The Elements of NonfictionGrade 7

Titanic Quiz http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticne

ws/magazines/scope/pdfs/SCOPE-REPRO-042312-03.pdf

Learning Goal Analyze, comprehend and evaluate

nonfiction text.

Learning Goal Analyze, comprehend and evaluate

nonfiction text. Take apart and figure out, understand

what it means and make judgments about writing that’s based on real events and information.

Objectives You will be able to:1. Identify and describe types of nonfiction.2. Distinguish between fact and opinion.3. Distinguish between objective versus

subjective writing.4. Define and understand new academic

vocabulary.

Take Out Binder with Paper Use Cornell Note-taking method.

Part 1

AND YOU THINK YOUR HAVING A BAD DAY AT WORK !!Although this looks like a picture taken from a Hollywood movie, it is in fact a real photo, taken near the South African coast during a military exercise by the British Navy.It has been nominated by Geo as "THE photo of the year". Click to Enlarge

NONFICTION1. Should we expect nonfiction to be

absolutely true?2. Is that possible?3. “Every documentary is, in fact, fiction.”4. READ NONFICTION WITH INCREASED

COMPREHENSION AND A CRITICAL, ANALYTICAL POINT OF VIEW.

5. http://youtu.be/BI1V1CmFvMA

Nonfiction Unit We will read selections that use facts for

the purposes of informing, argument, and persuasion.

You will discover how to determine what is true, what is false, and what is open to debate.

Nonfiction - Academic Vocabulary • fact • argument • opinion • persuasive techniques • text features • reasoning

Nonfiction text features – Text features include

headings, subheadings, boldfaced type, and captions.

These elements all serve as road signs, guiding you through a text and pointing out key ideas.

Just as you would look at a road map before driving to a new place, you may also find it helpful to preview.

Nonfiction Previewing - Scanning the text features of

an article before reading it.

Nonfiction TITLE - The name of the work. The topic

of an article is often revealed in the TITLE

Nonfiction • The main ideas of paragraphs are often

stated in the HEADINGS

Nonfiction • GRAPHIC AID - Detailed information

presented in an easy-to-read format • CAPTIONS – clarify information in a

graphic aid.

Nonfiction Part 1: Get the Big Picture

Preview Text Features - preview the workshop as if it is an article that you will report on. Use the PLAN process to use text features to plan your reading.

Nonfiction - PLAN 1. P—Preview content and structure: Begin a

Cluster Diagram by writing the workshop title in the center circle. Then add a circle for the first main heading (Part 1: Get the Big Picture). Add another circle for the first subheading

Cluster diagram?

Nonfiction 2. L—Locate visual information: Locate any

graphic aids and note each one in a circle connected to the appropriate heading.

Nonfiction 3. A—Add information as you read: Scan the

article, looking for boldfaced words. Add the words to a circle near the related heading.

Nonfiction 4. N—Note your reflections on the information:

As you add information to the organizer, include these symbols to note your reactions to the text:

√ = familiar information ? = unfamiliar information * = interesting or important ! = surprising or amazing

The symbols will help you decide which parts of text you should spend the most time studying.

Nonfiction – Read to Understand Main Idea – the most important idea that

the writer wants to communicate to the reader

Supporting Details – Facts or examples that explain the main idea.

Topic sentence – States the main idea of a paragraph

Nonfiction – Read to Understand Implied Main Idea – Sometimes the main

idea is not stated directly, so it must be inferred (inference).

Nonfiction Earthquake Article

http://youtu.be/FW-TkpvKPl0 (Warning – Real footage)

Read Text – 865 - 871

Part 2 - http://youtu.be/CnDH1va7iC0

Nonfiction – Background Knowledge What do you know about sharks?

Nonfiction Sharks http://youtu.be/fQeVZJVoRJo

Shark Saves Man’s Life http://knue.com/man-claims-shark-saved-

his-life/

Nonfiction - Review elements of nonfiction: text features

Writers use design elements called text features to organize text and to point out key ideas and important information.

Some of the most common text features include:

• titles • sidebars • captions • subheadings • graphic aids • bulleted lists

Nonfiction - Reading skill: outline To help yourself keep track of the main

ideas and supporting details in a text, create an outline.

To take notes in outline form, follow these guidelines: • Use the text features to identify the article’s

main ideas. • Use a roman numeral to label each main idea. • Under each main idea, add supporting details.

Label each with a capital letter.

Nonfiction Create an outline Looks can be deceiving -

http://youtu.be/nmhgi665Oek Read Workbook 185-195

As you read, ANNOTATE (means mark up your text with meaningful notes) include these symbols to note your reactions to the text:

√ = familiar information ? = unfamiliar information – or you have a question * = interesting or important ! = surprising or amazing

Part 3 - Objectives

Elements of Nonfiction• explore the key idea of what is accurate• identify fact and opinion• read a magazine articleReading• recognize and analyze author’s biasVocabulary• build vocabulary for reading and writing• understand and use prefixes (ab-, a-, extra-,extro-, re-, trans-, tra-) and the Latin root vert(also an EL language objective)

Nonfiction - Jaws http://youtu.be/ucMLFO6TsFM - Fiction

http://youtu.be/RxQsnyaZBTs - Nonfiction

Compare and contrast on a T-chart. When we compare and contrast, what are

we examining?

