English Language Arts and Reading.7.8.D.ii

The student is expected to

analyze characteristics and structural elements of informational text, including:

 

features such as references or acknowledgements; and

multiple genres TEKS talk image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Multiple genres: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--genres. The student recognizes and analyzes genre-specific characteristics, structures, and purposes within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts.

Share with students a text that contains references and acknowledgements. Discuss the importance of properly giving credit to sources and the ideas of others. Then, have students read a text and identify those features and explain the information provided by each.
 

Further Explanation

Students should be able to analyze text features common to informational texts, such as references and acknowledgements, and determine how the features in a particular text help the reader to better understand the text.

Students should understand that informational texts have distinguishing characteristics, such as the use of a controlling idea or thesis to guide the focus of the writing, and that these texts can be structured in various ways to serve specific purposes. Students in this grade should be familiar enough with these characteristics and structures to be able to examine the intent and effect of their use in texts.
Students are expected to analyze various text features, (e.g., prefaces, acknowledgements, sidebars, references) common to informational texts and determine how these features help the reader better understand what the author is saying. For example, an author might include references to the sources the author used to guide and support his or her conclusions on a topic. This can help the reader interpret the messages or themes in the writing.
a text that presents information in order to explain, clarify, and/or educate