Text Structure
The key words for this text structure include, but are not limited to:
then, later, eventually, earlier, previously, the next year, one hundred years ago
Chronological
When a test questions asks "Which two relevant details support the central idea?" what does the word 'support' mean?
Show, create, develop, help you understand
What do each of the letters in PIE stand for?
Persuade, inform, and entertain
What is a claim?
Something that the author believes to be true and supports with evidence.
The lamb was very feeble whereas the lion was very strong.
What does feeble mean?
Weak
"The platypus is different than most mammals. For example, they lay eggs. They are also venomous, which is something usually seen in insects and cold-blooded animals, like reptiles. They have a tail that resemble a beavers, but they have a bill like a duck. They have thick, brown fur that repels water and allows them to spend most of their time there, swimming and hunting."
What text structure is this?
Description
Key words: for example, like, adjectives (thick, brown)
"People wear shoes many reasons. The first and most important reason is to protect their feet. Shoes keep people from hurting their feet while walking on rough surfaces, but this isn’t the only reason why people wear shoes. Some people wear special shoes that are designed to help them play a game, like bowling shoes or soccer cleats. Some people wear expensive designer shoes so that they appear fashionable and feel good about themselves. And a lot of other people like my dad wear shoes so that their feet won’t stink up the room."
What is the central idea?
Why people wear shoes, the reasons to wear shoes
"In the 1500s, the Age of Exploration was underway. The world's seas were crowded with European ships carrying valuable materials. During this time, adventurous men could make a lot of money as pirates. Indeed, one of the greatest English explorers made his name as a pirate, robbing the Spanish and Portuguese ships and presenting that treasure to Queen Elizabeth. His name was Francis Drake, and he became one of the greatest sea captains in history."
What words help us understand the author's positive perspective on Drake?
adventurous, greatest English explorers, greatest sea captains in history
"Before Europeans started arriving in North America, the Native peoples had never been exposed to diseases common in Europe, such as measles, smallpox, and influenza. As a result, Native people had no resistance to them. They had no way to fight these diseases effectively, so these diseases were especially dangerous.
For example, an Ojibwe man and a European man might make a trade. They might even shake hands. What if the European man had caught smallpox soon before the trade, but he hadn’t shown any symptoms yet? The European man probably would have recovered because he had been exposed to the disease before. The Ojibwe person, however, probably would have returned to his village, fallen ill, and, in all likelihood, infected other Ojibwe people."
How does the author support their claim that Native Americans were more vulnerable to disease than Europeans?
By giving an example about smallpox
Nelson Mandela finally received his freedom after spending several years in captivity.
What does captivity mean?
Imprisonment
"In the past, cars were incredibly expensive. The expertise needed to make them was very high, and the process took a very long time. As a result, cars were something that only the very wealthy could afford. That all changed when Henry Ford invented the assembly line in 1913. This allowed a lot of different people to put the cars together piece by piece, which required a lot less skill and a lot less time. After this, the price of cars became something a lot more families could afford."
What is the text structure?
Problem and Solution
Key words: As a result, changed, expensive-> afford
"Automation is the use of machines to reduce the need for human labor. In other words automation is when jobs done by people become jobs done by robots. Automation can be a good thing. Because of automation, clothing, cars, and other manufactured products are available at good prices and in large supply. But automation can also be a bad thing. Because of automation, there are over 700,000 robots in America alone that do jobs once performed by humans. The way of automation may not be best for humanity, but it is the course we are taking."
What two details could you use to support the central idea that automation can be both beneficial and detrimental?
Beneficial: "Good prices and large supply"
Detrimental: "700,000 robots in America alone that do jobs once performed by humans."
"You might think bats are creepy. Maybe bats have a scary reputation because they come out at night. But bats are an important animal in the ecosystem. They are pollinators, just like birds and butterflies. Pollinators spread pollen from one flower to another so plants can make fruit and seeds. That makes bats important to farmers and people who like food, which is everyone! Bats also eat bugs that people consider pests, such as mosquitos. When they fly at night to hunt for insects, they use echolocation. They send out a high-pitched sound and listen for the echo to return. The returning sound helps them locate bugs."
What is the author's perspective on bats?
They are helpful animals that aren't as bad as people say
"By the 1840s, Americans envisioned a nation that spread “from sea to shining sea.” They felt that it was their duty to spread out across the land. Their belief in young democracy was so strong that Americans wanted to spread it across the entire continent. They did not care about the Native peoples who had long since cultivated the area and called it home. To these Americans, exploring and cultivating the territory was the destiny of the young country and its citizens. Soon, the phrase “Manifest Destiny” was echoing in newspapers and political speeches. At the time, the west was the embodiment of American optimism. Many American adventurers would go west to seek their fortunes."
What detail(s) support the claim that Americans believed their way of life had to be spread?
