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Unit 2: Nonfiction. Informational Text. Truth is not only stranger than fiction, it is more telling. To know that a thing actually happened gives it a poignancy, touches a chord, which a piece of acknowledged fiction misses. —W. Somerset Maugham. <skip intro>. What is nonfiction?.
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Unit 2: Nonfiction Informational Text
Truth is not only stranger than fiction, it is more telling. To know that a thing actually happened gives it a poignancy, touches a chord, which a piece of acknowledged fiction misses. • —W. Somerset Maugham <skip intro>
What is nonfiction? • Nonfiction is prose writing that explores real • lives • places • things • events • ideas
What are the most popular forms of nonfiction? • The most popular forms of nonfiction are • biographies • autobiographies • memoirs • essays • speeches • informational text
What are your favorite types of nonfiction? • Biographies • Self-help books • Autobiographies • Newspaper, magazine, and Internet articles • Eyewitness accounts of newsworthy events • Essays • Memoirs
What are the purposes of nonfiction? • To entertain readers • To enlighten readers by providing information, explanation, or instruction • To persuade readers to understand a particular viewpoint • To offer advice or guidance for readers • To present snapshots of the human experience for readers
Informational Text • Informational text is the most widely read form of nonfiction. • Why? We frequently encounter this type of text in our everyday lives. • You have encountered informational text if you have ever • followed a recipe • read a magazine • used a road map
How can the power of words effect change? Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light. —Joseph Pulitzer Why are brevity, clarity, word choice, and accuracy important to readers’ understanding of informational text?
Informational Text • Informational text is a form of nonfiction writing that aims to explain information. • Individuals read informational text daily—at home, school, work, and play. • Therefore, understanding informational text has become increasingly important to functioning in society.
Types of Informational Text • Informational text typically falls into one of three categories: • print media • electronic media • visual media
Which of the following types of print media would you consider to be informational text? • Science textbooks • Descriptive essays • Procedural texts, such as cookbooks or manuals • News articles • Encyclopedias • Novels • Poems • Pamphlets • Book reviews • Editorials • Restaurant menus
If you chose the circled items, you are correct! They are all types of informational text. • Science textbooks • Descriptive essays • Procedural texts, such as cookbooks or manuals • News articles • Encyclopedias • Novels • Poems • Pamphlets • Book reviews • Editorials • Restaurant menus
Types of Informational Text: Print Media • Two of the most common types of informational text print media are • articles, or written pieces about a particular topic, issue, event, or series of events • how-to writing, or procedural text that gives instructions on how to perform particular tasks
Types of Informational Text: Electronic Media • Informational text in the form of electronic media includes • Internet resources (websitesand blogs) • CDs and DVDs • Electronic technology allowsreaders to access a vast amount of information on thousands of topics in a short period.
Types of Informational Text: Visual Media • Informational text that falls under the category visual media communicates information by using some type of graphic representation. • Examples of visual media include • billboards • charts/graphs • maps/diagrams • illustrations
Understanding/Evaluating Informational Text • To understand visual, print, and electronic media, readers need to • determine the writer’s purpose and goal • identify the writer’s main idea and supporting details or evidence
Understanding/Evaluating Informational Text • To evaluate visual, print, and electronic media, readers need to • examine the text for logical evidence and determine the validity of that evidence • acknowledge any possible opposing viewpoints • recognize bias (personal judgment) • note any inconsistent or missing information • distinguish fact from opinion • be alert to propaganda (the intentional use of false arguments to persuade)
Understanding/Evaluating Informational Text • Certain types of graphic organizers can help readers understand and evaluate informational text. • Fact or Opinion Chart • Main Idea Map • Cause-and-Effect Chart • Time Line
Fact vs. Opinion in Informational Text • The Fact or Opinion Chart allows readers to record statements of fact and opinion along with proof or support for those statements. • Remember: • A fact is a statement that can be proven by direct observation or supported by reliable sources. • An opinion expresses an attitude or a desire.
Fact vs. Opinion in Informational Text • Both facts and opinions require analysis on the part of readers. • When evaluating a fact, readers should ask whether it can be proven through observation or by checking a reliable, unbiased source.
Fact vs. Opinion in Informational Text • When evaluating an opinion, readers should check the facts that support it, as well as be alert to • value statements (statements that use judgment words) • policy statements (statements that express rules or ideas about how things should be) • predictions (statements about the future)
Below is a partially completed Fact or Opinion Chart for the news article “Trapped New Orleans Pets Still Being Rescued.” Complete the chart as you read the article. Fact: Proof: Opinion: Support: Two thirds of households in the United States have pets. “They’re shaggy-looking, they’re suffering….” Survey by the American Veterinary Medical Association Quotation by a St. Bernard Parish councilman Fact: Proof: Opinion: Support: Fact: Proof: Opinion: Support:
SUMMARY:Informational Text • When reading informational text, readers should keep the following guidelines in mind: • Determine the writer’s purpose or goal. • Identify the writer’s main idea and supporting details. • Scrutinize the validity of the logical evidence. • Analyze the credibility of all sources. • Distinguish fact from opinion. • Recognize bias and propaganda. • Examine any graphic aids for clarity and validity.