Reading Non-fictionAdapted from Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst

1- What is non-fiction?

Text where the author purports to tell about the real world, a real person, idea or

belief

Factual?Real?True?

Key word: PurportReader’s Job:• Question text – the evidence – the assumptions• Question author• Question our understanding of the topic• Accept our view may change

Big Questions

• What is the author trying to prove?

• Do I believe them?

• And so what, what changed, challenged or confirmed what I already knew?– Has your understanding been sharpened or refined?

Finding the thesis• COULD BE:• Cause and effect• Alternative explanation or reason• Arguing for what needs to be done/most important

• What is the thesis in The Matthew Effect?

Am I Convinced?Logic or Theory

• Sequence:– This then this then this

• Underlying assumptions

Evidence

• Single story or anecdote• Numbers and Statistics• Quotes

How does Gladwell convince us?

Finding the logic: Layout the sequence

• Find the causes and effects

• May need to make your own chart

Jan-Mar birthda

y

Early succes

s, height

& strengt

h

Elite player

Finding the logic: Extreme Language

• “By the time the players have reached their midteens the very best of the best have been channeled into an elite league” p 16

• “But in fact they are invariably the beneficiaries of …” p 19

Finding the logic: Contradictions• “Personal explanations of

success don’t work” p 19– Weren’t we told work hard and

you can do anything?

• “Our notion that it is the best and the brightest who effortlessly rise to the top is much too simplistic” p 30– Contradicts what he expects

the reader believes

Evaluate the evidence:ANECDOTE

• Single story

TREND

• Cross-section• Time series

Evaluate the evidence:Check the data

• Why these numbers?• What is the source?• Used as evidence or

illustration?• Background detail or

important?

Evaluate the evidence:Who said that?

• Expert?• Personal report?

• Reliable? Motivations? Conflict of interest?

• Why chosen?

• What do you need for academic reading?

√

Taking Notes

• Outline• Double Journal

• Always include Bibliographic info and page numbers!

For example• Outliers:The Story of Success, Malcom Gladwell (2008)

• P19 “Personal explanations of success don’t work…invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies”

• What are the advantages, opportunities and legacies? And how do we know that they are general and not just specific to an individual?

Contrasts or Contradictions

Ideas that contradict what is in text or contradicts whatyou already think

Why has the author pointed this out?

Look in Chp 1 section 2

Extreme or Absolute LanguageWhy?• Just an

expression• Exaggeration• Working too

hard to convince us

• Showing us how bad something is

Look in Chp 1 section 2

Numbers or Statistics

• Why these numbers?• What is the source?• Used as evidence or illustration?• Background detail or important?

123#

9 out of 10

Look in Chp 1 section 3

Quoted WordsPersonal Perspective

Voice of Authority

Others’ Words

Why this person?

What did it add?

Do I believe it?

“Quote”

Look in Chp 1 section 4

Word Gap• Italicized or bold• Defined in text• One you don’t know• Foreign Phrase• Know it but not how it is

used here

• Is it lingo or jargon?• Descriptive?• Key idea for understanding?• Part of the main idea?

Look in Chp 1 section 4

Writing a SummaryGet in all the critical info:• Who in what article?• What did they say?

• Why do they believe it?• AND why does author think we should care?

Summary template• [source] The general argument made by Gladwell in

chapter one __(Chapter name)_____________, is that _______________.

• [details] More specifically, X argues that _______________. • [evidence: reasoning, data, etc] She/he writes, “

____________.”• [explain to the reader why your example is a good one] In

this passage, X is suggesting that _______________. • [So what – why are the author and you spending time on this]

This matters because _______________.

Big Themes• What is the author trying to prove?

– The thesis, assertion or big idea

• How is the author doing this?– Citing studies, stories/anecdotes, data, logic or more opinions

• So What: What changed, challenged or confirmed what I already knew?– Has your understanding been sharpened or refined? What questions have

been raised? Do you agree or disagree with the author?