NONFICTION ELEMENTS STUDY GUIDE
TEXT STRUCTURE
Description: This type of text structure features a detailed description of something to give the reader a
mental picture.
EXAMPLE: A book may tell all about whales or describe what the geography is like in a particular
region.
Cause and Effect: This structure presents the causal relationship between a specific event, idea, or concept
and the events, ideas, or concept that follow.
EXAMPLE: Weather patterns could be described that explain why a big snowstorm occurred.
Compare and Contrast: This type of text examines the similarities and differences between two or more
people, events, concepts, ideas, etc.
EXAMPLE: A book about ancient Greece may explain how the Spartan women were different from
the Athenian women.
Chronological Order/Sequence: This text structure gives readers a chronological of events or a list of steps
in a procedure.
EXAMPLE: A book about the American Revolution might list the events leading to the war. In
another book, steps involved in harvesting blue crabs might be told.
Problem and Solution: This type of structure sets up a problem or problems, explains the solution, and then
discusses the effects of the solution.
EXAMPLE: One problem with the modern Olympics is that it has become very big and expensive to
operate. The city or country that hosts the games often loses a lot of money. In 1984, Los Angeles
solved these problems by charging a fee for companies who wanted to be official sponsors of the
games. Companies like McDonald's paid a lot of money to be part of the Olympics.
TEXT FEATURES:
Help the reader to better understand what they have read. Provide additional
information that may not be written within the text.
NONFICTION ELEMENTS STUDY GUIDE
Title/Heading: Informs the reader of the topic and main idea of the text. Helps to let the reader know
what they will be reading so they can make connections. These are usually in a special font and
located at the top of a page or paragraph.
Subtitle/Subheading: These divide the text into sections and describe the main idea for that section of
the text. They are usually in a special font and help the reader to locate information by telling them
what to look for.
Table of Contents: Lists and outlines the main topics of the book. It provides page numbers for
organization in finding information in the book. The ToC is usually located in the first few pages of
the book.
Glossary: An alphabetical list of key terms/words and their definitions. The glossary is located in the
back of the book and is considered a mini-dictionary that helps the reader to learn and better
understand a subject.
Index: An alphabetical listing of key terms, names, events, and topics in the book and their corresponding
page numbers. This list is located in the back of the book and helps the reader find the location of
the information they are seeking.
Special Text: (Bold, color, underline, italics): Used to draw the reader’s attention to important concepts,
terms, ideas, etc. These special texts signal to the reader to take notice of what they are reading
and remember the importance.
Illustrations/Pictures: Provide information in a visual way. May help to clarify/teach the meaning of a
text and provide additional information.
Captions: Explains what is being shown in a picture or illustration. Captions help the reader understand
information that may or may not be given in the text.
Maps: Show the basic shape of land or other features to provide a visual. Help the reader to understand
where and event took place and how far away it is.
Diagrams: A drawing that shows or explains something. Help the reader to understand how something
is made, steps, or information about the text.
Tables/Graphs: Organize a large amount of information in a small space in order to data that can help
the reader to compare information in the text.
Timelines: Show important events in chronological order. Show how one event may have led to another.
Textbox: Provides additional information about a topic from the text. These can include interesting facts
or important information the author wants the reader to know. Textboxes help to emphasize
important information or create interest.
NONFICTION ELEMENTS STUDY GUIDE
AUTHOR’S PURPOSE
Purpose: The reason or objective the author has written a text, passage, or paragraph. Why a piece of
text is written. We looked at three types: PIE.
Persuade: The author is trying to convince the reader to do or try something or think the way the author
thinks. If the author has changed the way the reader thinks about something than the purpose
was to PERSUADE.
EXAMPLES: Billboards, commercials, political advertisements, reviews, junk mail, speeches, etc.
Inform: The author is trying to give the reader information or facts and teach something. If the reader
learns while reading then the author’s purpose was to INFORM.
EXAMPLES: Documentaries, newspaper articles, recipes, nonfiction books, encyclopedias, etc.
Entertain: The author is trying to get the reader to enjoy the story and hold the reader’s attention. If the
reader is amused and enjoyed the text then the purpose was to ENTERTAIN.
EXAMPLES: Fiction stories, comic strips, jokes, poems, riddles, etc.
FINDING THE MAIN IDEA AND SUMMARIZING
Topic: The overall subject of a paragraph, passage, or text. Usually a 1-2 word phrase.
Main Idea: A statement that explains the author’s message or argument of the text.
Supporting Details: Include specific information about the main idea that helps to support it. Does not
include unnecessary information like background knowledge or personal opinions.
Summary: A brief summary that expresses the author’s main idea and supporting details of a read
passage, paragraph or text. It is written in one’s own words and should be 1/3 of the length as the
original text. Consider who, what, where, when, why, and how to help you summarize the point.
EXAMPLE:
Rosa Parks was an African American woman who worked hard as a seamstress in a department
store in the early 1960s. One day, tired from work, she refused to give up her seat on a bus in
Montgomery, Alabama, and became a national hero. She was arrested and placed in jail for her refusal to
move to the back of the bus, where African Americans were forced to sit in those days. The way she was
treated garnered national attention. Some people say her refusal to give up her seat launched the civil
rights movement. Rosa Parks proved that one brave person can make a difference.
Topic: Rosa Parks
Main Idea: Brave people can make a difference.
Supporting Detail: Some people say her refusal to give up her seat launched the civil rights movement.
Summary: Rosa Parks stood up for herself and it caused the entire nation to take notice; it may have even
helped spark the civil rights movement.
NONFICTION ELEMENTS STUDY GUIDE
INFERENCE AND DRAWING CONCLUSIONS
Authors do not always tell the reader everything that happens in a story. A
reader needs to use clues to figure out what is not being said. Be able to identify
clues that help you infer/draw conclusions as support.
Clues from the text +
What I already know
=
Conclusion/Inference
Inference: An educated guess: using context clues and prior knowledge to determine an idea the author
is implying. It is something that you think is TRUE based on the information you have and are given.
EXAMPLE:
"Achoo!" Patti sneezed. She sneezed again and then a third time. She felt very warm and her head hurt. She
dragged herself out of bed and called her boss. She told her boss she wouldn't be going to work.
Why isn’t Patty going to work? What clues do you use to determine this?
Inference = Patty is sick. Clues = She is sneezing, her head hurts, and her body is warm. These are all
symptoms of being sick.
She sneezes and feels warm
+
Knowing symptoms of a cold
=
Why Patty calls in sick
Drawing Conclusions: You are making a decision or a judgment about what is happening based on the
information you read. You need to look at the clues, use prior knowledge, make connections between
information, and decide if the conclusion applies to the story.
EXAMPLE:
1. As his mother honked the horn outside, Tom ran down the stairs, buttoning his shirt.
What conclusion can you draw from the sentence above?
A. Tom liked to run.
B. Tom was hungry.
C. Tom was hurrying.
D. It was raining.
Answer: C – because his mother is already outside waiting in the car and Tom is still getting ready as he is
coming down the stairs.
2. As she sat on the front porch, Lulu wiped the sweat from her face and took another drink of water.
What conclusion can you draw from the sentence above?
A. It was cold.
B. Lulu lives in Michigan.
C. A storm was coming.
D. It was hot.
Answer: D – because Lulu is sweating and needs to drink a lot of water.