Genre
Genre = Category
- Subgenre
- Subgenre = Category within a category
- Example
- A BANANA → is a FOOD → is a FRUIT.
- Harry Potter → is FICTION → is FANTASY.
Lesson Preview · Grades 6-8
Genre and Subgenre Lesson
Skill: Genre and Subgenre
This lesson explains the five major literary genres — fiction, nonfiction, folklore, drama, and poetry — and then dives into some of the subgenres. Students learn to identify and distinguish subgenres like science fiction, mystery, historical fiction, biography, autobiography, informational text, fable, fairy tale, myth, legend, and tall tale. After the lesson, students practice classifying a variety of texts by genre and subgenre. Available at three reading levels for grades 3–12.
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Genre Overview
The 5 Main Genres
- Fiction - Creative or imaginative writing; made up.
- Nonfiction - Writing that is true or factual.
- Folklore - Stories once passed down orally (by word of mouth).
- Drama - A play or script.
- Poetry - Writing that is concerned with the beauty of language.
- Let's look at each of these more closely...
Subgenres of Fiction
An Overview
- Realistic Fiction
- Historical Fiction
- Science Fiction
- Fantasy
- Let's look at each of these a little closer.
Realistic Fiction
Stories that could be true but aren't.
- Key Clues
- Everyday settings, relatable problems, no magic/aliens/historical anchors.
- Examples
- The Captain’s Choice by Marcus Reed
- Jordan has a tough choice to make. Will he help his best friend during basketball tryouts or stay quiet to secure the final spot on the team himself?
- The Project Partner by Amara Wells
- A girl gets paired with a goofball partner for a science project. Now she has to decide whether to do all the work herself or speak up before the deadline.
Historical Fiction
A made-up story set around a real event or person from history
- Key Clues
- Specific dates or eras and real wars or events from the past.
- Examples
- Seeds to Dreams by Emma Holmes
- In 1942, a young girl named Lily helps her mother plant a "Victory Garden." She and her mother help feed hungry neighbors while waiting for her father to return home from the war.
- To Go Alone by Sally Parks
- Sarah moves to a new school in 1960. This new school is guarded by troops. They are integrating the school by force. Sarah has to face this challenge while also dealing with pressure from her neighbors.
Science Fiction
Has aliens, advanced technology, or is set in outer space or the future
- Key Clues
- Futuristic dates, space travel, alien species, and advanced technology
- Examples
- The Blinking Star by Ravi Anand
- In the year 2275, a girl named Kira lives on a space station. One night her robot dog picks up a strange signal from a star that no one has explored. Kira wants to find out what is sending the signal.
- Shadow Over Titan by Elise Park
- When a storm cuts power at a research base on Titan, Lena discovers the repair drones are obeying commands from somewhere deep under the ice.
Fantasy
Has monsters, magic, or characters with superpowers
- Key Clues
- Spells, dragons, monsters, or magical realms
- Examples
- The Jar of Winds by Sophie Callahan
- Ten-year-old Mateo finds a glass jar in his attic. When he opens it, a tiny storm flies out. His grandmother says there are more jars hidden in the house, and each jar holds a different kind of magic.
- Shadows of Eldoria by Meryl Vance
- A young apprentice discovers he has the rare ability to control shadows with his mind. He must master his new powers to protect his hidden city from an army of rock monsters.
Subgenres of Nonfiction
An Overview
- Informational Writing
- Persuasive Writing
- Autobiography
- Biography
- Let's look at each of these a little more closely.
Informational Writing
Gives facts, explains, teaches
- Key Clues
- Textbooks, cookbooks, how-to guides, reference materials; may have an objective tone; explains, describes, or teaches something
- Examples
- All About Tides by Dr. Howard Brown
- This book explains what tides are. It teaches readers why the ocean moves in and out every day. It also describes how the moon helps pull the water.
- How to Grill by Ron Sanders
- This text teaches the proper way to grill steaks, hamburgers, veggies, and more. You too can learn to never burn another burger again.
