Elements of Nonfiction

What are the elements of nonfiction?

Nonfiction Nonfiction is a literary genre that includes texts that are true rather than made up. This includes: Narrative nonfiction Informational nonfiction aka informational texts

Narrative Nonfiction Narrative nonfiction is writing that provides factual information but in narrative (story form) Includes: autobiographies biographies memoirs

Informational Nonfiction/Text An informational text is writing that provides factual information. It is written in many forms. This includes: chapters in textbooks articles in magazines encyclopedias newspapers instructional manuals

Text Features Literary nonfiction and informational texts usually contain text features- design elements of a text that help the reader recognize their purpose, pattern of organization, and better understand key ideas. Text features include: titles; headings; subheadings; boldface type; bulleted and numbered lists; graphic aids, such as charts, graphs, illustrations, photographs, etc.

Reading Nonfiction The subject of nonfiction is real The author writes about actual people, places and events. The writer may just report facts The writer may also include personal opinions Often there is a mixture of both So, readers must read critically to evaluate sources

Reading Critically Think about the: author’s bias author’s purpose author’s audience author’s tone

Nonfiction Vocabulary evaluate author’s purpose audience bias propaganda tone text features text structure

Author’s Purpose The author’s purpose is his or her reason for writing. These include to: Persuade Inform Entertain Express Describe

Author’s Purpose Knowing the author’s purpose allows you to judge the effectiveness and quality of communication. Evaluate: Language: the writer’s choice of words Content: the actual information Organization: how the ideas are arranged If it meets the author’s purpose If it is a good resource for you (based on evidence or makes an impact)

Author’s Audience The people reading, hearing, or watching the literary work make up an audience.

Author’s Bias Bias is a preference toward a perspective . This is the author’s viewpoint (How they present it- think tone) Biased- vs. Objective- based on based on facts beliefs or or information opinions

Author’s Tone Tone is the author’s attitude toward his or her subject matter. It may be sympathetic, bitter, comical, hopeful, etc.

Nonfiction Text Features An alphabetical definition list (usually at the end) that helps you define words that are in the book Titles of smaller sections that help you to know what they will be about Words that are bold, in italics, or underlined that stand out because they are important for you to know Text near graphics or visuals to help you better understand them A sequential list (usually at the beginning) that identifies key topics in the book Charts, graphs, diagrams, pictures, etc. are used to help you understand what the author is trying to tell you Boxed information on the side of the page that add information to the main text An alphabetical list of ideas that are in the book which tells you what page the idea is on A short phrase that sums up what the text will be about

Nonfiction Text Structures Text structure is how the author organizes the information within the text. Why is text structure important? it helps them connect to and remember what they’ve read it gives readers clues as to what is most important in the text it helps readers summarize the text

Examples of Text Structures Problem/Solution-The author introduces a problem and explains how problem could be fixed.  There may be one solution or more solutions mentioned. Example: Advertisements in magazines for products (problem-pain; solution-Tylenol) Cause and Effect- The author describes something that has happened which has had an effect on or caused something else to happen.  It could be a good or bad effect, and there may be more than one cause and/or more than one effect. Example: A newspaper article about a volcano eruption which had an effect on tourism Compare/Contrast- The author’s tells how two things are the similar and different by comparing them. Example: A bargain hunter writing on her blog about buying store-brand items and how it compares with buying name-brand items. Description/List- The author writes (or lists) information for the reader about a certain subject.  Example: A soccer coach’s letter describing to parents exactly what kind of cleats to buy for their kids. Time Order/Sequence- The author writes in an order or timeline format.  Examples: recipes, directions, events in history

