Elements of Nonfiction

Elements of Nonfiction

by Molly Mize

Multiple Choice

Which one of the following examples is nonfiction?

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

• The Hunger Games

• My Hero Academia manga

• The true story of Helen K

Multiple Choice

Nonfiction means that the text is

• Real life, true and factual

• Fantasy, make belief

​Text Features: Things within a text to enhance the reading experience

Title	Quickly tells the reader what information they will learn about
Table of contents	Shows students the different chapter or section titles and where they are located
Index	Directs students where to go in the text to find specific information on a topic, word, or person

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Glossary	Identifies important vocabulary words for students and gives their definitions
Headings or subtitles	Help the reader identify the main idea for that section of text
Sidebars	Are set apart from the main text, (usually located on the side or bottom of the page) and elaborate on a detail mentioned in the text
Pictures and captions	Show an important object or idea from the text
Labeled diagrams	Allow readers to see detailed depictions of an object from the text with labels that teach the important components

Multiple Choice

Are set apart from the main text, (usually located on the side or bottom of the page) and elaborate on a detail mentioned in the text

• Sidebar

• Labeled diagram

• Heading

• Glossary

Multiple Choice

Identifies important vocabulary words for students and gives their definitions

• Glossary

• Index

• Labeled Diagram

• Table of Contents

Multiple Choice

Shows students the different chapter or section titles and where they are located

• Index

• Graphs and Charts

• Table of Contents

• Pictures and Captions

Multiple Choice

Directs students where to go in the text to find specific information on a topic, word, or person

• Table of Contents

• Index

• Headings and Subtitles

• Labeled Diagram

​The term “text structure” refers to how information is organized in a passage.

​The structure of a text can change many times in a work and even within a paragraph.

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​There are five commonly used patterns of organization

​Text Structures:

1. ​Cause and Effect:The results of something are explained.

2. ​Chronological: information in the passage is organized in order of time.

3. Compare and Contrast: two or more things are described.  Their similarities and differences are discussed

4. ​Problem and Solution: a problem is described and a response or solution is proposed or explained.

5. ​Descriptive or List: :A list of characteristics including specific details

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Multiple Choice

Which type of text structure is this an example of?

The dodo bird used to roam in large flocks across America. Interestingly, the dodo wasn’t startled by gun shot. Because of this, frontiersmen would kill entire flocks in one sitting. Unable to sustain these attacks, the dodo was hunted to extinction.

• Chronological

• Compare and Contrast

• Descriptive

• Cause and Effect

Multiple Choice

Which type of text structure is this an example of?

Eating cereal is easy.  First, get out your materials.  Next, pour your cereal in the bowl, add milk, and enjoy.

• Cause and Effect

• Problem and solution

• Chronological

• Sequence

Multiple Choice

Which type of text structure is this an example of?

when you walk into my bedroom there is a window facing you.  To the right of that is a dresser and television and on the other side of the window is my bed.

• Cause and Effect

• Descriptive

• Chronological

• Sequence

Multiple Choice

Which type of text structure is this an example of?

Jack and Jill ran up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after.

• Cause and Effect

• Problem and solution

• Chronological

• Descriptive

Multiple Choice

Which type of text structure is this an example of?

thousand of people die each year in car accidents involving drugs or alcohol. Lives could be saved if our town adopts a free public taxi service. By providing such a service, we could prevent intoxicated drivers from endangering themselves or others.

• Cause and Effect

• Problem and solution

• Chronological

• Descriptive

​Author's Purpose: Why an author writes a text

• To persuade: To convince you of something

• ​To inform: To tell you about something

• ​To entertain: To entertain you and make sure you have fun

• ​To describe: To use sensory language to paint a word picture for the reader.

Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of the following text?

A story about a family trying to stick together and survive through the Great Depression in the Midwest in the 1930s

• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain

• Describe

Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of the following text?

A section in a history book describing the conditions and causes of the Great Depression in the Midwest in the 1930s

• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain

• Describe

Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of the following text?

An instructional booklet describing how to operate a smart phone

• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain

• Describe

Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of the following text?

An article where the author argues that an iPhone is better than an Android phone

• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain

• Describe

Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of the following text?

An story that describes in great, sensory detail a snow day.

• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain

• Describe

Elements of Nonfiction

by Molly Mize

Poll

How do you feel about the following learning target? (this is anonymous)

I can identify text features in a nonfiction text

• 1. I don't know what that is...

• 2. Kinda? I feel like I need a little more help

• 3. I got this, I may need to ask a question or two though.

• 4.  I mastered this, I can do this with my eyes closed!

• 5. Not only do I know this, I could show someone else how to do this!

Poll

How do you feel about the following learning target? (this is anonymous)

I can identify text structures in a nonfiction text

• 1. I don't know what that is...

• 2. Kinda? I feel like I need a little more help

• 3. I got this, I may need to ask a question or two though.

• 4.  I mastered this, I can do this with my eyes closed!

• 5. Not only do I know this, I could show someone else how to do this!

Poll

How do you feel about the following learning target? (this is anonymous)

I can identify the author's purpose in a nonfiction text

• 1. I don't know what that is...

• 2. Kinda? I feel like I need a little more help

• 3. I got this, I may need to ask a question or two though.

• 4.  I mastered this, I can do this with my eyes closed!

• 5. Not only do I know this, I could show someone else how to do this!