They wanted to see their way to life from 'sea to sea'
They ignored the fact that Native Americans had been there for years.
Many went West to adventure.
After receiving the news that she had won the scholarship, Jenna felt elated, smiling and jumping with joy.
What does elated mean?
Excited, extremely happy
"There are many theories about why the dinosaurs vanished from the planet. One theory that many people believe is that a gigantic meteorite smashed into the Earth. Scientists believe that the meteorite was very big and that the impact may have produced a large dust cloud that covered the Earth for many years. The dust cloud may have caused plants to not receive sunlight and the large plant eaters, or herbivores, may have died off, followed by the large meat eaters, or carnivores."
What is the text structure?
Cause and effect
Key Words: caused
"Unfortunately, as more people flock to the shore, we are upsetting the natural balance of estuaries and threatening their health. We endanger our estuaries by polluting the water and building on the lands surrounding them. These activities can contribute to unsafe drinking water, beach and shellfish bed closings, harmful algae blooms, declines in fisheries, loss of habitat, fish kills, and a host of other human health and natural resource problems."
What is the central idea of this paragraph? How do you know?
Humans are harming estuaries. It shows how the water is unsafe, which hurts the wildlife there.
"Air pollution like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides don't just cause acid rain. They can cause respiratory diseases, or can make these diseases worse. Respiratory diseases like asthma or chronic bronchitis make it hard for people to breathe. The pollution that causes acid rain can also create tiny particles. When these particles get into people’s lungs, they can cause health problems, or can make existing health problems worse. Also, nitrogen oxides cause ground-level ozone. This ground-level ozone causes respiratory problems, like pneumonia and bronchitis, and can even cause permanent lung damage."
What is the author's perspective on pollution and how do you know?
He thinks it is bad. He talks about pollution, lung disease, health problems, etc...
"By 1860, slavery had been abolished in the North. It was the opposite in the South. The use of enslaved Black people had become a very major part of life in the South. White southerners feared that Lincoln’s “house divided” speech meant that he would get rid of slavery. Lincoln assured the southern states that he would not get rid of slavery where it already existed. Lincoln said that his biggest goal was to preserve the Union and keep all of the states together. But in addition to keeping slavery, another goal of the South was to be able to spread slavery into the territories west of the Mississippi River."
What detail(s) support the claim that 'it was the opposite in the south'?
Slavery was a part of life, the south wanted to spread slavery west of the Mississippi
Asher was agoraphobic and hated leaving the house. He especially hated going to places like open fields and sports stadiums.
What does agoraphobic mean?
Fear of open places
When your test asks 'How does the text structure effect the meaning of the text?' what two things should you look for in the answer choices?
1) The correct text structure
2) The central idea of the section of text indicated in the question
"You might think bats are creepy. Maybe bats have a scary reputation because they come out at night. But bats are an important animal in the ecosystem. They are pollinators, just like birds and butterflies. Pollinators spread pollen from one flower to another so plants can make fruit and seeds. That makes bats important to farmers and people who like food, which is everyone! Bats also eat bugs that people consider pests, such as mosquitos. When they fly at night to hunt for insects, they use echolocation. They send out a high-pitched sound and listen for the echo to return. The returning sound helps them locate bugs."
What details help support the central idea that bats don't deserve their bad reputation?
They are pollinators. They eat annoying bugs.
"In an effort to help save the reef, the government has limited fishing to two-thirds of it. That plan increases the number of "green zones." Those are areas that are off-limits to fishermen and boats. However, tourists and researchers can still visit them. Many fishermen are upset about the plan because they rely on the reef for jobs.
The Australian government says that its plan will help keep the reef safe from some threats. "It is very important that we give the reef proper protection for the future," said one government official. "The reef is Australia's greatest natural [treasure]."
What is the author's perspective on the reef? How do you know?
The author thinks the reef is a good thing. He talks about how people are saving it and uses a quote of someone saying it's a national treasure, which he wouldn't do if he didn't like the reef.
"The Amazon and its tributaries have a huge impact on Brazil’s environment. The river provides water for diverse plant and animal life. Along its banks in western Brazil is the largest rainforest in the world. The rainforest covers over 50% of the total land in Brazil. Rainfall in the area is very high, and the weather is always humid.
Many animals live in the warm, wet rainforest or the grassy savanna of central Brazil. Brazil has over 1,500 species of birds and more than 500 types of amphibians. Can you imagine the sounds of animals echoing through the rainforest? Unfortunately, many of Brazil’s species are becoming endangered. Their habitats are being destroyed by farming and the timber industry."
What details help support the idea that the Amazon river and rainforest supports a lot of diverse wildlife?
1500 species of birds
500+ amphibian species
America, which was founded in 1776, will celebrate its' tricentennial in 2076.
What is a tricentennial?
A 300 year anniversary