Persuasive Writing
Tries to influence or convince the reader
- Key Clues
- Argues, tries to convince, uses words like "should" or "must," asks readers to take action
- Examples
- Drop the Dress Code by Isaiah Monroe
- Isaiah argues that his school's strict dress code doesn't improve learning. He thinks that the dress code punishes students for expressing themselves. He urges readers to attend the next school board meeting and speak up.
- Let Us Sleep by Tanya Oaks
- Tanya argues that school should start later because tired students make more mistakes, feel worse, and learn less. She closes her essay by asking readers to sign her petition.
Autobiography
One's life story written by oneself
- Root Words
- AUTO = self | BIO = life | GRAPHY = writing
- Examples
- My Hands in the Soil by Elena Ruiz
- Elena Ruiz tells the true story of growing up on her family’s small farm during a long drought. In her own words, she describes the work, the worry, and the pride of not giving up.
- The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
- Helen tells her own true story about becoming deaf and blind as a baby and learning to read and write with the help of her teacher, Anne Sullivan. Helen shares stories of some of her happy times and greatest challenges.
Biography
A person’s life story written by someone else
- Root Words
- BIO = life | GRAPHY = writing
- Examples
- The Boy Who Asked Why by Renee Caldwell
- Caldwell tells the true story of Albert Einstein. As a kid, he was quiet and curious. He loved to ask questions about how the world worked. He grew up to become one of the most famous scientists ever.
- Freedom's Lantern: The Story of Harriet Tubman by Samuel Oakley
- This book, written by Samuel Oakley, is about the real life of Harriet Tubman. She escaped slavery and then went back to help others escape too. She never gave up, even when the journey was dangerous.
Folklore
Stories passed down by telling and retelling
- Part of the oral tradition
- Usually teach a lesson or explain something
- "RETOLD BY," "ADAPTED BY," and "UNKNOWN"
Subgenres of Folklore
An Overview
- Fable
- Fairy Tale
- Tall Tale
- Legend
- Myth
- Let's look at each of these a little more closely.
Fable
Very short story with talking animals and a clearly stated moral
- Key Clues
- Very short; animals act and speak like humans; ends with a clearly stated lesson
- Examples
- The Tortoise and the Hare retold by Nina Solis
- A boastful Hare mocks a Tortoise for being the slowest creature in the meadow. Then he challenges the Tortoise to a race to prove it. The Hare sprints ahead with ease and, confident the race is already won, lies down to take a nap. The Tortoise plods forward slowly, but without stopping, and he eventually crosses the finish line while the Hare is still sleeping. Slow and steady wins the race.
- The Ant and the Grasshopper retold by Marcus Adler
- While an Ant spends the long summer hauling grain back to his colony, a Grasshopper lounges nearby, singing and teasing the Ant for working so hard. When winter arrives and the fields are bare, the Grasshopper comes begging for food. The Ant just asks him what he did all summer. Prepare today for the needs of tomorrow.
Fairy Tale
Has magic, monsters, and/or talking animals
- Key Clues
- “Once upon a time,” human main character, magic and monsters
- Examples
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears retold by Catherine Marsh
- Once upon a time, a girl named Goldilocks wanders into a cottage deep in the forest. She decides to help herself to the belongings of its three bear residents. She eats their porridge, breaks a chair, and falls asleep in the smallest bed. When the bear family returns home, they discover the intruder. Goldilocks wakes in a panic and flees through the window, never to return.
- Cinderella adapted by Rosa Vidal
- Once upon a time, a girl named Cinderella was living with her mean stepmother and her wicked stepsisters. They made Cinderella do all the cleaning and chores and never let her have any fun. One night, Cinderella's fairy godmother uses magic to give Cinderella a beautiful dress and glass slippers. She even gives Cinderella an enchanted pumpkin carriage! Cinderella goes to the prince's ball and has a grand time. But at midnight, the magic wears off and Cinderella must return home. The love-smitten prince finds the glass slipper that she left behind and searches for her. He uses this slipper as a clue to find her, and in the end they live happily ever after.
