Download Nonfiction

Nonfiction
Types of Nonfiction
• Biography--account of a person’s
life written by outside source
• Autobiography- account of a
person’s life written by that person.
• Essay- a short piece of writing that
examines a topic of interest
– Personal essay- writer’s response to
an experience
Types of Nonfiction
• Essay (continued)
– Formal essay- objectively written (no
opinion) to inform
• Informational Nonfiction-used to convey
information about a particular topic or
subject.
• Narrative Nonfiction-a true story used to
illustrate or explain a particular event or
series of events
• Speech- essay delivered orally
• Other Functional Nonfiction:
workplace documents, public
documents, consumer documents,
technical directions
Elements of Nonfiction
• Main Idea- most important message of the
nonfiction text and can be supported by details
found within the text.
• Organization of Nonfiction:
– Chronological or Sequential Order: events detailed in the
order in which they happened
• Cause and Effect –cause is why something happened. Effect is
what happened. (Sometimes the effect is listed first.)
• Process Analysis (How to…)--
Elements of Nonfiction
– Order of Importance: details build from least important to most
important or vice versa.
• Spatial order—information is organized into physical positions showing a
hierarchy
– Logical Order: supporting details arranged in groups so
connections are clear.
• Problem and Solution—tells about a problem (and sometimes says why
there is a problem) then gives one or more possible solutions
• Spatial order—information is organized and grouped into separate physical
locations
• Compare and Contrast—shows how two or more things are alike and
different.
– Description: A topic, idea, person, place, or thing is described by
listing its features, characteristics, or examples
Qualities of Nonfiction
• Purpose: written to inform, persuade,
express opinion, entertain etc.
• Logic: accurate reasoning supported
by reasons, evidence and examples
• Unity: all details support the main
idea
• Coherence: one idea flows from
another in a way that makes it easy
for readers to understand- transition
words are used to connect ideas.
Strategies for Reading Nonfiction
Main Idea and Supporting Details
• Determine the Main Idea: finding the
main idea is the first necessary step in
summarization. The main idea is the
unifying idea of the paragraph or
selection. What is the one idea that
all of the sentences in a paragraph or
all of the paragraphs in a selection are
about?
Strategies for Reading Nonfiction
Main Idea and Supporting Details
• Finding Supporting Details: details or
statements that support the main idea.
• Types of supporting details:
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descriptive images
examples from history
personal experience
reasons
facts such as statistics
quotation from an expert
an anecdote to illustrate a point
Strategies for Reading Nonfiction
Summarize
• Summarize: summarizing is stating the main
ideas of a selection in your own words and in a
logical sequence.
– Ask yourself: what is the gist of the selection?
– Answer who, what, where, when, why, and how?
Put that information in logical order.
Strategies for Reading Nonfiction
Identifying Bias
• Bias: is a subjective way of thinking that tells only one side of
a story or provides significantly more information for just one
side, intentionally placing more emphasis on one side of the
argument.
• Possible sources of bias:
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Incomplete information
Intentional deception
Influence from past personal experience
Intentional persuasion-to strengthen a position
Bias Rating:
1 almost totally unbiased; highly objective;
accurate
2 mostly unbiased; fairly reliable
3 somewhat biased; accuracy is questionable or
details favor one opinion
4 fairly biased; distorted; probably unreliable
5 totally biased; highly subjective; inaccurate
Strategies for Reading Nonfiction
Skimming
• Skim- skimming is used to quickly identify the
main ideas of a text. Use skimming when you
want to see if an article will be interesting or of
use in your research. It helps to look at titles,
subheadings and first lines.
Strategies for Reading Nonfiction
Scanning
• Scan- scanning is glancing quickly over a
selection in order to find specific information.
As you move your eyes quickly over the lines of
text, look for key words or phrases that will help
you locate the information you’re looking for.
Strategies for Reading Nonfiction
Set a Purpose
• Set a Purpose-begin with a question in mind.
Setting a purpose helps you focus on what is
most important when reading.
Persuasive Strategies
–Authority: The writer includes expert testimony and
opinion to support the position. Experts are those who
are knowledgeable and recognized as experts by others
in that same field.
–Pathos: when the writer seeks to illicit an emotional
response from readers or audience. For example, when
the reader feels emotionally connected to an anecdotal
story that is used to support the topic.
–Logos: when the writer uses logic, including numbers,
facts, and data to support the argument. (Logos
appeals to your brain as opposed to pathos which
appeals to your heart.)
Persuasive Strategies
– Ethos: The writer attempts to
convince the reader that he or she is
honest and intelligent, so readers
should trust and believe them.
– Urgency: the writer makes the
reader feel as if the issue needs
immediate attention, and the reader
should do something now.