Mini-Lesson

Categorizing Information

Mini-Lesson: Grades 4-6

Objective: Students will categorize answers from an interview.

1. Start a discussion about how writers organize stories. Explain that it is important to present information in a way that will be interesting and make sense to readers. Many stories are organized thematically.

2. Pass out copies of the timeforkids.com interview, 10 Questions for Miley Cyrus. Have students imagine that they need to write an article about Miley Cyrus, based on her interview answers. In order to determine what sections will make up the article, they first need to categorize the information. As students read, have them jot down possible categories next to each interview answer. (Examples include Fans, Touring and Likes and Dislikes.) Point out that some answers may fall into more than one category.

3. Have students share their categories and their rationale for choosing them. Challenge them to turn the information into an article, with a different section for each category. Remind students to use quotes wherever they use Miley Cyrus's exact words.