Fiction and Non-Fiction

I need to create an interactive activities for the following lesson plan - Fiction – Stories made up from the imagination. Non-fiction – Writing based on real facts and events. Expository texts – Non-fiction writing that gives facts and information about a topic. Blurb – A short summary of a book, usually found on the back cover, that tells you what it’s about. Conventions of a text – The rules for writing. These include spelling, punctuation, and grammar, and special rules for different types of writing. For example, a play script has stage directions and doesn’t use speech marks. The difference between fiction and non-fiction texts

Every day we come into contact with a multitude of non-fiction texts. From reading the back of the cereal box as you linger over your cornflakes to the forgotten reply slip about the class outing next week, lurking in the depths of your bag, non-fiction is ubiquitous. Nonfiction is any literary work that is fact-based and intended to present true events and information as accurately as possible. Fiction refers to narratives that are drawn from the imagination. Any text which is isn't a made-up story or poetry, we classify as non-fiction. Just like TikTok videos, the variety of non-fiction texts is almost endless. They come in all shapes and sizes; from WhatsApp chats to a review of a new computer game by your favourite blogger. Different styles of nonfiction writing Nonfiction writing focuses on what is real. Students tend to think of nonfiction texts as confined to the letters, newspaper articles and reviews that they are required to write in English class but the genre is so much broader than that. There are many different types of nonfiction writing, but they fit broadly into these categories: Expository nonfiction Narrative nonfiction Persuasive nonfiction Descriptive nonfiction

Narrative and expository nonfiction. Both narrative and expository nonfiction present information which is true and accurate. The difference between the two writing styles lies in how the ideas and information are presented. Narrative nonfiction is a true story written in the style of a fiction novel whereas expository nonfiction attempts to explain or inform the reader about a certain topic: what something is, who someone is, what something means, how something works etc

Narrative nonfiction

Appeals strongly to fiction lovers because it includes real characters and settings; narrative scenes; and, ideally, a narrative arc with rising tension, a climax, and a resolution. Narrative nonfiction typically features a chronological sequence text structure and is ideally suited for biographies and books that recount historical events..

Expository nonfiction

Shares ideas and information in a direct, straightforward way. It often relies heavily on format and design to help convey meaning, and it’s more likely than narrative nonfiction to include a wide variety of text features. Texts with an expository writing style help readers learn a new skill, such as making origami or may present information in a fun and engaging way to assist knowledge retention. Popular examples include The Guinness Book of World Records and the Horrible Histories series.

Persuasive nonfiction

With persuasive nonfiction, the author takes a position on a topic. They use facts to support their arguments and convince the readers. An example of persuasive nonfiction is an editorial in a newspaper. An editorial is an article written by the senior editor or publisher of a newspaper or magazine.

Descriptive nonfiction

With descriptive nonfiction, the writer uses figurative language, rich details and sensory language to help readers understand the information. Descriptive nonfiction is commonly found in travel writing where the writer's purpose is to make the destination sound attractive to the reader. Notice in the example on the left, how the writer uses descriptive language to describe the beach: The tongues of white sand contrast with the blue of the tides and change their shape at each tide. Non-fiction text features

2.1 What is a text feature?

Text features are to non-fiction what the elements of a story are to fiction. They are the elements of a piece of writing that are separate from the larger body of text. These can include labels, captions, photographs, a table of contents, headings, and more.

Different features will be used depending on the type of text. For example, a fiction story will not often have labelled diagrams and glossaries, but these text features are frequently found in nonfiction textbooks or informative texts. What features are common to non-fiction texts?

