Nonfiction Genres

Nonfiction Genres

by Beverley Cornish

​Nonfiction text

• has facts that can be checked and proven

  the author is an expert on the information or has done extensive research

​Biography

• ​The telling of a person’s life by someone else

• Usually about someone famous who has done something important

​Autobiography

• ​The telling of a person’s life by that person

• Can be about the person’s whole life, a portion of their life or an event in their life

​Memoir

• ​A collection of memories that a person writes about moments or events, public or private, that took place in his/her life

• Special attention is paid to emotions and feelings

Multiple Choice

Which of the following would be an autobiography?

• All the way to the White House by Barack Obama

• Michael Jordan: His Life in the NBA by Jean Peters

• The Life of Kobe Bryant by Vanessa Bryant

• The Pain of a COVID-19 Patient by Jesse Jackson

Multiple Choice

Which of the following would be a biography?

• My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg

• Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different by Karen Blumenthal

• My Beloved World by Sonia Santomayor

• Restart by Gordon Korman

Multiple Choice

Which of the following would be a memoir?

• New Kid by Jerry Craft

• The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules by The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules by

  Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg

• Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming

• Marshfield Dreams: When I was a Kid by Ralph Fletcher

​​Almanac

• ​An annual publication listing a set of events forthcoming in the next year.

• Includes information like weather forecasts, farmers' planting dates, and tide tables

​Atlas

• ​A collection of maps

• ​Traditionally bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats

• ​Often show geographic features, political boundaries, and some include     economic statistics

​Textbook

• ​A book used for the study of a subject

• ​Sometimes have questions to test the knowledge and understanding of the learner

• ​A workbook is a type of textbook that has only practice questions and exercises

Multiple Select

Which of the following would be found in a farmers' almanac?

• High tide

• Moon cycles

• Planting seasons

• Names of farmers

Multiple Choice

Which of the following would be found in an atlas?

• A mountain range

• Hairstyles

• Myths

• Questions about the weather

​Encyclopedia

• ​A set of books containing information on various topics

  Usually in alphabetical order

  Covers all branches of knowledge

​Dictionary

• ​A book that contains a list of words in alphabetical order and explains their meanings, gives their pronunciation and part of speech, as well as other related words

  Some give a word for the one you are looking at in another language

​Thesaurus

• ​A book used to find synonyms and antonyms of words

• ​Words are listed in alphabetical order

Multiple Choice

If I want to find a synonym for "knowledgeable," I would look in a 

• dictionary

• thesaurus

• encyclopedia

Multiple Choice

What reference source tells you the part of speech?

• Dictionary

• Thesaurus

• Encyclopedia

Multiple Choice

If I need information on reptiles, I would look in a

• dictionary

• thesaurus

• encyclopedia

​Editorial

• ​A brief article in a newspaper that tells the view or policy of the newspaper or the publisher on a particular issue or current event

• ​Written by the editor

​Newspaper Article

• ​Discusses a current or event

• ​Can include details provided by eyewitnesses to the event

• ​Can include relevant pictures

• ​Begins with a headline designed to grab the readers' attention

• ​Includes a byline - the name of the author and date

​Diary

• ​A book in which the owner records his or her experiences, thoughts and feelings on a daily basis

• ​Handwritten by the owner

​Journal

• ​Similar to a diary

• ​Not confined to daily events or specific dates

• ​Can be used to jot down random thoughts, doodles, pictures, lists, ideas, memories or anything else that comes to mind

​Letter

• ​A letter is a written form of communication between 2 people

• ​Can be typed, handwritten or printed

• ​Personal or informal letters are between 2 people, usually friends

• ​Business or formal letters include a business transaction