THE ELEMENTS OF
NONFICTION
GRADE 7
OBJECTIVES
• explore the key idea of disease
• identify and compare patterns of organization
(cause-and-effect, chronological order)
• interpret graphic aids (map, bar graph)
• read magazine articles
Reading
• set a purpose for reading
Vocabulary
• build vocabulary for reading and writing
• understand and use specialized vocabulary
Grammar and Writing
• write a compare-contrast essay
TAKE OUT
Binder with Paper
Use Cornell Note-taking method.
NONFICTION PART 4
NONFICTION
LEARNING GOAL – READ NONFICTION WITH INCREASED
COMPREHENSION AND A CRITICAL, ANALYTICAL POINT OF
VIEW.
NONFICTION UNIT
We will read selections that use facts for the purposes of informing,
argument, and persuasion.
You will discover how to determine what is true, what is false, and what is
open to debate.
NONFICTION - ACADEMIC
VOCABULARY
• fact
• argument
• opinion
• persuasive techniques
• text features
• reasoning
NONFICTION
summary
“Like Black Smoke” tells how the bubonic
plague spread from wild rodents in Asia to
human populations in western Europe, moving
along trade routes via fleas and ships.
“A World Turned Upside Down” tells how
depopulation brought far-reaching social and
economic change, especially by contributing to
the decline of the feudal system.
NONFICTION
Patterns of Organization
Nonfiction writers use a pattern of organization to help
them explain key points. Here are two common patterns:
1 • Cause-and-effect organization points out the relationship
between an event and its cause or effect. Signal words and
phrases, such as caused, because, and led to, may indicate a
cause or an effect.
2 • Chronological order organizes events according to when
they happened. Signal words include after and the
following and phrases that give specific times or dates.
As you read, decide how each article’s pattern of organization
helps the author explain her main points.
NONFICTION
Tasting cookie dough or cake batter can lead to
infection by Salmonella enteritidis because this
bacterium may be present in uncooked eggs.
How is the information organized?
Signal words?
READING STRATEGY
reading strategy: set a purpose for reading
As you read these two articles, look for similarities and
differences in the information the articles contain and the
ways they are organized. A chart like the one shown in the textbook can help
you identify these similarities and differences.
READING STRATEGY
CHECK UNDERSTANDING
How is reading for information different from reading just for fun?
NONFICTION
• Disease
http://youtu.be/Gs5Uh0Fah_k - Black Death
Text Pages 894-905
CLOSING