Jane Hooper Grade 3

How do I identify a genre by its characteristics?

What is a literary genre?

A genre is a particular style or type of writing.

Major Genres

•

Fiction

– Writing that tells about imaginary people and events • Non-Fiction – Writing that tells about real people and events

•lines of poetry (verses) are written in stanzas •may include patterns of rhyme to capture the reader’s interest •uses carefully selected words and phrases to create vivid pictures in the reader’s mind

Drama

•a cast of characters •a narrator who gives important information •parts called •props acts or scenes to help support action •dialogue that tells what the actors say •stage directions in italics

Realistic Fiction

•The setting is realistic •The characters speak and act like real people •The story describes real-life problems and events

Fable

•Characters are simpler than real people - they may be completely greedy, completely wicked , or very gentle •Actions are repeated over and over •Some fables teach a lesson about what is important in life, such as fairness, kindness, or cleverness

• • • • •

Folk Tale

Told in many different versions by many different people Original storyteller is unknown Characters are animals that act and speak like people Repetition Use of the number three

Tall Tale

• E xtraordinary person - the main character is better at things than an ordinary person • E xaggeration – makes something greater or bigger than it really could be • E xplanation – explains how something came to be

Myth / Legend

• • • A kind of fantasy A very old story handed down by word of mouth Explains something about nature or answers questions about the meaning of life or what is good or evil

Fairy Tales

• Often begin with Once upon a time or Long, long ago Include magic or something enchanted Setting is a forest or a castle Include a good character and a bad (evil) character Involves a problem that is solved and the good people live happily ever after

Biography

• • • • • Nonfiction Story about a real person’s life that is written by another person Can cover a person’s whole life, part of a person’s life, or a single incident A true account of a person’s life based on facts collected by the author Written from the third person point of view (he or she)

References

• www.images.google.com

• www.microsoftoffice.com

• Scott Foresman Reading – grade 3