Introduction to NonFiction
Ms. Lecount
What is non-fiction?
writing that is based on
facts, real events, and real
people--truth.
Watch me…
When the elevator door opened
again, the first thing I saw was a bare
wall across from me. On the right was
a large blue metal door. The sight of
it, the strange feeling that it gave me,
made the little hairs on the back of
my neck stand up.
Now, let’s try together…
"How long have you worked in the
stockyards?”
"I've had eight years of the yards. It's a
lot different now, with the union and
all. We used to have to buy the
foremen presents, you know.”
Try another…
In reading, 68 percent of the District's
students met or exceeded the new
and higher standard compared to just
59 percent across the state. In math,
69 percent of the District's students
hit that mark, while at the state level
59 percent did so.
How about this one?
Opening Up Japan
While the shogun faced troubles at home, disturbing news reached him from
abroad during the 1830s and 1840s. He was alarmed by news of the British
victory over China in the Opium War. Even more disturbing was the way in
which imperialists had forced China to sign unequal treaties. Surely, the
shogun reasoned, it would not be long before western powers began seeking
trading rights in Japan.
External Pressure and Internal Revolt. Then, in July 1853, a fleet of well-armed
American ships commanded by Commodore Matthew Perry sailed into
Tokyo Bay. Perry had a letter from the President of the United States. The
letter demanded that Japan open its ports to diplomatic and commercial
exchange. The shogun’s advisors debated what to do. As Lord Ii noted, Japan
did not have the ability to defend itself against the powerful United States
Navy. In the Treaty of Kanagawa in 1854, the shogun agreed to open two
Japanese ports to American ships, though not for trade.
Last one…
'Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life'
Okay, so imagine the day your great-greatgrandmother was born. Got it? Now go back another
hundred years or so. And then another hundred.
That's about when they built Hills Village Middle
School. I think it was a prison for Pilgrims back then,
but not too much has changed. Now it's a prison for
sixth, seventh and eighth graders.