Nonfiction Presentation & Notes
- 1. Nonfiction Unit Creative Writing 9-12 Elective
- 2. Nonfiction Prose that deals with real events and people Characters, settings, and events must conform to what is true Story cannot be manipulated by the writer’s imagination
- 3. Types of Nonfiction Essay: Brief examination of a subject in prose, usually expressing a personal or limited view of the topic Formal Essay: Serious in tone and subject and more objective in point of view. Informal Essay: Informal tone, as if the author is speaking directly to the reader
- 4. Purposes of Writing Essays To Entertain To Inform To Explain To Persuade
- 5. Exposition Explains a subject Writer’s main purpose is to inform Most objective type of nonfiction Facts are presented as neutrally as possible Author’s opinion on the subject DOESN’T intrude
- 6. Persuasion Attempts to influence the reader’s ideas or actions Major purpose is to convince the reader to think, feel, or act in a certain way Writer selects and arranges facts so that the reader will share the writer’s opinion Successful only if the reader believes that the facts support the writer’s opinion
- 7. Description Presents a picture or an impression of a subject Re-creates for the reader a person, a place, or an event, largely through language that appeals to the senses Tells us how something looks, smells, tastes, sounds, and feels to the touch
- 8. Narration Author’s purpose is to relate a series of events Events usually related in chronological order Has the form of a story, but the events are factual and actually recorded Author depicts characters and may even use dialogue
- 9. Biography An account of someone’s life, written by another person. The focus of a biography: The Character His/Her Career His/Her Place in History Uniqueness and Universality of the Character’s Experience
- 10. Characteristics of a Good Biography Accurate presentation of the life history of an individual (sometimes may be from birth to death) Honest effort is made to interpret the life so as to offer a unified impression of the character’s mind and personality of the subject
- 11. Autobiography A story of a person’s life as written by that person. Characteristics of an autobiography: Usually a chronological, narrative account of a person’s life Author relates person’s life story to crucial historical events Author offers personal evaluations of actions and speculates on the significance of certain actions and events
- 12. Journal Form of autobiographical writing including a day-by-day chronicle of events, usually a personal and intimate record of events and thoughts kept by an individual.
- 13. Diary Specialized journal that is a day-by-day chronicle of events, usually a personal and intimate record of events and thoughts kept by an individual.
- 14. Oratory Formal speech intended to inspire some action. Carefully prepared and delivered in an impassioned manner, the oration carries its greatest power in its emotional appeal.
- 15. Psalm Lyric composition of praise, usually applied to sacred themes
- 16. Sermon Formal discussion, usually oral, of a serious subject for the purpose of religious instruction or urgent advice and recommendations.
- 17. Aphorism or Proverb Brief statement of usually one sentence that expresses some truth about life in terse, easily remembered form.
- 18. Epitaph Commemorative verses or lines inscribed on tombs or headstones. This information usually includes the name of the deceased, the dates of birth and death, age, profession, and some pious motto.
- 19. Letters Communication in writing to another person or a group of persons; correspondence. A specialized form of letter, called an epistle, is a more formal document prepared for public reading.
- 20. Elements of Nonfiction Characters, Plot, and Setting Like fiction, nonfiction has characters, plot, and setting. However, these elements are real, not made up. The main character in an autobiography or biography is called the subject. The subject’s words, thoughts, and actions are presented.
- 21. Elements of Nonfiction Purpose Different types of nonfiction have different purposes. Biographies and autobiographies have the purpose of informing the reader. They use explanatory, descriptive, and narrative paragraphs. Newspaper Editorials are intended to win readers over to a certain opinion. They use persuasive paragraphs. Diaries can be used to both explain and persuade.
- 22. Elements of Nonfiction Tone The writer’s attitude toward his or her subject matter is called tone. A writer’s tone may be sympathetic, bitter, comical, hopeful, solemn, enthusiastic, etc.
- 23. Which selection do you enjoy reading the most?
- 24. Turtles poured out of the surf in wave after wave through the darkness. Heaving, huffing, gasping, turtles plowed the coarse black sand with their noses, laboring on to the shore. National Geographic
- 25. Female sea turtles do not normally leave the water, except to lay their eggs. The females often migrate thousands of miles or kilometers to reach their breeding beaches. They drag themselves onto a sandy beach, bury their eggs, and then return to the sea. World Book Encyclopedia
- 26. The jaguar is the biggest and strongest cat in the rainforest. The jaguar’s jaw is strong enough to crush a turtle’s shell. They also have very powerful legs for leaping from branch to branch to chase prey. Student Sample
- 27. As the sun disappears from the heart of the forest, the jaguar leaps through the underbrush, pumping its powerful legs. It spies a gharial gliding down the river. The jungle cat pounces, crushing the turtle with his teeth, devouring the reptile with pleasure. Student Revision
- 28. Sample The macaw uses its sharp beak to strike intruders.
- 29. Improvement Tearing, ripping, battering, the blue macaw strikes the intruder until it is defeated.