Question: Relating to Readers

Writers of fiction attempt to connect with others through shared storytelling.

Part 1: Write 2-3 paragraphs that answer the following:

• Define fiction in your own words.

• Do you read any books in this genre? Why or why not?

• Pick 1 subgenre of fiction, and describe it.

Part 2: Write 2-3 paragraphs to answer the following:

• Why read fiction?

• Is it entertaining? Why or why not?

• Is it educational? Why or why not?

• What do you learn about others through reading their work?

• What is active reading? How does this help the reader determine the author's message?

Please see sample below for completing assignment:

Fiction is a type of literature that uses imaginary characters and stories. This is the type of literature that I read the most. I like to read Young Adult fiction like the books in the Harry Potter series. These are clearly fiction because they deal with wizards and magic, but they contain stories and lessons about the experience of growing up too! I think that these books would fall into the subgenre of Fantasy in fiction because they are totally unlike the world we live in. I mostly read fiction for fun and to relax. It can certainly be entertaining but I think it is a different kind of entertainment than watching TV or movies. You have to be more active when you read a book. You need to imagine what the characters look like, how their voices would sound and what the world around them would be like. I like the Harry Potter series because I think the author does a good job of helping the reader out by providing lots of detail about the characters, their personalities and their school.

I think that you can learn a lot about how other people think and react by reading fiction. For example, there are parts where some of the Harry Potter characters are teased and bullied. Because the reader is seeing this from the point of view of the character being bullied, he/she can understand how it feels to be the victim of bullying. If we can imagine how others might feel in a situation in real life, we might think twice about how we act and what we say in the real world. The workbook says that active reading is the act of reading a text and paying special attention to how it relates to your needs. If you are reading something for fun, these needs might just be how the text relates to your life. If you are reading for school, these needs might include the questions that you need to answer about the text (who the characters are, what the setting is, etc.).