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ELA 5: Genres of Non-Fiction 486 Views


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Description:

Calling a book “non-fiction” is a bit like saying you have a dog. Sure it covers the basics, but there's a big difference between a Doberman and a terripoo. Check out this video to learn about the different genres of non-fiction, and no, "terripoo" isn't one of them. We were disappointed, too.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

[Coop and Dino singing]

00:13

For most people, the concept of “genre” is a tricky one. [Fishing float goes underwater]

00:16

You think you've got it all figured out…and then it slips right through your fingers.

00:20

The fact is… genres overlap and even cross over one into another.

00:24

Not everything fits neatly into a box. [Woman placing items in a box]

00:27

Take the genres of nonfiction. Some nonfiction is…a bit personal in nature.

00:34

Plenty of writers tell the stories of their lives in autobiographies. [Coop pointing to nonfiction on a chalkboard]

00:37

People also write journals and diaries.

00:40

They send letters.

00:41

They…leave nasty notes under windshield wipers… [A man stood by his car with a nasty note under the windshield wipers]

00:45

Eventually, all that personal nonfiction can become part of history!

00:48

If it doesn’t end up in the trash first… [Sticky note falls in the trash]

00:51

History describes settings and events from the past.

00:54

Historians try to stick to the facts,

00:56

but they often use narrative elements to keep things interesting.

01:01

That's because people like to read stories about… people. [Woman reading a book on animals to a little girl]

01:03

My, aren’t we a self-centered bunch…

01:07

Experts write essays.

01:09

This kind of nonfiction tells us laymen all about what the experts know. [Experts in a meeting]

01:13

Much of the time, the experts write essays with the purpose of being persuasive.

01:18

Like you, when you’re angling for an extra fifteen minutes before bedtime. [Child asking parents to stay up for 15 extra minutes]

01:22

The writers of these essays try to convince people to see things a certain way.

01:25

So…an essay can also be an argument.

01:29

Experts don’t get to have all the fun though. [people riding a rollercoaster]

01:32

Pretty much anyone can write a personal essay…as long as they’ve got something they think

01:36

is worth talking about. [person receiving dental treatment]

01:39

There’s creative non-fiction…

01:41

…which is basically a gussied-up, more artistic type of non-fiction.

01:45

It still covers factual matters…

01:47

…but with a bit more imagery and some fancy-shmancy adjectives thrown in there. [a fancy castle building and an eagle flying slow-mo]

01:52

Informational text comes in many forms.

01:55

A lot of the text in this category is instructional.

01:58

For example… a recipe is an informational text.

02:01

And it’s really nothing more than a set of instructions. [a set of recipe instructions]

02:04

So are the directions for setting up a new phone.

02:07

Sometimes you find these functional how-to texts inside another text, such as a history lesson.

02:13

Although…history lessons are generally pretty bad at helping you figure out how to bake a casserole. [man reading a history book while cooking a casserole]

02:18

So yeah…they all kinda do their own thing.

02:20

The point is, genre is just a way to describe or classify something.

02:25

It's a tool that helps people discuss a text…

02:27

…and analyze its themes and purposes. [Coop discussing genres]

02:30

Which is great if you, uh…don’t have any other plans on a Saturday night… [Girl by the front door asking for someone to analyze themes]

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