1. Nonfiction What it is, how to read it

2. Definitions to know: 1. Biography 2. Autobiography, Memoir, Narrative non- fiction 3. Essay 4. Informative article 5. Text organization 6. Author’s purpose

3. Review – What is nonfiction? Non fiction is writing that is about real people, places, and events. It contains factual information - information that can be proved true. A writer organizes this information in a variety of ways to suit his or her purpose. A reader uses knowledge about writing techniques to help comprehend the text.

4. Reading and Writing Nonfiction When you write something, think about how it will be read. When you read something, think about how is was written. Writing Reading

5. Biography A biography is the story of someone’s life, told by someone else. Is usually told in third person, using pronouns like he, she, her, and him. Biographies have some elements of fiction, such as character development and setting.

6. Autobiography/Memoir An autobiography is the story of a person’s life, told by that person. Autobiographies are almost always written in first person, using pronouns such as I and we. Short versions of autobiographical writing includes journals, diaries, letters, and memoirs.

7. Narrative Nonfiction Based on true facts, but told with the structure of a story with characters, setting, conflict, and resolution. A memoir is often a type of narrative nonfiction.

8. Essay Essay is a short work of nonfiction that deals with one subject. There are three types of essay: 1.Expository – formal 2.Personal – informal 3.Persuasive – can be either formal or informal

9. Expository essay features Tightly structured around a defensible idea – a thesis. Formal style Presents or explains information and ideas. Information supports and defends a thesis statement.

10. Personal essay features Looser structure Personal style Expresses writer’s thoughts and feelings around a specific idea.

11. Persuasive essay features Defends a thesis statement. Develops arguments. Tries to persuade readers to adopt a viewpoint or perspective. Can be either very formal, or more personal and informal – it depends on the author’s purpose and audience.

12. Informative Article An informative articles provide facts about a subject. Examples: newspaper articles, magazine articles, textbooks, and encyclopedias

13. Reading Nonfiction Using some nonfiction reading strategies can help you understand and enjoy many types of nonfiction. There are six strategies to learn and apply….

14. Nonfiction reading strategies 1.Think about the author’s purpose – To entertain? To persuade? To inform? To describe?

15. Nonfiction reading strategies - continued 2. Preview the selection Look at the title, pictures, and diagrams and any subtitles. It helps to know what the selection will be about.

16. Nonfiction reading strategies - continued 3. Figure out the organization - Knowing how a piece is organized can help you understand the author’s point. Patterns of organization: Chronological or sequential order Cause and effect Compare and contrast Proposition and support Order of importance or degree Often the transition words are clues to the type of organization: next, finally, because, on the other hand, etc.

17. Nonfiction reading strategies (continued) 4. Summarize the main idea A main idea is the most important point about the topic. Details explain the main idea. When you summarize a main idea by either rewriting or restating, it helps you understand and remember it.

18. Nonfiction reading strategies - continued 5. Distinguish fact from opinion Facts can be proved. Opinions are statements that cannot be proved, an just express a person’s beliefs. Sometimes writers of nonfiction use opinion as if they were facts. Be sure you know the difference!

19. Nonfiction reading strategies - continued 6. Evaluate what you read When you evaluate what you read, you are making a judgment about it. Do the writer’s ideas seem reasonable? Does the writer use facts and examples to support opinions?