🔎 Discovering the Many Ways Stories Speak: A Genre Exploration 📝Prose vs. Poetry

🎯The purpose of this story is to help children become aware of different genres by starting with their own reading experience and then gently introducing definitions and comparisons.

You’ve all read lots of different books — some made you laugh 😂, some helped you learn 🧠, and some made you feel different emotions. ❤️. Let’s think about that for a moment…

🔮Can you think of a book you’ve read that was completely made up — imaginary? (Let children respond — examples might include fantasy 🐉, adventure 🏕, mystery 🕵️‍♀️, or picture books 🧸.)

Those books are called fiction. 🧠 Clap it: 👏Fic-tion 👏 The word fiction comes from the Latin fictio, meaning shaping. It is related to the verb fingere, which means to imagine.So when we read fiction, we enter a shaped world — one that was created in someone’s imagination. ✨🪄Fiction tells stories that aren’t factually true, but they help us understand deep truths — about feelings, choices, and values. 💬💓

The characters in fiction feel real emotions — they may show us the power of virtues like courage 💪, friendship 🤝, and honesty 🌟. They often face difficult decisions or creative challenges. These books take us to adventuroush imaginary worlds 🌌… but we carry with us the truth of the feelings.

What about books that explain real things — like how plants grow 🌱, how animals survive 🐘, or how stars form in the sky 🌌? ( Children might name: encyclopedias, nature books, science texts, history books…)

Those are called non-fiction. 🧠 Clap it: 👏 Non-fic-tion 👏 They give us factual information about the real world. Non-fiction comes from the prefix non-, meaning not, and fiction. So it literally means: not imagined. When we do research for projects — about volcanoes 🌋, ancient civilizations 🏺, or marine animals 🐋 — we often use non-fiction to gather real information

What about how those books are written? 📖 Whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, you’ve probably noticed that most of the writing you read looks a certain way: it’s made of sentences and paragraphs, with punctuation and full thoughts.

That kind of everyday writing is called prose.🧠 Clap it: 👏 Pro-se 👏The word prose comes from Latin prosa oratio, meaning straightforward speech. That’s because prose sounds like how we usually talk — it’s clear and flows in full sentences.

📘 So a storybook about dragons is fiction — and written in prose.
📗 And a science book about volcanoes is non-fiction — and also written in prose.

So prose is the kind of writing we find in most books — whether it’s fiction ✨ or non-fiction (factual) 🌍. But sometimes, writers want to paint pictures with words….

They don’t just explain straight forward — they want to make us feel something 💓, or see something in a new way 🎨.

Have you ever read something shorter, with rhythm or rhyme? 🎵Something that paints a picture in your head, even if it’s just a few words? That’s called poetry. 🧠 Clap it: 👏 Po-e-try 👏The word poetry comes from the Greek poiesis, which means a making or creating.

Poets are word-makers — they create strong feelings, images, and ideas using just a few lines.Poems might not tell a story from beginning to end. Instead, they will give us a moment, and a special feeling.

Let’s think of an example.

A prose might say: 📝 “The moon rose slowly over the hills.”
But a poem might say: 🌕 "The moon climbs like a silver fish through midnight waters of the sky…"

See how both are true — but the second one feels different? Poetry makes us imagine more, even dream a bit.

So now we have discovered that:

• Fiction and non-fiction tell different kinds of truths 💬

• Prose and poetry are different ways of expressing them 🧠✨
  

🌳 Guided Comparison: Poetry vs. Prose

Let’s look at two short texts — one written in Prose and another in Poetry.
Both are about the same thing: a tree in autumn. 🍁 And then we will wonder together on few questions

• Which one is Prose and which one is Poetry

• What’s the same about both of these?

• How do they each describe the tree?

• Which one helps you understand what’s happening?

• Which one helps you feel or see the change?

In autumn, many trees lose their leaves.
This happens because there is less sunlight, and the tree starts to slow down.
The green color fades, and we see yellow, orange, or red.
The leaves dry up and fall to the ground, where they become part of the soil.

The leaves let go
One by one —
Like golden whispers
On the wind.
Bare branches stretch
Toward a pale sky
And wait.

✨ Possible Follow-Up Exploraitions ✨

Exploring Prose: Write a paragraph about something familiar — your morning routine, a pet, or a memory — using clear sentences. Add details and interesting moments, focusing on how you usually talk.

Exploring Poetry: Read aloud poetry. Or if children have been introduced to metaphors invite them to Write a short poem about something in nature, a feeling, or a view from the window. Use metaphor or rhythm.🎨.

With Montessori joy,

Vanina 😊