Genres

Mrs. Maness
Fourth Grade
NWEMS - Fall 2009

Main Genre Groups

Fiction
Nonfiction
Poetry

Fiction
Story based on the
imagination of the
author
Written to entertain
the reader
Characterized by a
setting, characters,
dialog (talking),
problem/conflict,
climax, and solution

Fiction Subgroups
Traditional Literature
Fantasy
Science Fiction
Realistic Fiction
Historical Fiction
Mystery

Traditional Literature
Stories that are passed
down from one group to
another in history.
Includes folktales,
legends, fables,
fairytales, tall tales,
and myths from
different cultures.

Fantasy
Story including
elements that are
impossible such
as talking
animals or
magical powers.
Make-believe is
what this genre is
all about.

Science Fiction
A type of fantasy
that uses science
and technology
Robots, space, time
machines, aliens, etc.

Realistic Fiction
Story using made-up
characters that
could happen in real
life

Historical Fiction
Fictional story that
takes place in a
particular time period
in the past
Often the setting is
real, but the
characters are made
up from the authors
imagination

Mystery
Suspenseful story
about a puzzling
event that is not
solved until the end
of the story

What Genre Is This Book?

Using what you know
about book genres,
what genre do you
think this book
belongs?
How do you know?

What Genre Is This Book?

Using what you know
about book genres,
what genre do you
think this book
belongs?
Realistic fiction because
it looks like it is going
to tell a story about
something that could
happen (maybe a fire?)

Nonfiction
Written work based
on facts
Written to inform the
reader
Characterized by
providing information
about topics; various
text structures;
providing information

Nonfiction Subgroups
Informational
Biography
Autobiography

Informational
Texts that provide
facts about a
variety of topics
such as sports,
animals, science,
history, careers,
travel, geography,
space, weather, etc.)

Biography
The story of a real
persons life written
by another person

Autobiography
The story of a real
persons life that is
written by that
person (the author)

What Genre Is This Book?

Using what you know
about book genres,
what genre do you
think this book
belongs?
How do you know?

What Genre Is This Book?

Using what you know
about book genres,
what genre do you
think this book
belongs?
Informational
because it looks like it
will give information
about a topic
(tornadoes).

Poetry
Written to create a
response of thought
and feeling from
the reader, or
express feeling
Often uses rhythm
and rhyme to help
convey its meaning

What Genre Is This Book?

Using what you know
about book genres,
what genre do you
think this book
belongs?
How do you know?

What Genre Is This Book?

Using what you know
about book genres,
what genre do you
think this book
belongs?
Autobiography
because it is the story
of a real persons life
written by that person
(Martin Luther King,
Jr.)

What Genre Is This Book?

Using what you know
about book genres,
what genre do you
think this book
belongs?
How do you know?

What Genre Is This Book?

Using what you know
about book genres,
what genre do you
think this book
belongs?
Poetry
because it is a book
with songs, which
are forms of poetry

What Genre Is This Book?

Using what you know
about book genres,
what genre do you
think this book
belongs?
How do you know?

What Genre Is This Book?

Using what you know
about book genres,
what genre do you
think this book
belongs?
Historical Fiction
because it looks like it
is going to be a story
that takes place in a
past time period