Offline Learning Activity for English 10

Home , Literary genre

Day: Day 20 Topic: Creative Nonfiction Standard: RI.10.10 Time: 30 minutes

Overview This learning activity is for students to use when they do not have access to the course.

Objectives

After completing this activity, students will be able to . . .

● Read and comprehend nonfiction texts

Assignment Instructions

Read the following lesson on Creative Nonfiction, taking notes as you go, then answer the questions that follow.

Grading Info

5 questions worth 2 points per question with a total of 10 points.

Offline Learning Activity for English 10

In the context of what you currently know about creative fiction and nonfiction the name of the genre, creative nonfiction, may seem like an oxymoron. However, creative nonfiction is one of the fastest growing genres in literary publishing.

Creative nonfiction presents true stories in a way that uses literary storytelling and elements to make the story compelling and engaging. The goal of creative nonfiction is to craft a nonfiction reading experience that is compelling, dramatic, and reads like a fiction story. The nonfiction stories used in this genre can be private or public: they can be stories shared from the author’s own life, or they can be public stories that have been researched and shared by the author. Private stories are owned by the author – it is their own lives and his or hers to share as the author sees fit. Public stories consist of somebody else’s story, are researched and based in facts and present a larger concept for consideration.

Creative nonfiction is also known as:

● Literary Nonfiction ● Literary Journalism ● Literary Memoir ● Imaginative Nonfiction ● Lyric Essay ● Narrative Nonfiction ● Personal Essay ● Personal Narrative ● 4th literary genre (poetry, drama, fiction are the other 3)

Creative nonfiction draws together research, reflections, experience, memory, observation and opinion in different combinations to breathe life into actual stories.

Check out the presentation below for more information about creative nonfiction.

What is Creative Nonfiction? Creative nonfiction represents the best of both worlds: it combines engaging literary elements found in fictional narratives as well as the observations and true story facts of nonfiction. This genre describes real-life stories in a vivid and compelling manner that is typically found in a narrative.

This genre is growing in popularity. Essentially:

Creative Nonfiction = Elements of fictional stories [plot, pacing, point of view, setting, character development] + Factual events Key Elements of the Genre: Offline Learning Activity for English 10

○ Characterization- Characters have depth, may engage in dialogue and develop as they would in fictional stories. They can have complexity. The fact that they are based on actual people and actual struggles helps to create interest. ○ Narration- The creative aspect of the genre allows more freedom in the narrative structure of the work than you typically find in nonfiction. Because the information is presented more like a story, a writer can use flashbacks, flashforwards and pace the story as needed to highlight or emphasize key moments for dramatic effect. ○ Plot- As noted earlier, the plot can follow the standard structure of a fictional story. The details and facts are true, but the structure helps bring it together in a way that is cohesive and engaging. ○ Point of view- Just as with other forms of creative writing, different points of view can be used. First person allows for a personal experience, observations, opinions and reflections and is often used for these reasons. ○ Reflection- The subjects of creative nonfiction works are often personally meaningful to the writer, and - as a result- personal reflections are often a central part of the writing. The genre allows writers to comment on the impact of events, to reflect on the meaning of key experiences and how they relate to the larger context. Reflection is one of the hallmarks of the genre. ○ Research- One of the defining characteristics of the genre is that it is based on true stories and founded on facts. There is a trust in the writer that what they are presenting is as truthful as they claim. So, often writers will research a topic and the people involved heavily to accurately represent the information.

Two types of Creative Nonfiction

Private:

○ Includes things like journal reflections and memoirs wherein the author focuses on making meaning of their own past events and experiences. The stories are owned by the author that shares them. It happened to them. ○ Memoirs: Rely a lot on memory instead of straight facts. The author shapes and presents the memory in a way that is meaningful and coherent for the reader, while exploring why the memory is relevant or important to explore. It is subjective

Public:

○ The writing is still based on fact and true stories, but the author is writing about something that happened outside of their own lives. Technically, anyone could write on the topic. It is researched and presented as a narrative to engage the reader and to present the story as a part of a bigger picture.

How Does this Compare to the Nonfiction Genre from the Previous Lesson? Offline Learning Activity for English 10

Similarities:

○ Both genres are based upon fact or real-life instead of fictional stories. ○ They are both written for the purpose of sharing.

Differences:

○ While nonfiction writing most often serves the purpose of providing information, creative nonfiction serves to not only inform on certain topics, but to reflect, share opinions and share in events and situations that define us as human beings. It is a way of exploring and making meaning of our existence in a manner that is real, honest and communal. ○ They adhere to different text structures. ○ Nonfiction has defining patterns of organization

Questions:

1. What is the goal of creative nonfiction? ______2. Which of the following is NOT part of what draws together creative nonfiction? A. Memory B. Opinion C. Research D. Journalism E. Observation

3. (True or False) With one of the key elements of creative nonfiction being narration, this allows less freedom in the narrative structure of the work than you typically find in nonfiction. 4. What is the main difference in PRIVATE and PUBLIC creative nonfiction? ______

5. What is one similarity between nonfiction (as we have studied in previous lessons) and creative nonfiction? ______

Offline Learning Activity for English 10