Every day, from the time we wake up until we go to sleep, we constantly encounter new information. Television, radio, the Internet, newspapers, magazines, books, and advertisements all compete for our attention. Every global development is analyzed in the press. Statistics reveal information that may or may not be useful.
The challenge is to avoid possible information overload and to separate quality from quantity. Only then will information be valuable to us.
Exploring the Big Question
Collaboration: Group Discussion Start thinking about the Big Question by identifying different types of information. Discuss with a group at least one example of information that would be important to someone in each of these situations:
• A historian writing a biography
• An emergency-room doctor receiving a patient
• A hiker exploring dry backcountry that is prone to fires
• A social scientist researching children's television-viewing habits
• A government official looking into complaints about racial or gender discrimination
Talk about why each type of information would be helpful and how you might evaluate its quality. As you participate in the discussion, listen to one another's ideas carefully and add your own observations and comments. Pose questions and respond thoughtfully to those asked by others. Respond respectfully to others' ideas while you clearly express your own.
Connecting to the Literature Each reading in this unit will give you additional insight into the Big Question.
461
Learning Big Question Vocabulary
Acquire and Use Academic Vocabulary Academic vocabulary is the language you encounter in textbooks and on standardized tests. Review the definitions of these academic vocabulary words.
Use these words as you complete Big Question activities that involve reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
Gather Vocabulary Knowledge Additional Big Question words are listed below. Categorize the words by deciding whether you know each one well, know it a little bit, or do not know it at all.
Then, do the following:
1. Write the definitions of the words you know.
2. Consult a dictionary to confirm the word's meaning. Revise your definition if necessary.
3. Using a print or an online dictionary, look up the meanings of the words you do not know. Then, write the meanings.
4. If a word sounds familiar but you are not sure of its meaning, consult a dictionary. Then, record the meaning.
5. Use all of the words in a brief paragraph about the value of different types of information.
462
COMMON CORE Literary Analysis Workshop: Types of Nonfiction: Elements of Literary Nonfiction
Literary nonfiction discusses real people, places, and events while using literary techniques and expressing artistic insight.
Literary nonfiction is writing that describes real people, places, events, and ideas, but it employs the types of craft and artistry you are used to seeing in fiction or poetry. For that reason, it is sometimes called “creative nonfiction.”
For example, in an account of a historic soccer game, an author might include conversations among players. Such use of dialogue—a technique you know from fiction—helps readers better understand the players' thoughts and feelings. In describing the game, the author might also build suspense, or a feeling of tension about what will happen next.
Works of literary nonfiction may focus on big topics, such as the causes of a war. Alternatively, they may focus on small topics, such as a moment in someone's life. Regardless of the topic, a literary nonfiction work expresses a central idea, or key point. It also conveys the author's unique point of view, or perspective, on the topic.
An author develops a central idea by presenting supporting details that add information. To help the reader understand the connections between ideas and details, the author presents them in a logical order. Sometimes, an author will follow a formal pattern of organization, such as one of the formats described in the chart below.
Common Organizational PatternsPattern or OrderPresenting events in time order, or the sequence in which they occurredExample: the true story of a mission to MarsComparison and ContrastGrouping elements of a subject according to their similarities and differencesExample: a review of two different productions of a playCause and EffectDescribing a problem and then explaining one or more ways to solve it• to persuade or to argue
