Nonfiction Terms

An original source of information about a topic (e.g., study, artifact, data set, interview, article)

• Informational Text
• Persuasive Text 
• Literary Nonfiction
• Primary Source 

Text that includes literary elements and devices usually associated with fiction to report on actual persons, places, or events. Examples include nature and travel text, biography, memoir and the essay.

• Informational Text 
• Persuasive Text 
• Literary Nonfiction 
• Primary Source 

A type of non-fiction writing used to convince the reader to agree with the author about an issue.

• Informational Text
• Persuasive Text 
• Literary Nonfiction 
• Primary Source

The author’s intent either to inform or teach someone about something, to entertain people or to persuade or convince his/her audience to do or not do something.

• Main Idea
• Author's Purpose
• Claim
• Persuasion 

The author’s central thought; the chief topic of a text expressed or implied in a word or phrase;the topic sentence of a paragraph. 

• Main Idea
• Supporting Detail 
• Style
• Tone 

Points of information in a text that strongly support the meaning or tell the story. Statements that define, describe, or otherwise provide information about the topic,theme, or main idea

• Main Idea
• Supporting Detail 
• Style
• Tone 

The author’s choices regarding language,sentence structure, voice, and tone in order to communicate with the reader.

• Main Idea
• Supporting Detail 
• Style
• Tone 

The way in which an author expresses an attitude about his or her topic or subject through rhetorical choices.

• Main Idea
• Supporting Detail 
• Style
• Tone 

A claim or thesis that conveys a particular perspective developed through a line of reasoning and supported by evidence. Arguments should be supported with valid evidence and reasoning and balanced by the inclusion of counter arguments that illustrate opposing viewpoints.

• Argument
• Claim
• Counterclaim 
• Defense of a Claim 

An opposing perspective, idea, or theory supported by evidence

• Argument
• Claim
• Counterclaim/ counter argument 
• Defense of a Claim