What is the best way to find the truth?

Fiction and Nonfiction

All categories of books or stories can be called either fiction or non-fiction. A made up story Can tell about things that could happen Is read for fun Characters may be like real people or imaginary Non-Fiction Has facts that can be checked and proven The author is an expert on this information.

Fiction or Nonfiction? Fiction Story is created from the author’s imagination Stories are pretend Animals or objects can talk, wear clothes, have jobs People in the story can do things people cannot really do Story might have funny pictures

Forms of Fiction There are three main forms of fiction. Novel: long work of fiction; contains the basic elements of fiction; may contain subplots along with the main plot Subplots: independent related stories Novella: shorter than a novel but longer than a short story Short Story: brief work of fiction; contains basic elements of fiction; one main plot; one conflict; most can be read in one sitting

What is Fiction? Fiction is a story that is not real. Picture books Chapter books Comics Story books

Genres of Fiction Mystery (Nancy Drew) Horror (Goosebumps) Fantasy (Harry Potter) Science-fiction (Star Wars) Myths, Fairytales, Legends (Cinderella) Historical Fiction (Letters from Rifka) Can you name any others?

Elements of Fiction Setting Character Plot Point of View Theme Symbolism Other

Fiction or Nonfiction? Nonfiction Story is true and factual Stories are about real people Book gives information Might have maps or real pictures Pictures have captions describing the photograph An index in the back helps find information Might have a glossary which defines some words

What is Non-Fiction? Text that is TRUE and based on REAL information Forms of Non-Fiction Text: Newspapers Dictionaries Encyclopedias Scholastic News Textbooks Magazines Non-Fiction Books

Forms of Nonfiction Two broad categories of nonfiction are literary nonfiction and functional texts. Literary Nonfiction: has elements of fiction; For example it might use vivid descriptions, a dramatic writing style, or poetic language. Functional Texts: give instructions, show directions, explain rules, provide other information that helps you complete procedures; often use illustrations or graphics

Literary Nonfiction Autobiographies and memoirs: tell the story of the author’s life Biographies: tell the story of someone’s life from the perspective of another writer Letters: written communications from person to person

Essays and Articles: brief works about a specific topic Reviews: tell what is good and what is bad about a work of art or performance. Reports: give information about a topic explored through research

Functional Texts Recipes: tell how to prepare food Directions: tell how to operate or assemble equipment Schedules: tell when events take place Menus: tell which foods are available and their cost Brochures: use pictures and text to advertise places or events Maps: are diagrams that show areas of land Applications: are written requests to an authority

Features of Non-Fiction Table of Contents Glossary Index Headings Bold Print Photographs/Real Pictures Charts, Graphs, and Maps Captions Fact and Opinion

Practice Get out a piece of paper! Write “Fiction/Nonfiction” on your paper and then answer the following.

Fiction or Nonfiction? 1.  a mouse that sings 2.  how to cook spaghetti 3.  the life of the president of the United States 4.  a person who can jump over a house 5.  flowers that sing 6.  an elephant that wears a ballerina tutu 7.  wild animals that live in Africa 8.  the surface of the moon 9.  a dog that can talk 10.  how to grow a garden 11.  a moose that can drive a bus 12.  how the heart pumps blood in the body 13.  a tree made of chocolate and gumdrops 14.  which foods are healthy to eat 15.  how to draw a bird