Genre Worksheets

Genre refers to the category in which a text belongs. Most texts belong to a main genre (like fiction or nonfiction) and a subgenre (like fantasy or biography). Understanding genre will help you to form expectations about a work. You will also be able to recognize when an author is playing with those expectations.

Here are some worksheets to give students practice with genre and subgenre. These worksheets are available in RTF format (for editing), PDF format (for printing), and Ereading Worksheets (for completing on computers, tablets, or phones). These worksheets will give students rapid fire practice with genre and subgenre, yet they also contain a critical component where students explain their answers.

Here is a fun worksheet to help students review genre. Read the descriptions of the texts. Look for details in each passage that reveal the genre. Write the genre and subgenre on the lines. Students also explain their answers. Suggested reading level for this text: Grade 6-10.

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Here is another fun worksheet to give students practice with literary genre. This one has 4 pages and 17 problems. Students read descriptions of texts. Then choose the genre and subgenre in which the story belongs. Then they explain how they got their answer. Suggested reading level: Grade 5-9

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Here is another great worksheet to help students master literary genre. This one is double-sided and has 8 problems. Students read descriptions of texts written for a variety of purposes. Then they determine the genre and subgenre based on the provided details and explain their answers. Suggested reading level: Grade 5-9

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Here's another great worksheet to give practice with genre. This one features nine practice problems. Students identify the genre and subgenres of a variety of texts based on clues in the description. Then they explain their answers, which helps hone critical thinking and composition skills. Suggested reading level for this text: Grade 4-8.

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Here is yet another genre worksheet. This one features nine more problems giving your students practice identifying literary genres. Students identify the genres based on details and then explain their answers. Suggested reading level for this text: Grade 4-8.

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Mastering genre and subgenre can be hard. The best way to learn this reading skill is to practice. This worksheet describes eight short texts. Students identify the genre and subgenre of each and explain their answers. This is great practice for state tests. Suggested reading level for this text: Grade 4-8.

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Here is another genre and subgenre worksheet. This one is a little bit easier than some of the other genre worksheets on this page. It's great genre practice for younger students. Students read the short texts, identify the genre and subgenre, and explain their answers. This worksheet has 17 problems! Suggested reading level for this text: Grade 3-7.

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Here is another genre worksheet. This one is double-sided and has eight problems. Students read the story descriptions, determine the genre and subgenre, and explain their answers. Suggested reading level for this text: Grade 5-9.

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Here is yet another genre worksheet. These worksheets should help students master genre and subgenre. This worksheet has nine problems. Students read descriptions of texts, identify genres, and explain their answers. Suggested reading level for this text: Grade 4-8.

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Wow! This is the tenth genre worksheet that I have posted to this site. What a series of useful literary activities. I hope that all these genre worksheets are helping somebody. This one has nine more problems. Students read the story descriptions, identify the genre and subgenre, and explain their answers. Suggested reading level for this text: Grade 5-9.

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Here's a fun activity to help students review genre terms. Students first define genre terms and write examples. Then, they illustrate the examples. I like to offer bonus points for good artistry.

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Here is a browser game to help students with literary genre. Students play as a fish trying to get to a light house and avoid larger fish. When they get hit they have to answer a question about literary genre. There are literally hundreds of questions. Students will have so much fun playing. They won't even realize that they are mastering genre.

Genre
Common Core State Standards

R.9 - Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

RL.K.9 - With prompting and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories.
RL.1.9 - Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.
RL.2.9 - Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures.
RL.3.9 - Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (e.g., in books from a series).
RL.4.9 - Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures.
RL.5.9 - Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics.
RL.6.9 - Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.

R.5 - Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

RL.K.5 - Recognize common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems).
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.
RL.4.5 - Explain major differences between poems, drama, and prose, and refer to the structural elements of poems (e.g., verse, rhythm, meter) and drama (e.g., casts of characters, settings, descriptions, dialogue, stage directions) when writing or speaking about a text.
RL.7.5 - Analyze how a drama’s or poem’s form or structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to its meaning.
RL.8.5 - Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.