1. Reading Nonfiction 7 th Grade Literature

2. Nonfiction O Nonfiction is a type of writing that deals with real people, places, and events. O Includes things like: O Newspaper article O Set of instructions O Encyclopedia article O Autobiography O Biography O Essay O interview

3. Nonfiction O Contains factual information, but the author can select and organize the information to suit his or her purpose

4. Autobiography O The story of a person’s life told by that person O Written in first person point of view, using pronouns such as I, me, we, and us. O Usually book length because it covers a long period of the writer’s life. O Shorter autobiographical works include things like journals, diaries, letters, and memoirs O Purpose can be to entertain, persuade, inform, or express an opinion

5. Biography O Story of a person’s life as told by someone else. O Written in third person point of view. O Biographer (the writer) gets information by conducting interviews, reading letters, diaries, and documents O Contain many of the same elements as fiction (setting, characters) O The purpose is to present an accurate account of a subject’s life.

6. Essay O A short piece of writing on a single subject. O Found in newspapers and magazines. O Purpose can be to share an opinion, to entertain, to persuade, or to simply describe a topic or incident that has a special meaning for the writer. O Three common kinds of essays are expository, personal (narrative), and persuasive. O Formal essays have a scholarly tone, while informal essays tend to have a conversational tone.

7. Informative Article O Provides facts about a subject O Examples include newspaper and magazine articles and feature stories O Can also include textbooks, pamphlets, history books, gardening books, and how-to books

8. Interview O A conversation in which one person asks questions of another for the purpose of obtaining information. O The interviewer takes notes, tape-records, or films the conversation in order to keep an accurate record.

9. Reading Nonfiction O Nonfiction writing connects us to a world of information by teaching us about real people, places, and events O Use the following reading strategies to help you enjoy and understand different types of nonfiction.

10. Reading Nonfiction O Preview the Selection O Look at titles and subtitles, pictures, diagrams, and any terms in bold or italic type. O Stop occasionally to predict what will come next. O Clarify the Organization O Look for dates and signal words that signal the sequence of events O Determine if the selection is organized chronologically or otherwise

11. Reading Nonfiction O Summarize the Main Idea O Pay special attention to first and last sentences in paragraphs. O Look for repeated ideas. O Separate Facts and Opinions O Facts= statements that can be proved O Opinions= statements that cannot be proved and simply express a person’s beliefs O Be aware that nonfiction writers sometimes present opinions as if they were facts.

12. Reading Nonfiction O Evaluate What You Read O Form your own opinions about people, places, events and ideas. O Determine the writer’s purpose. O To inform O To influence O To express an opinion or bias