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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.
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]
Full Transcript
- 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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