El Centro Jr./Sr. High School, YDF Library

What is Genre?
+ HORROR SPOTLIGHT

Genres are like Netflix categories for books—labels that help us find what scratches our brain. We’ll learn how genre signals work (covers, tropes, mood), practice sorting titles, and preview horror through short book trailers.

Materials Needed

Activity #1

Activity #2

The Nuts and Bolts

EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS
CA Model School Library Standard:

1. Access Information: Identify information needs; select appropriate resources.

2. Evaluate Information: Analyze relevance, credibility, and key ideas (e.g., covers, blurbs, trailers).

3. Use Information: Organize ideas and present claims with evidence (oral/written justifications).

4. Integrate Information Literacy: Apply strategies (genre recognition, search terms) across contexts.

Essential Literacy Standard:
Reading Standard for Literature 2 Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text Reading Standard for Literature 6 Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text

Relevant Subjects: English, English Enrichment, Lifeskills.

Lesson Plan

AFTER THIS LESSON...

I can define genre and name at least six common genres and subgenres.

I can use evidence (cover clues, blurb, tropes) to sort a text into a genre and explain why.

I can compare how Netflix categories vs. library genres help me choose what to read.

I can identify two horror tropes and describe how the trailer hints at them without spoilers.

1 Hour of Credit in:
English or Lifeskills

📖 🧠

What's My Vibe?

📝 DO NOW

Hand out the What Genre are You Quiz!
Play Waffle LoFi
Set a 5 Minute Timer

Students will need a pencil.

INSTRUCTIONS
Students need to fill out the "What's My Genre?" quiz.

🗨️ Talk it Out...

Everyone has a vibe with what media they consume... TV, Music and, yes, BOOKS. Take this quiz (as honestly as you can) and see what your Media Vibe is...

🗨️ Let's Look at Netflix...

Netflix does this really well... they organize all of their movies into categories (genres) so that they are easier to find. For example, here is the action category (genre) and you can see a ton of superhero movies... if you are a big superhero movie fan, this would definitely be your vibe.