The study of genre is not an exact science. Some texts may belong in more than one genre. For example: Romeo and Juliet is a drama, a tragedy, and an Elizabethan play. The idea of genre is open to discussion and there is good reason to discuss genre. Understanding genre will help you know what to expect from a text based on its genre; it will also help you notice when an author is playing with your expectations. Wouldn’t you like to be in on the joke? First, you must learn some basics:
Main Genres and Subgenres
Some consider these to be the main genres of writing: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, and folklore. Every piece of writing can fall into one of these categories. Each main genre has a group of subgenres. Each subgenre has as set of characteristics that you must learn in order to identify them. This list does not contain all of the possible subgenres, but it should give you a pretty thorough overview.
- Fiction: stories that come from the author’s imagination.
- Historical Fiction: based on a person or event from history.
- Science Fiction: dealing with aliens, the distant future, or advanced technology.
- Fantasy: containing monsters, magic, or other supernatural elements.
- Realistic Fiction: a story that could have happened, but didn’t.
- Nonfiction: writing that is true or factual.
- Informational Writing: provides information on a topic.
- Persuasive Writing: attempts to influence the reader.
- Autobiography: the story of one’s life told by oneself.
- Biography: the story of one’s life told by another.
- Drama: writing that is meant to be acted on a stage (a play).
- Comedy: has a happy ending.
- Tragedy: ends in death and sadness.
- Poetry: writing that is concerned with the beauty of language
- Folklore: stories handed down through speech from generation to generation.
- Fairy Tale: a story with magic, monsters, and/or talking animals (like fiction / fantasy, but part of the oral tradition).
- Fable: a very short story that has a moral or life lesson; usually has talking animals as main characters.
- Myth: has gods or goddesses and often accounts for how something came to be.
- Legend: an exaggerated story about something that may have been real at one time.
- Tall Tale: stories set in the Wild West; the main character’s strengths, skills, or size have been exaggerated and the tone is funny.
Genre Worksheets
Genre Worksheet – Read the descriptions of the texts. Look for details that reveal the genre. Write the genre and subgenre on the lines and write a sentence explaining your answer. Suggested reading level for this text: Grade 6-10
Genre Worksheet 1 | RTF
Genre Worksheet 1 | PDF
Genre Worksheet 1 | Preview
Genre Worksheet 1 | Answers
Genre Worksheet 1 | Ereading Worksheet
Genre Worksheet 2 – Choose the genre and subgenre in which the story most likely belongs. Then explain how you got your answer. Suggested reading level for this text: Grade 5-9
Genre Worksheet 2 | RTF
Genre Worksheet 2 | PDF
Genre Worksheet 2 | Preview
Genre Worksheet 2 | Answers
Genre Worksheet 2 | Ereading Worksheet
Genre Worksheet 3 – Read descriptions of texts written for a variety of purposes and then determine the genre and subgenre based on the provided details. Suggested reading level for this text: Grade 5-9
Genre Worksheet 3 | RTF
Genre Worksheet 3 | PDF
Genre Worksheet 3 | Preview
Genre Worksheet 3 | Answers
Genre Worksheet 3 | Ereading Worksheet
Genre Worksheet 4 – Nine practice problems challenging students to identify the genre and subgenres of a variety of texts. Suggested reading level for this text: Grade 4-8
Genre Worksheet 4 | RTF
Genre Worksheet 4 | PDF
Genre Worksheet 4 | Preview
Genre Worksheet 4 | Answers
Genre Worksheet 4 | Ereading Worksheet
Genre Worksheet 5 – Nine more problems giving your students practice identifying literary genres. Students identify the genres based on details and then explain their answers. Suggested reading level for this text: Grade 4-8
Genre Worksheet 5 | RTF
Genre Worksheet 5 | PDF
Genre Worksheet 5 | Preview
Genre Worksheet 5 | Answers
Genre Worksheet 5 | Ereading Worksheet
Even More Genre Worksheets
Here are five more genre worksheets.
