Non-Fiction Muldoon 2016

What is it?! Real facts or information Most prevalent form of writing

Examples Autobiographies Blueprints Biographies Editorials Menu + Recipes Newspaper Directions User Manuals Textbooks Blueprints Editorials Maps Documentaries Diagrams Many Essays Letter

Audience The people reading the text Authors write differently depending on their intended audience. Example: Texts about your weekend to your mom or your best friend…. Example: A children’s book about the Holocaust vs. a textbook about it

Text Features Titles and Headings: offers key words and information; previews the main topic of the text Special fonts (bold, italic, underline): draws readers’ attention; emphasis

Text Features Maps: offers directions or gives readers context

Pictures: allows readers to visualize and make connections Captions: provide additional information to explain pictures

Text Features Charts/Graphs/Diagrams: visual representation of data

Sidebars: usually offers additional information or highlights main ideas

Glossary: list of important terms and definitions

Table of Contents: lists the contents and page numbers for easy access

Purpose Authors write with a purpose: To INFORM  Discovery Magazine article about dolphins  To PERSUADE  Opinion article in the newspaper  To ENTERTAIN  Memoir 

BIAS Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared to another; usually in a way considered to be unfair AKA: opinion Based on: age, political views, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, past experiences, family, etc.

Who Cares? Why is it important to understand BIAS in non-fiction texts?   

“Legal abortion helps parents limit their families to the number of children they want and can afford. This strengthens and stabilizes the family unit. Therefore, pro-choice is pro-child and pro-family. Anti-abortion laws can cause stress and hardship for families with insufficient resources to raise unwanted children.”