Nonfiction - Jaws http://youtu.be/ucMLFO6TsFM - Fiction

http://youtu.be/RxQsnyaZBTs - Nonfiction

Compare and contrast on a T-chart. When we compare and contrast, what are

we examining? Similarities and differences.

Another perspective on sharks… http://youtu.be/BG6uMsq8PPs

http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3756258 (Shark fin article with video)

http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/issues/business-and-human-rights/oil-gas-and-mining-industries/conflict-diamonds

(conflict diamonds)

Change for Patients?

Fact and Opinion Fact - a statement that can be proved.

To prove, or verify, a fact, you might use personal observations, eyewitness accounts, a reliable print or online source, a scientific experiment, or a discussion with an expert.

•Opinion - a statement that can’t be proved because it expresses a person’s beliefs, feelings, or thoughts.

Fact or Opinion? 1. Jaws is about a great white shark that

killed several people in a beach community.

2. The book stayed on the bestseller list for 40 weeks.

3. The book is better than the movie.

Recognize Author’s Bias Bias - attitude about the topic

experiences and beliefs often affect an author’s attitude

Loaded language - words that convey a strong positive or negative feeling.

Loaded Language The beautiful shark glided gracefully

through the water. Identify the loaded language. CHECK UNDERSTANDING - Describe the

writer’s bias in the above example.

vocabulary strategy: denotations and connotations A word’s denotation is its literal meaning

—that is, the meaning found in a dictionary definition.

A word’s connotation comes from the shades of meaning it has beyond its definition.

vocabulary strategy: denotations and connotations For example, a stubborn person could also

be described as strong-willed or pig-headed.

But strong-willed connotes “independent in thinking and acting,” while pig-headed connotes “inflexible.”

Recognizing connotations can improve both your reading and your writing.

vocabulary strategy: denotations and connotations PRACTICE Choose the word in each pair that

has a positive connotation. Then use the word in a sentence.

1. gathering—mob 2. skinny—slender 3. chuckle—snicker 4. petite—puny 5. inquiring—prying 6. gossip—chat 7. self-confident—arrogant 8. immature—youthful

NonfictionIn subjective, or personal, writing the

author freely reveals his or her own feelings, judgments or opinions.

NonfictionObjective writing contains facts that can

be verified or checked.

Peter Benchley Peter Benchley is best known for his novel

Jaws, which is about the hunt for a great white shark that killed several people in a beach community.

Jaws stayed on the bestseller list for 40 weeks. In 1975, Steven Spielberg turned it into one of the top-grossing movies at the time. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.

Peter Benchley Benchley went on to write other novels

and screenplays with the ocean as the setting, as well as nonfiction works about the ocean.

When Benchley wrote Jaws, little was known about great white sharks. His description of them as vicious man-eaters frightened many people out of the water and triggered an aggressive shark hunt.

Peter Benchley Benchley, always fascinated by the ocean,

spent a great deal of his life exploring it. He came to discover that much of what he wrote was incorrect.

He was outspoken in his regrets for helping to create this hysteria.

Benchley noted, “For every human being killed by a shark, roughly ten million sharks are killed by humans.”

Textbook Pages 884-893 As you read, look for loaded language and

ask yourself, what is the author’s attitude toward great white sharks?

Nonfiction Prose

a : the ordinary language people use in speaking or writing

b : a literary medium distinguished from poetry especially by its greater irregularity and variety of rhythm and its closer correspondence to the patterns of everyday speech

Nonfiction Persuasive essays - try to convince

readers to think or act in a certain way

When the nonfiction writer's main purpose is to convince the reader of his or her point of view, and the writer selects facts to accomplish this purpose, the method of writing is called persuasion.

Nonfiction Descriptive essays - present people,

situations or place. They describe

When the writer wants to recreate an event, experience, or place through language that appeals to the senses, the method of writing used is called description.

Nonfiction Exposition - something written to

present and explain, like a report

When the writer's main purpose is to inform the reader as objectively as possible about an event or to clarify an idea, the method of writing is called exposition.

Nonfiction Narrative essays – tell the story of actual

events

When nonfiction writers describe a series of events in the form of a story, they are using the method of writing called narration.

Nonfiction Reflective essays – explore an author's

thoughts about ideas or experiences

Nonfiction Informational Text - Guides, ranging

from directions and warranties to maps and contracts

Nonfiction Autobiography – the story of part or all

of a person's life, written by that person

Nonfiction Biography – an author tells the story of

someone else's life

Nonfiction Biography – an author tells the story of

someone else's life

Nonfiction Read page 513

Nonfiction Read page 513

Closing