An introduction to the nonfiction genre

Information may be shaped by author’s purpose and attitude (Bias) Definition Prose writing About real people, places, & events Written to convey factual information Information may be shaped by author’s purpose and attitude (Bias)

Nonfiction examples: Autobiography Journal Biography Editorial Memoir Instruction Manual Essay Cookbook Newspaper

Examples: essays, short stories, and novels Prose Writing Characterized by plain, straightforward statements found in everyday speech written in paragraph form Examples: essays, short stories, and novels

Main idea A main idea is important information that tells more about the overall idea of a paragraph or section of a text.

A brief statement that presents the main points in a concise form Summary A brief statement that presents the main points in a concise form

Making a logical conclusion based on factual evidence Inference Making a logical conclusion based on factual evidence

paraphrase A restatement of an expression or a passage; presents the information in different words and often in a different form

Author’s Purpose The author's intent either to inform or teach someone about something, to entertain people, or to persuade or convince their audience to do or not do something

Information from the reading that identifies a word or phrases Context Clues Information from the reading that identifies a word or phrases

Data within the text that proves or disproves the author’s claim Evidence Data within the text that proves or disproves the author’s claim

Reasoning A statement presented in the text that justifies or explains the beliefs or actions of the author

Expresses an author's feelings or opinions about a particular subject Subjective Writing Expresses an author's feelings or opinions about a particular subject

Impersonal and factual writing Objective Writing Impersonal and factual writing

Type of reader who will read a piece of writing Audience Type of reader who will read a piece of writing

Presentation of clear and correct facts in a piece of writing. Accuracy Presentation of clear and correct facts in a piece of writing.

propaganda A distortion of the facts in order to influence the way a reader thinks

A tendency to favor one side of an issue too much based on prejudices bias A tendency to favor one side of an issue too much based on prejudices

Examples: Home, Spider, Ugly, Skinny connotation The associated or secondary meaning of a word or expression in addition to its primary or literal meaning Examples: Home, Spider, Ugly, Skinny Denotation The explicit (dictionary) or direct meanings of a word or expression Examples: House, Untidy, Insect, Slender

diction A writer’s choice of words, phrases, sentence structures and figurative language which combine to help create meaning

Rhetorical question A question asked that is not intended to be answered Example: Do you want homework this weekend?

QAR: Question, Answer, Relationship 4 types: Right There Think & Search Author & Me On My Own Knowing what type of question is being asked makes it easier to answer the question!

Right There Answer is literally stated in one spot within the reading. Students pick out the answer and copy it word-for-word Minimal thinking required These questions often start with: Who... What ... Where ... When... What kind of... How many...

Think & Search Answers are within the reading but not in one spot. Spread across many paragraphs or pages of text Students have to search through the reading and put chunks of text together Questions usually start with: List/Find/Name/Identify two examples... For what reasons...explain two reasons... Retell...Summarize... What caused...How did... Contrast/Compare...

Author & Me Answer not literally found within the text Students need to think about how the text and what they already know fit together Students must: pull from background knowledge Make connections Cite evidence from the reading Questions often include wording such as: Cite evidence... Explain/Support your thinking What word means the same... What MOST LIKELY... Which BEST...

Own My Own Student responses are based on personal opinions and background knowledge ONLY Answers are “all about me” & “my thinking” No reference to a reading passage

Title page & table of contents found at the beginning of books Text Features Parts of your textbook that have been created to help you locate and learn information. Used in designing and organizing the pages of your textbook. Title page & table of contents found at the beginning of books Headings, graphics, main idea boxes, and bolded words found in the middle of book Reference pages like glossaries, indexes, and atlases found at the end of your book

Why should I look at text features? Will help you know what is most important in a lesson and help you locate information quickly Looking at the titles in the table of contents or on a page can quickly tell you what information you will learn about. Reference pages such as the glossary can help you find out more about a certain topic or word.

Text features that help with understanding: Title, Author, Illustrator Table of Contents Chapter Introductions Chapter Summaries Pre & Post Reading Questions Appendix Glossary Chapter Titles Special Type within text (Bold, Italics, Underline, All Caps) Graphics Captions Labels Illustrations/Photographs Footnotes Fact Boxes

Text Features that help with vocabulary: Glossary Special type: bold, italics, underline, all caps Footnotes Vocabulary Boxes Pronunciations

Text features that help with Main idea & Topics Table of Contents Headings Index Pre & Post Questions Chapter Titles Subheadings Fact Boxes

Text Features that help with finding data and places: Maps Atlas Charts Tables Diagrams Timelines Graphs