Examples of Text Structures Problem/Solution-The author introduces a problem and explains how problem could be fixed.  There may be one solution or more solutions mentioned. Example: Advertisements in magazines for products (problem-pain; solution-Tylenol) Cause and Effect- The author describes something that has happened which has had an effect on or caused something else to happen.  It could be a good or bad effect, and there may be more than one cause and/or more than one effect. Example: A newspaper article about a volcano eruption which had an effect on tourism Compare/Contrast- The author’s tells how two things are the similar and different by comparing them. Example: A bargain hunter writing on her blog about buying store-brand items and how it compares with buying name-brand items. Description/List- The author writes (or lists) information for the reader about a certain subject.  Example: A soccer coach’s letter describing to parents exactly what kind of cleats to buy for their kids. Time Order/Sequence- The author writes in an order or timeline format.  Examples: recipes, directions, events in history

Nonfiction Text Features Table of contents Titles Headings/ subheadings Sidebar Guidewords Graphics/visuals Captions Index Glossary

Text Features Scavenger Hunt Definition Page # Characteristic/Description Table of contents Titles Headings/subheadings Sidebar Guidewords Graphics/visuals Captions Index Glossary

Nonfiction Text Features Table of contents Titles Headings/ subheadings Sidebar Guidewords Graphics/visuals Captions Index Glossary

Reading Strategies Preview the text by looking at the title, headings and subheadings to get an idea of the main topics and the way the text is organized. Skim the text to get an overview. Pay special attention to bold or italicized vocabulary words. Read questions that appear and the end to help you set a purpose for reading. Turn subheadings into questions, and use the text to answer your questions. This will be a summary of the text. Take notes by turning headings and subheadings into main or central ideas. To locate specific facts or details, scan the text.

Color Coding Text Feature Color Table of Contents, Glossary, and Index Black Titles Orange Headings and Subheadings Blue Introduction and Summary Yellow Key/Guide words Pink Graphics and Captions Red Sidebars Brown Textflow Green Review Questions Purple

Nonfiction Strategies THIEVES Title Headings Introduction Every first sentence in a paragraph Visuals and vocabulary End-of-chapter questions Summary

Title What is the title? What do I already know about this topic? What does this topic have to do with the preceding chapter? Does the title express a point of view? What do I think I will be reading about?

Headings What does this heading tell me I will be reading about? What is the topic of the paragraph beneath it? How can I turn this heading into a question that is likely to be answered in the text?

Introduction Is there an opening paragraph, perhaps italicized? Does the first paragraph introduce the chapter? What does the introduction tell me I will be reading about? Do I know anything about this topic already?

Every first sentence in a paragraph What do I think this chapter is going to be about based on the first sentence in each paragraph?

Visuals and vocabulary Does the chapter include photographs, drawings, maps, charts, or graphs? What can I learn from the visuals in a chapter? How do captions help me better understand the meaning? Is there a list of key vocabulary terms and definitions? Are there important words in boldface type throughout the chapter? Do I know what the boldfaced words mean? Can I tell the meaning of the boldfaced words from the sentences in which they are embedded?

End-of-chapter questions What do the questions ask? What information do they earmark as important? What information do I learn from the questions? Let me keep in mind the end-of-chapter questions so that I may annotate my text where pertinent information is located.

Summary What do I understand and recall about the topics covered in the summary?

Textmapping Text mapping is a visual technique to help students understand how information is organized in content area text, especially text books. 

Textmapping Textmapping starts with a scroll. Take all four pages, lay them out in order, and glue the sides together to make a scroll.

Headings and Subheadings Textmapping Next, identify each text feature. Use the color coded chart to help you. Text Feature Color Titles Orange Headings and Subheadings Blue Key/Guide words Pink Graphics and Captions Red Textflow Green Review Questions Purple

“What Will Our Towns Look Like?” Nonfiction- Magazine Article (literature book pg. 54-56) Text Features THIEVES Strategies Paragraph Writing

“What Will Our Towns Look Like?” Use THIEVES to preview the article. Which text features are used? Read the article and answer the all of the questions on page 56. What are the basic parts of this article?

“What Will My School Look Like?” Reviewing- nonfiction, text features, THIEVES strategy, paragraph writing Use “What Will Our Towns Look Like?” as a model to create an article for next years 6th graders Basic Parts: Title and subtitle Introduction 5 Headings each with a paragraph and corresponding map numbers Map with numbers, colors, and key