What is Genre?

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What is Genre?

• Category or type of literature

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All categories of books or stories can be called
either fiction, non-fiction, or poetry

• Fiction
• From the authors imagination
• Can be based on real life
• Has story elements character, plot, setting

• Non-Fiction
• Has facts that can be checked and proven
• The author is an expert on this information
• TRUE!

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Realistic fiction

• Characters act like real people
• Characters try to solve realistic problems
• The plot, characters, and setting are true to
  life

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Historical Fiction

• From the authors imagination
• Based on a historical event or period in time
• The story will stay true to setting, dates, and
  some characters

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Fantasy

• Characters may be imaginary beings that have
  special powers
• Setting may be in another time (future)
• Usually has a good vs. evil conflict

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Traditional Literature

• Fables, folktales, myths, and legends
• Passed down by oral tradition and part of a
  peoples culture
• May have many different versions of the same
  story

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Informational

• Tells facts that can be looked-up or proven
• Tells about real events
• May have maps, diagrams and illustrations to
  explain the facts
• Author is an expert on the subject

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Biography/Autobiography

• A factual book about a persons life
• The person can be someone from history or
  someone from the present

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Magazines or Periodicals

• The author is responsible to provide the reader
  with true information
• Usually based on current events
• Are published in a predictable manner

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Personal Accounts or Memoir

• Diaries, journals, and personal stories
• Can document a significant time in a persons
  life
• A person can share their reflection in life

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Poetry

• May have rhythm or a beat
• May rhyme
• Imaginative and creative
• Uses describing or exciting words
• Tells a story in verse

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How do you identify the genre?

• Read the back of the book
• Look at the cover
• Skim the chapters
• Remember to be flexible- Some books can be
  identified with more than one genre

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Why is it important to know genre?

• You know what to expect from the text
• It will help you use your reading strategies
  more effectively
• You can become a more independent reader

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I CHALLENGE YOU!!!

• Read at least five different types of genres
  this year.
• You never know, you may find a new favorite.