Fiction vs. Non-Fiction

What is the difference between the genres- Fiction and Non-fiction?

Fiction texts tell STORIES. They typically include characters, settings, conflicts (problems), and solutions.

Non-fiction texts provide FACTS and INFORMATION. They typically have a topic, main ideas, and supporting details.


Why is knowing the difference between the genres important?

1. Our state and district curriculum clearly differentiates between the two genres. Teachers have designated FICTION STANDARDS AND OBJECTIVES and NON-FICTION STANDARDS AND OBJECTIVES.
2. If a student picks up a text and can regognize the genre (fiction or non-fiction), they can prepare for that type of reading. They can think about author's purpose and the text structure. Mentally, it will help the student organize their thinking about the text.  The student can also predict the types of questions that will be asked if they are tested on the book (or text).
3. As a parent who wants to help support classroom work, it's important to tailor discussion questions at home that MATCH the genre.

So...the big question is....what types of questions go along with fiction? What types go with non-fiction? What are some questions I can ask my child at home?
 
Fiction Question Stems:

Within the Text:

·        What happened at the beginning, middle, end?

·        What was the character’s problem in the story?

·        What did the character do to try and solve the problem? Did it work?

 

Beyond the Text:

·        How do you think the character feels about…? Why was the character feeling…?

·        What does this book remind you of? Have you ever had an experience like the character?

·        Did the character change by the end of the book? Explain.

 

About the Text:

·        How did the writer show what the characters were like? What words did the author use?

·        What was the important lesson in this book? Can you identify the author's theme?

Non-Fiction Question Stems:

Within the Text:

·       What are some of the important things that you learned about?

·       What are some of the facts about this topic that you already knew?

 

Beyond the Text:

·       Discuss what you think was the most important idea (main idea) in this book.

·       How is __________ similar to _____?

·       How is __________ different than _________?

·       Does this book have a table of contents/ glossary/ index? How could we use ___ to find the information we need?

·       Look at the heading on page…What does this heading tell you about the information in this section?

 

About the Text:

·       Why do you think the writer included certain photographs or drawings in this book?  

·       In addition to the writing in the book, what else did the author include to teach us information? (maps, diagrams, labels, captions, etc).

·       Look at the glossary at the back of the book. What kind of information does this give you?

·       Why do you think the author wants us to learn about this topic?

 

Remember what I always say- home is home. School is school. Ask these types of questions in a conversational way. Make it seem casual and fun, not like a quiz.

 

Training students to distinguish between these two genres AND distinguishing between the TYPES of QUESTIONS that are asked about each genre create critical analyzers of text...which is what we ultimately want! :) Have fun and read on!