Even More Genre Worksheets
Genre and Author’s Purpose Worksheet – Read the descriptions of the texts and determine the genre and subgenre. Then write a sentence explaining your answer. You will also identify the author’s purpose. Suggested reading level for this text: Grade 5-9
Genre and Author’s Purpose Worksheet RTF
Genre and Author’s Purpose Worksheet PDF
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Identifying Genre Worksheet – Read the titles and descriptions of the stories. Identify the genre and subgenre using the word bank. Some items may repeat.
Identifying Genre Worksheet RTF
Identifying Genre Worksheet PDF
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Genre Activities
Genre Lesson – Slide show lesson on genre and subgenre. Includes a review activity after the lesson.
Genre Lesson PowerPoint
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Create A Genre Crossword Puzzle – Create a crossword puzzle with clues for the following 20 genre related terms. File includes directions, rubric, crossword grid and clue sheet.
Create A Genre Crossword Puzzle RTF
Create A Genre Crossword Puzzle PDF
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Genre Newspaper Project – Create a newspaper with eight articles written in different genres and subgenres: nonfiction, historical fiction, science fiction, realistic fiction, poetry, fairytale, fable, tall tale, myth, drama, biography, autobiography, and informational writing.
Genre Newspaper Project RTF
Genre Newspaper Project PDF
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Genre Review – Students examine books in small groups and discuss the genre and subgenres of each text. After coming to a consensus, students write their answers down on this sheet. You provide your own texts.
Genre Review RTF
Genre Review PDF
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Genre Movie Posters – Students will create three movie posters. Each poster will feature a movie from a different subgenre. They can be real movies or imagined, but each must include the following:
Genre Movie Posters RTF
Genre Movie Posters PDF
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Genre Quiz – Match the definitions to the terms and answer multiple choice questions. Available in two different test forms to help you prevent student cheating.
Genre Quiz Form A – RTF
Genre Quiz Form B – RTF
Genre Quiz Form A – PDF
Genre Quiz Form B – PDF
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Preview Genre Quiz Form B in Your Web Browser
Genre Practice 1 – A warm-up PowerPoint review where students identify the genre and subgenre of 5 stories.
Genre Practice 1 PowerPoint
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Genre Practice 2 – PowerPoint warm up review where students identify the genre and subgenre of 5 stories.
Genre Practice 2 PowerPoint
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Genre Game – Students play as a small fish trying to get to the light house. Along the way they will eat worms, hide from bigger fish, and answer HUNDREDS of genre questions. So much fun, they won’t even notice that they’re learning!
Play Genre Piranha – Literary Genre Review Game
Common Core State Standards Related to Genre and Subgenre
Expand to View All Common Core State Standards Related to Genre and SubgenreCCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.9 – Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
ELA Standards: Literature
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.9 – With prompting and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.9 – Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.9 – Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.9 – Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (e.g., in books from a series)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.9 – Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.9 – Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.9 – Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.
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Meera
/ July 11, 2019Wonderful work and so generous of you to share.
tiwen
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marc perdomo
/ September 7, 2017thank u much help
John
/ June 19, 2017This is the best website explaining genres, it was so good I had to say thanks
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/ May 20, 2017Hi there. I want to ask you 2 questions.1) what is genre of a story about a girl who meets the president Abraham Lincoln. 2) what is the genre of a text that explains a process. please help. you site is really perfect!
Mr. Morton
/ May 31, 20171. It sounds like historical fiction
2. Informational writing
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Mr. Morton
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/ March 18, 2017Hi there, I would like to say, it is a very good site and very helpfull. But I still have some questions. Religious books like Bible, Torah, and Quran what are they and where would they go in your list of genre or where would parable go. And what is the difference between parable and fable.
Thank you
Mr. Morton
/ March 22, 2017Great question. The genre of religious texts is highly debatable. I’m not going to enter that debate. I will tell you, however, that both parables and fables teach lessons with short, succinct stories. The difference is that fables generally involve talking, anthropomorphized animals and parables usually do not. Also, the moral of a fable is clearly stated at the end. Parables usually ask readers to infer the message.
Best wishes!
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Mr. Morton
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