adventure.' Non-fiction: 'Penguins live in Antarctica and cannot fly.'”

The first sentence tells a made-up story about a penguin having an adventure. The second gives real, true facts about penguins — that's the difference between fiction and non-fiction.

🔍Spot it

Is this fiction or non-fiction?

Question 1

"A dragon named Ember flew over the mountains."

💡 Dragons aren't real, so this is a made-up, fiction sentence.

Question 2

"Sharks have been on Earth for millions of years."

💡 This is a real, true fact about sharks — that's non-fiction.

Question 3

"Once upon a time, a talking rabbit lived in a hat."

💡 Rabbits can't talk, so this must be a made-up story.

🧠Think about it

If two books are both about elephants — one a story about a talking elephant, one a fact book about real elephants — how could you tell which is fiction and which is non-fiction?

✍️Try it

Is this fiction or non-fiction?

Bees make honey and live together in hives.

Question 1

Is this sentence fiction or non-fiction?

💡 Is this something real bees actually do?

📝Practise

Decide if each sentence is fiction or non-fiction.

Question 1

"A wizard cast a spell to turn the frog into a prince."

Question 2

"Whales are the largest animals on Earth."

Question 3

"Spiders have eight legs."

Question 4

In one word, what do we call writing that tells us true facts?

💡 It's the opposite of fiction.

Question 5

"A unicorn galloped across a rainbow."

Question 6

"The Earth travels around the Sun."

🎯Apply

Read the passage, then answer the questions below.

Text A: 'Once, a curious cat named Milo wished he could fly like a bird.' Text B: 'Cats cannot fly, but they are excellent climbers and jumpers.'

Question 1

Which text is fiction, and why?

💡 Look for which text tells a made-up story about a character.

Question 2

Which text is non-fiction, and why?

Question 3

What is the cat's name in Text A?

💡 It's given directly in the first sentence.

🏆Challenge

Can you write one fiction sentence and one non-fiction sentence, both about dogs?

🔄Review

A quick mastery check — 3 questions.

Question 1

"A giant beanstalk grew all the way to the clouds."

Question 2

"Plants need sunlight and water to grow."

Question 3

How can you tell if a text is fiction or non-fiction?