1. Fiction Unit Grade 5/6 Language Arts

2. Forms of Fiction

3. Myth  A story created by ancient peoples to explain their world and answer questions such as Why is there day and night? What makes the seasons change?

4. Fable/Fairytale  A “teaching” tale that presents a lesson about life and often ends with a moral (a statement of the lesson the fable teaches).

5. Folk Tale  A fictional tale by an unknown or anonymous writer that has been passed down orally for generations.

6. Short Story  A brief story that is about five to twenty pages long and can be read in one sitting.

7. Novel  A long, fictional story (often more than one hundred pages) that has more characters, settings, and themes that a short story.

8. Genres of Fiction

9. Adventure  A story based upon a character’s quest or journey that usually takes place in an exotic location such as a jungle, desert, or mountains.

10. Mystery  A story in which a character or characters try to discover clues in order to solve a crime (the crime usually involves murder or theft).

11. Realistic Fiction  A story that takes place in a realistic setting (a school), has realistic characters (students) and includes a realistic conflict (a fight between two friends).

12. Historical Fiction  A story that is set in the past. The setting is usually real and drawn from history, and it often contains historical people (the main characters are usually fictional).

13. Science Fiction  A type of story that deals with the impact of imagined scientific and technological changes. Science Fiction stories often take place in the future.

14. Fantasy  A story that involves magic, mythical creatures, and/or humans with supernatural powers. These stories usually take place in make believe worlds.