Tall Tale
Funny stories set in the Wild West where the main character's size or skill is greatly exaggerated
- Key Clues
- American frontier setting and humorous exaggeration
- Examples
- Paul Bunyan and the Great Lakes retold by Gerald Hawkins
- Paul Bunyan was the biggest, strongest lumberjack who ever lived. Paul was so tall that he could use pine trees as toothpicks. He was so strong he could pull a river straight. Paul logged entire forests in a single afternoon. In fact, the Great Lakes are nothing but Paul's footprints from the time he hiked from Maine to Minnesota in a weekend.
- Pecos Bill and the Tornado retold by Donna Whitfield
- Pecos Bill was the toughest cowboy in the whole Wild West. He could lasso a lightning bolt and wrestle a grizzly bear before breakfast. Raised by coyotes on the open plains, he became the greatest cowboy the frontier ever saw. When a monstrous tornado ripped across west Texas, Bill didn't run. He lassoed it around the neck, climbed on top, and rode it like a wild mustang across three states.
Legend
A story based on a real person or place that might be true but is exaggerated
- Key Clues
- Based on a real figure, facts stretched beyond nonfiction, tone is serious
- Examples
- 300 retold by Anton Christou
- King Leonidas of Sparta led a force of just 300 warriors to hold the narrow pass at Thermopylae. The Persian army numbered in the hundreds of thousands. For three days, the Spartans refused to retreat, fighting in shifts and using the tight terrain to neutralize the enemy's overwhelming numbers. The size of the Persian army meant nothing in this narrow pass. Leonidas and his men defeated tens of thousands of Persians. This small but brave fighting force saved Sparta.
- Robin Hood and the Silver Arrow adapted by Margaret Ashford
- An outlaw named Robin Hood hid in the ancient depths of Sherwood Forest and waged a one-man war against the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham. With a band of loyal followers, Robin robbed wealthy nobles and returned the money to the poor. He became a hero to the common people. He was said to be such a skilled archer that he once split his opponent's arrow straight down the center to win a tournament. No one knows for sure if Robin Hood was a real person, but the forest is real.
Myth
Has gods and goddesses; may explain the creation of something
- Key Clues
- Gods/goddesses, origin/creation explanations, ancient cultures
- Examples
- Persephone and the Seasons adapted by Daniel Okoro
- According to the ancient Greeks, Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, loved her daughter Persephone more than anything. One day, Persephone was abducted and taken to the underworld by the god Hades. Demeter was so sad that she made all the plants stop growing and the mortals began to starve. Zeus made a deal with the other gods. Persephone was allowed to come home for part of the year. While she is home, Demeter is happy and plants grow. When she leaves, winter comes. That is how the Greeks explained the seasons.
- Ra and the First Morning retold by Farah Sayed
- The ancient Egyptians believed that the universe began as an endless expanse of dark, churning water called Nun. From this nothingness, the sun god Ra willed himself into existence. He rose above the surface and was so bright that light filled the sky for the first time. Then Ra spoke the names of things and they became real. He said "earth," and there was earth. He said "sky," and there was sky. That is how the ancient Egyptians believed the world began.
Drama
Stories written in script form; meant to be performed
- Key Clues
- Looks like a script: character names followed by lines.
- Examples
- Juliet: O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
- Hamlet: To be, or not to be: that is the question
Subgenres of Drama
Comedies and Tragedies
- Comedies
- Things go poorly for most of the story but it ends happily.
- Tragedies
- Things go well for most of the story but it ends terribly.
- Comedies = Weddings | Tragedies = Funerals
Poetry
Writing that is concerned with the beauty of language
- There are many subgenres of poetry.
- Forms: haikus or sonnets
- Techniques: rhyming or rhythm
- Poetry is a main literary genre.
Commonly Confused Subgenres
Some Tips and Tricks
- Fairy tale and Fantasy
- Fable and Fairy Tale - Look at the ending
- Tall Tale and Legend - Consider the tone
- Legend and Historical Fiction - Look at the author
- Biography and Autobiography - Look at the author
- Science Fiction and Fantasy - Look at the setting