After This Lesson…
 Students will classify a literary
work as a specific genre by
applying context clues and justify
their reasoning by citing evidence.
What is a Genre?
Genres are categories that all written materials
fit into based on common structures and themes.
There are five main genres of literature:
 Fiction
 Nonfiction
 Drama
 Folklore
 Poetry
What is Fiction?
Hello There!
Fiction is anything that did not happen in real life.
There are four subgenres of fiction:
 Historical Fiction
 Realistic Fiction
 Science Fiction
 Fantasy
Subgenre: Historical Fiction
 Set in the past (history)
 Involves real people or historical events
 The story itself never happened – is made up by the
author
 Scott O’Dell Award
Historical Fiction Examples
 Novels about wars – Civil War, WWI, WWII, etc.
 Novels about epidemics –yellow fever, Spanish influenza, etc.
 Novels about tragedies – Titanic, aftermath of nuclear bombing
Dear America Books
Journal Format
Interesting Stories
Subgenre: Realistic Fiction
Takes place in any time period
Events in the story realistically could have occurred, but did
not
Places in the story could exist in real life
Discusses real-life problems and issues
Realistic Fiction Examples
Common YA themes
 Loss of family/friends
 Honesty - guilt
 Discovering your identity
 Standing up to peer pressure
 Choosing right over wrong
 Survival
 Examples:
 Hatchet, The Bridge to Terabithia, On My Honor
 The Outsiders, Trapped, Freak the Mighty
Subgenre: Science Fiction
Set in the future
Involves aliens, robots,
futuristic technology, space ships
Could not take place with the
technology we have today
Science Fiction Examples
 The Hunger Games Trilogy
 A Wrinkle in Time
The Giver
Ender’s Game
Bar Code
Subgenre: Fantasy
Takes place in the past, present, or
future
Involves monsters, creatures,
magic, characters with magical
or superhuman powers
Cannot take place within our society
Fantasy Examples
Harry Potter
Percy Jackson
Monstrumologist
Goosebumps
What is Non-Fiction?
Non-Fiction is any true depiction of a person or event in
history.
Based on facts or evidence gathered during research
There are four subgenres of Non-Fiction:
 Informational Writing
 Persuasive Writing
 Biography
 Autobiography
Subgenre: Informational Writing
Explains something to the audience
Provides information – Sources, Facts, Statistics, Dates
Can cover many different topics
 Science
 Social Studies
 Life Skills
 Language Skills
 Hobbies
Informational Writing Examples
 Newspaper / Magazine Articles
 Textbooks
 Encyclopedias
 Record Books
Subgenre: Persuasive Writing
Tries to influence or convince the reader
Tells one side of the story (bias or favoritism)
Will present an argument and supporting evidence
May be opinion-based
Persuasive Writing Examples
 Letters to the Editor
 Pamphlets
 Brochures
 Political Speeches
 Advertising
campaigns
Subgenre: Biography
Story about a person’s life
Written by someone other than who the story is about
Official or unofficial
Biography Examples
 Steve Jobs: Thinking Differently
 Who Was/Is …
 (Leonardo daVinci, George Washington, etc.)
 Discovery Education – JFK, Abraham Lincoln
Magazine Interviews
Subgenre: Autobiography
Written about someone’s life
Written by the person it is about
Memoirs / Diaries / Journals
Autobiography Examples
 The Diary of Anne Frank
 Guts: The True Stories Behind
Hatchet and the Brian Books
 A Girl from Yamhill: A Memoir
 Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio
1
Your Science Textbook
Your science textbook contains much of the human
knowledge of Earth and the universe.
Genre: ______________________________
Subgenre: ___________________________
2
In My Own Words by Eva Perón
Eva Perón writes the story of her life from childhood to
her rise in political power in Argentina.
Genre: ____________________________
Subgenre: _________________________
3
They Came from the Sun by Tom Mitchell
The story of a race of aliens that come to enslave the
residents of Earth with their advanced weaponry. Only
one teacher can stop them, but is it too late?
Genre: ____________________________
Subgenre: _________________________
4
The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis
It is the story of an African American family living in Flint,
Michigan who go to their grandmother's home in
Birmingham, Alabama in the year 1963. The story is told
around the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in
Birmingham, an actual event in history, even though the
characters never really existed.
Genre: ______________________________
Subgenre: ___________________________
5
“Going, Going ... Green!” By Angela Gaimari
In this essay, Gaimari tries to convince people to do
small things to help the environment. She gives
readers many suggestions on how to live more ecofriendly and asks readers to make the change.
Genre: ____________________________
Subgenre: _________________________
6
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
In his first year of middle school, the main character
Greg Heffley deals with “cooties,” learning to wrestle,
Halloween, acting in the school play, and other problems
that many middle school students face.
Genre: ____________________________
Subgenre: _________________________
7
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
In the fourth and final novel in the Twilight series, Bella, a
newly-turned vampire, must defend her vampire husband
and family, and new half-vampire, half-human baby from an
unjustified attack by the Volturi, the ancient vampire
authority, using powers developed in her mind.
Genre: ____________________________
Subgenre: _________________________
Up Next
Classifying Literature: Part 2