Nonfiction: Main Idea and Text Features

What Is Nonfiction?#

Nonfiction is writing about real people, places, events, and ideas. Unlike fiction — which tells made-up stories — nonfiction gives you true information about the world. Learning to read nonfiction well is a very important skill because most of the reading we do in life is nonfiction.

Types of Nonfiction#

Nonfiction comes in many forms:

• Textbooks — books used in school to teach subjects like science and social studies
• Informational articles — articles in magazines or websites about a topic
• Biographies — the life story of a real person
• How-to books — books that explain how to do something
• News reports — articles about current events

Why Nonfiction Reading Is Different#

Reading nonfiction requires different skills than reading fiction. When you read fiction, you follow a story. When you read nonfiction, you are looking for information. You need to:

• Find the most important ideas
• Understand new vocabulary
• Use text features to help you navigate the text
• Evaluate whether information is accurate and reliable

Reading with a Purpose#

Good nonfiction readers always have a purpose — a reason for reading. Before you read, ask yourself:

• What do I want to find out?
• What do I already know about this topic?

Having a purpose helps you focus and remember what you read.

Nonfiction Is Everywhere!#

You read nonfiction every day — labels on food packages, instructions for games, street signs, menus, and websites are all forms of nonfiction. The skills you learn for reading informational texts will help you every day of your life.

In Grade 3, you will learn to read nonfiction more carefully and skillfully, finding main ideas, understanding details, and using helpful text features. Let's get started!