Unit 1Non-fiction, Media &

Information

•Give a summary to reflect your ability to extract information from a text

•Analyse how a text is constructed for effect or follow an argument and identify structure and inconsistencies

•Write to inform, explain or describe

Question 1

Summary

Summary

•A shorter version of a longer piece of writing

•A restatement of the key points & ideas

•Written in YOUR OWN WORDS

•It reflects reading & writing skills

•Work chronologically & ignore non-essential

information – look for topic sentences

•Use a highlighter & marginal notes to plan

Question 2

Analysis of an unseen non-fiction text

Common types of non-fiction

•Articles•Speeches•Guides•Leaflets•Reviews•Reports

P.A.T.

Text type

Audience

Content

Purpose

Text type – L.I.S.T.

Language (vocabulary & sentence structures)

Information (content)

Style & presentation (layout)

Tone (voice & expression)

Language

•Narrative perspective•Tense•Sentence types•Vocabulary•Lexical fields

‘The sight has become familiar: drunken young men, travelling in groups, letting themselves and their country down. Heavy drinking, violence and racial hatred is all part of the culture of young Britain, and is generally followed by expressions of self pity when the local police take action.’

‘The sight has become all too familiar: drunken yobs, hunting in packs, degrading themselves and shaming the flag of their country. Heavy drinking, violence and racial hatred is all part of the culture of young Britain, and is generally followed by whines and bleats of self pity when those trusted with upholding the law are forced to take action.’

Information

•Opinion•Fact•A combination of the two•Order & structure

Style & presentational devices

•Reported speech•Exemplification•Facts & figures•Images & graphics•Captions•Headings•Layout & white space•Bullet points & text divisions•Font & text type

Tone

•Formal or informal?•Serious or humorous?•Friendly or impersonal?

Question 3Inform, explain, describe

To inform – putting information across clearly

To explain – helping readers to understand processes or a point of view in more detail

To describe - expressing ideas in an imaginative way

To inform – to tell

•Provide information – ‘who, what, when, where’

•Logical organisation & layout

•Clear factual style

•Balanced opinion & fact

•Keep an eye out for bias

•Present tense

•Discourse markers

CHAVS

Chavs are an easily identifiable group of teenagers, and possibly one of the

ones you may find more intimidating, as they like to hang around in large

groups, not unlike other teenagers. They are identified by their clothing,

which consists of “Timmy’s” or Timberland boots, track-suit bottoms tucked

into their socks, which rise about 4 inches above the boot, and they are likely

to wear Fred Perry or Lacoste sweaters. You may also identify a “chav” by

their jewellery.

Males of the species wear lots of gold chains and bracelets, topped off with

large ‘sovereign’ rings. A female “chav” often wears large, hooped earrings,

gold chains and sovereign rings. Another noticeable feature of your typical

“chav” is that they have a love of all things Burberry, Fred Perry, or, more

recently, Prada.

The make-up worn by your typical female “chav” is also very distinctive,

as they go for a particularly interesting shade of orange, coupled with

violent shades of eyeshadow and thick mascara, topped off with a

‘Croydon Facelift’. The now-notorious ‘Croydon Facelift’ is a popular

hairstyle of female “chavs”, referring to a high, tight ponytail which is

said to pull the skin of the face back, as popularised by Michelle Bass, of

Big Brother fame.

The “chav”, then, is instantly recognisable as being a label-junkie,

dripping with gold jewellery and, if female, plastered with make-up and

having scraped-back hair.

To Explain – to give detail

•Addresses ‘why’ or ‘how’

•Detail

•Exemplification & anecdotes

•Step by step order

•Use of 3rd person

•Impersonal, precise & factual

•Discourse markers

We all enjoy having friends - and few of us are without at least one friend we would call 'special'. But just what is this thing called friendship?

Well, for a start, friends come in all shapes and sizes - young and old, tall and short, dishy-looking and plain. Of course, it's not really what a friend looks like on the outside that counts at all it's what a friend is like on the inside. And I don't mean their hearts, lungs and stomachy bits, either. Friendship is about feelings. A friend is someone that you know really well and who knows you really well, too. A friend is someone who you can trust and a friend is someone who can trust you, too. A friend is someone who knows about your good bits, and about your not so good bits and a friend is someone whose good bits and not-so-good bits you know just as well.

Are you beginning to see a common thread here? Yes - friendship is a two-way game. You can't have a special friend unless that friend also has a special friend. You. And that is where things sometimes begin to go wrong. For your friend might not see you as quite as special as you see him or her. So how can you know if both you and your friend are playing a singles or a doubles match...?

•Subheadings

•Clear topic sentences to start brief paragraphs

Noun + Verb or Noun + Qualifying Adjective –

‘Wolves hunt in packs.’

‘Acids are common substances.’

•Connectives to join ideas between & within sentences

Discourse MarkersInform / Explain

Connectives

•Quantity – all, some, most, few, many, the majority of

•Cause & effect – consequently, because, therefore,

since, until, whenever, eventually, as a result

•Comparison – equally, similarly, compared with, in

the same way

•Contrast – but, however, alternatively, instead, apart

from, in contrast, yet, nevertheless

Connectives

•Sequence – In the first place, secondly, next,

gradually, over time, when, while, meanwhile,

eventually, finally, until

•Contrast & Comparison – alternatively, on the other

hand, however, although, whereas, otherwise, but

•Addition– and, too, as well as, furthermore, also,

again, moreover, in addition, another, what is more,

the following

To Describe – painting word pictures

•Appealing to the senses

•Use of similes & metaphors

•Descriptive vocabulary

•Use of adjectives & adverbs

•Creative viewpoint

Your school has been invited to host several overseas students who have no experience of Christmas.

You have been asked to write a letter, explaining to them the history and traditions of Christmas. The letter will help them to understand and appreciate the celebrations upon their arrival.

•Birth of Christ•Modern family celebration•Presents•Xmas tree & decorations•Advent calendar •Mistletoe•Crackers•Santa Claus•Queen’s speech•Carols•Turkey dinner•Game playing•Xmas cards