Text Structures
What text structure goes in ORDER?
What is chronological?
What text feature contains a list of the book/article's sections and what page their found, typically at the beginning of the text?
What is table of contents?
What is the central idea of a text?
What is the main idea the author wants to get across.
What are the four Author's Purposes?
What is
- To Inform
- To Persuade
- To Entertain
- To Describe
Which text structure uses signal words such as "this illustrates, for instance, an example is..."
What is description?
Which text feature provides a list of words with their definitions at the back of a book/article?
What is glossary?
What should readers use to prove the central idea of the article?
What are supporting details.
Name a type of text whose purpose would be: To Persuade.
What is
- an advertisement
- a speech
- an opinion piece
- a news article
- a letter
Which text structure is the following passage written in?
The students walked into class and saw a pop quiz on their desks! The students were confused, because their quiz wasn't supposed to be for another day. The teacher explained that since the class was very chatty during yesterday's lesson and many did not complete their homework, then they must be ready for the quiz. As they took the quiz, the students realized that they should have paid attention during yesterday's lesson.
What is cause and effect?
Why are text features used?
What is ...
- Provide helpful information to the reader
- Provide visuals to the reader
- Provide clarity of terms used
- Help break up the article or text
What are the steps to find central idea?
What is
1. Determine the topic.
2. Ask what message the author wants to get across about that topic?
What is
- how the author feels about a topic
- the author's opinion/perspective on the topic
What text structure is the following passage written in?
Nuclear fission and nuclear fusion are both processes by which the atoms of matter are altered to create energy, but they are opposite processes. In fission, one atom splits into two, whereas fusion combines two lighter atoms into a larger one. Although both processes release energy, fission is the more controllable reaction. Fusion releases an enormous amount of energy, several times that of fission. Fusion is used not for power plants but for thermonuclear weapons.
What is compare/contrast?
Which text feature shows a labeled illustration that gives us a closer look at what is being discussed?
What is a diagram?
What is the central idea of this passage?
While many celebrate Halloween by putting together a costume and roving door to door for candy, few reflect on its traditions. Halloween is believed to have come from an ancient Celtic festival dating back some 2,000 years. November 1st was the Celtic New Year and marked the end of summer to the Celts. They celebrated on its eve by wearing costumes made of animal skins and dancing around bon fires. Over the next two millennia, this primitive celebration grew to be the candy fueled costume ball that we know today.
What is: Halloween originated from an ancient Celtic festival for the New Year.
What is the author's purpose in the following passage?
I can still remember my 8th grade talent show in vivid detail. The stage was bordered with colorful lights, and in the center was a single spotlight with a microphone, waiting for me. I slowly walked across the stage with my hands by my side. The crowd murmured. I grabbed the microphone from the stand and cleared my throat. Then I held it a few inches from my face... and I started to sing.
To Describe a true event from the author's childhood, using imagery.
What text structure would work best when writing a paragraph on: how fish farms contribute to the loss of wild salmon and how ecosystems are responding.
What is cause/effect?
What is an alphabetical list of important subjects located in the back of the book which helps readers easily get to specific information in the text?
What is the index?
What is the central idea of this passage?
Being a clown isn't all fun and games. Rodeo clowns expose themselves to great danger every time they perform. When cowboys dismount or bulls buck them off, rodeo clowns jump in front of the bulls and motion wildly to get their attention. In this way rodeo clowns provide an alternate target, and in doing so protect the rider. Of course, this is a very dangerous thing to do. So you see, sometimes clowning around can be serious business.
What is: Being a rodeo clown is a more dangerous job that one might realize.
What is the author's PURPOSE in the following passage?
Poachers in Africa are killing large numbers of rhinos for their horns. Rhinoceros horns, valued for use in traditional medicines in Vietnam and China, can fetch as much as thirty-six thousand dollars a pound. Officials have tried to protect the rhinos: they have created fenced areas for the animals, patrolled their habitats, and even tried removing their horns. Despite these efforts, the number of rhinos in Africa has been dwindling. One creative solution to the poaching problem is to remove the rhinos from Africa altogether. Ray Dearlove, the founder of the Australian Rhino Project, came up with a plan to relocate eighty rhinos to a safari park outside Adelaide, Australia, where a breeding herd can be established.
What is: To Inform Readers about African Rhinos and the poaching problem, and what is being done to try to stop it.