The table below contains a comprehensive list of typical non-fiction text features

Text feature What is it? Purpose Photographs and illustrations Visual images Helps the reader understand what something looks like Captions and labels Single words, short phrases or paragraphs that accompany diagrams, photographs or illustrations. Helps readers understand a picture or photograph. Maps A visual image of a geographic feature, often accompanied by a key or distance scale. Help readers understand where things are in the world. Introduction Information at the beginning of a text or a short explanatory section at the beginning of a text. Provides background information or context; provides information about the purpose and focus of the book; and states the writer's intention. Headings The title or topic at the beginning of a larger section. Helps readers understand what a section of text is going to be about. Subheadings A short phrase, sentence or question that highlights a key point within a section. Helps readers by providing a preview of the subsection. Types of print Different ways to make words stand out in the text. Captures the reader's attention and or highlights key information. Timeline Information that expands upon the text and is placed in chronological order. Helps readers understand the chronological relationship among events, people and discoveries. Bibliography A list of resources used Indicates where information was sourced and directs readers where to go for additional information Bullets Symbols used to list facts or important information found in the text. Helps readers to identify important information easily Inserts and sidebars Additional information found in boxes or along the sides of the page. Provides readers with more information about important points. Table of Contents A list at the beginning of a document which indicates the different sections of the document. Identifies key topics in the book and the order in which they are presented. Index An alphabetical list of important subjects in the text which is located at the back of the document. Helps readers navigate to specific information in the text. Diagrams and cutaways An illustration of an object or a look at the inside of something discussed in the text. Aids readers' understanding of the content. Charts and graphics An organised gathering of information in a clear, visual presentation. Helps readers visualise information. Glossary A list of words and their definitions located toward the end of the book Helps readers define words (usually subject-related terminology) contained in the text. Investigating form Form refers to text type. Similar to audience and purpose, the form influences decisions writers make about language, tone and structure. Each form of nonfiction writing has its own conventions. These texts were written for different purposes and with different audiences in mind. We associate these three texts with different features or conventions. With the novel, we expect to pick up a paperback back and find the contents divided into chapters. As this is a novel for young adults, we don't expect pictures to accompany the text. What do you expect to see in a magazine article? A catchy title, photographs or content-related graphics and content which is engaging with a mix of humour, anecdotes, interesting information or compelling arguments. The poster will be designed to be attention-grabbing. It will likely incorporate a bold heading, bullets or numbered steps and the use of bright colours. The content informative and delivered in short snippets of direct, straightforward language. Investigating structure

The structure of a text is how it is organised and how its parts fit together. Writers structure their texts deliberately to have an effect on the reader. Investigating the structure of nonfiction texts Looking at the text as a whole - Some types of non-fiction text follow a pattern. You would expect an essay to start with an introduction and end with a conclusion, for example, or a letter to begin by addressing the recipient. The order of information - Why has the writer chosen to give the information in this order? Shifts in the writer’s viewpoint - Are the writer’s views still the same (or have they changed) as you move through the key points in the text? Shifts in the focus - Has the focus changed? For example, shifting from theories to real-life examples. Changes in tone - Has the mood and feeling of the text changed as you move through the key points in the text? A writer can control a text’s whole structure to have a particular impact on the reader. For example: A piece of travel writing could be structured so that the tone of excitement or tension builds towards the end. An investigative magazine article might be structured around a series of surprising events that keep driving the reader’s interest. Topic sentences - Finding a way One of the ways writers structure their text is through the use of topic sentences. Each paragraph in a magazine article, speech or essay, for example, might be ordered around a topic sentence which gives a little taster of what that paragraph will cover.

Identifying changes in tone Tone refers to the mood of the text that is created by the writer’s choice of vocabulary, imagery and use of language techniques. Unsure of the difference between tone and mood? You are not the only one. Tone and mood are similar, but they are distinctly different as well. One of the major differences between the two is who it affects. For example, tone is set by an author. You’ll often hear it called the author’s tone. However, mood is perceived by the reader. If tone is the author's attitude toward a subject, then mood is how we are made to feel as readers, or the emotion evoked by the author. Tone in fiction is the attitude of the narrator or viewpoint character toward story events and other characters. In a story with first-person POV, tone can also be the narrator’s attitude toward the reader.In non-fiction, tone is the writer’s attitude toward the subject matter and the reader.