Short-Answer Items:

Have students respond to the following prompts:

1. Explain how literary nonfiction and fiction are alike.
2. Name one way in which nonfiction and fiction text structures are alike and one way in which they are different.
3. Explain why it is important for readers to understand the organization of fiction and nonfiction text structures.

Short-Answer Key and Scoring Rubric:

1. Literary nonfiction and fiction both have character, plot, setting, and theme.
2. Similarities: Nonfiction and fiction text structures both have an organized pattern, and they are written for a specific purpose.

Differences: Nonfiction has text features and signal words and is organized in the following ways: question/answer, cause/effect, chronology, comparison, or problem/ solution. Fiction is structured around literary elements such as character, plot, setting, and theme.

3. Nonfiction and fiction text structures are important for readers to understand so that they can interpret information and make meaningful connections within and between texts.

Performance Assessment:

Have students create a brochure to teach other students about fiction, literary nonfiction, or informational nonfiction text structures.

• If choosing to complete an informational text structure brochure, students should complete the following steps:

1. Fold pieces of construction paper to create a brochure with a cover and five pages.
2. The cover should have a creative title, such as “Interesting Informational Text Structures.”
3. The inside pages should each name one of the text structures, the definition of the text structure, signal words that can be used with this text structure, and at least two book titles that represent the text structure. For example, each page should be labeled with one of the following text structures:
   1. Question/Answer
   2. Cause/Effect
   3. Chronology
   4. Comparison
   5. Problem/Solution

• If choosing to complete a fiction or literary nonfiction text structure brochure, students should complete the following steps:

1. Fold pieces of construction paper to create a brochure with a cover and five pages.
2. The cover should have a creative title, such as “Fantastic Fiction Text Structures.”
3. The inside pages should each name a fiction text structure, the definition of the text structure, and an example of the text structure from a well- known fictional text. For example, each page should be labeled with one of the following text structures:
   1. Character
   2. Plot
      • conflict
      • rising action
      • climax
      • falling action
      • resolution
   3. Setting
   4. Theme

Performance Assessment Scoring Rubric: