Fiction and Nonfiction Name_________________________________________________ Date____________________ Elizabeth McCracken Listening and Viewing Segment 1: Meet Elizabeth McCracken • Where does Elizabeth McCracken get inspiration for the characters she writes about in her books? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ • If you were writing a fictional story, would you base your characters on real people or invent them entirely? Why? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Segment 2: Fiction and Nonfiction • Why does Elizabeth McCracken enjoy writing fiction? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ • Why do you think it is important for a fiction writer to also read nonfiction books? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Segment 3: The Writing Process • Why is it important for Elizabeth McCracken to develop her characters? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ • Which fictional character left a lasting impression on you? Explain. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Segment 4: The Rewards of Writing • What advice does Elizabeth McCracken offer young writers? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ • What do you “get out” of reading fiction? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Grade 9 Unit 1 1 Learning About Fiction and Nonfiction The following chart compares and contrasts two types of prose literature. Characteristics Fiction Nonfiction Elements Fiction tells about characters, imaginary people or animals. They participate in a plot, or a series of made-up events, that contains a conflict, or problem, to be solved. The plot takes place in one or more settings. The story conveys a theme, or idea about life. Nonfiction tells about real people, animals, places, things, experiences, and ideas. Nonfiction can contain facts, opinions, and ideas. Sample forms short stories, novels, novellas articles, autobiographies, biographies, essays, journals Author’s purpose to entertain to explain, inform, persuade, or entertain A. DIRECTIONS: Write fiction or nonfiction to identify the kind of literature described. __________1. a piece of literature that features a talking tiger __________2. a piece of literature about travel to Japan __________3. a piece of literature about the lessons two friends learn about themselves when they go to summer camp __________4. a piece of literature that explains how a runner trains for victory B. DIRECTIONS: Read the paragraph. Then, answer the questions that follow. The modem on Alicia’s laptop computer had been blown apart in the lightning storm. Try as she would, she could not connect to the phone line. But Alicia refused to give up. Opening the cover on her cell phone, she held the instrument firmly and pressed a silver-colored button for precisely three seconds. Within another three seconds, she was small enough to slither through the back of the laptop. She saw the modem glinting on the motherboard. She was ready to begin the repair job. 1. Does the preceding paragraph introduce a piece of fiction or nonfiction?__________________ 2. Explain your answer to Question 1. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Grade 9 Unit 1 2 from The Giant’s House by Elizabeth McCracken Model Selection: Fiction A fictional story is told by a narrator. The narrator may or may not be a character in the story. If the narrator is part of the story, he or she tells the plot using first-person point of view, with pronouns such as I, me, and our. If the narrator stands outside the story, he or she tells it in third-person point of view, using such pronouns as he, she, and them. In reading fiction, you need to distinguish between plot and theme. The plot is what happens. The theme is the message carried by the plot, the characters, and the setting. A. DIRECTIONS: The excerpt from The Giant’s House is a piece of fiction. Answer these questions about the narrator of The Giant’s House. 1. Is the narrator of The Giant’s House inside or outside the story?_________________________ 2. Does the narrator use first-person or third-person point of view?_________________________ B. DIRECTIONS: Study the following example, which distinguishes between the plot of a story and its theme. Then, in your own words, state the plot of The Giant’s House and the theme that grows out of the plot. Plot of story: Maria practices her lines for the school play every day. She wants to bring her character to life, so she experiments in front of a mirror with different gestures, facial expressions, and tones of voice. On opening night, she turns in a first-rate performance, and the audience applauds warmly. Theme of story: Hard work leads to success. Plot of excerpt from The Giant’s House: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Theme of excerpt from The Giant’s House: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Grade 9 Unit 1 3 Desiderata by Elizabeth McCracken Model Selection: Nonfiction The author of a piece of nonfiction has one or more purposes for writing. The purpose or purposes relate to the kind of nonfiction the author is producing. • The purpose of narrative nonfiction is to tell about a real-life event. Examples of narrative nonfiction include autobiographies and memoirs. Some narrative nonfiction is reflective writing, which gives the writer’s thoughts and feelings about a personal experience, an idea, or a concern. Examples of reflective writing include reflective essays and journals. • The purpose of expository nonfiction is to inform or to explain. Examples of this type of nonfiction include analytical essays and research reports. • The purpose of persuasive nonfiction is to make the reader act or think in a certain way. Examples include editorials and political speeches. • The purpose of descriptive nonfiction is to create mental images for the reader. Examples include character sketches and scientific observations. DIRECTIONS: Authors often have more than one purpose in mind when they write a piece of nonfiction. Here is a list of purposes: to explain to entertain to persuade to report a real-life event to inform to share thoughts and experiences What two purposes do you think Elizabeth McCracken might have had in mind when she wrote “Desiderata”? Support your answer with reasons and examples from the selection. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Grade 9 Unit 1 4