English Language Arts and Reading.7.9.B

The student is expected to

analyze how the use of text structure contributes to the author's purpose;

author's purpose strand teks talk image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Author's purpose and craft: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses critical inquiry to analyze the authors' choices and how they influence and communicate meaning within a variety of texts. The student analyzes and applies author's craft purposefully in order to develop his or her own products and performances.

Create an anchor chart that includes several types of text structures, the characteristics of each, and some signal words that help the reader understand the text structure. Read several texts, each written in a different text structure, and have students identify the text structure. Then, have students analyze the text structure and determine why the author may have chosen that particular structure.

Text Structure

Key Words

Concept and Definition

The writer describes or explains a topic or phenomenon by listing unique characteristics, features, and examples.

for example, involves, can be, defined, for instance, also, within, contain, make up

Sequence

The writer either tells the reader how to do something (step-by-step) or describes how something is done or happened.

to begin with, first, second, in addition, next, then, last, finally, another, also, earlier, later, now before, after, following, while, meanwhile, during, not long, when, on (date)

Compare and Contrast

The writer explains the similarities and differences between at least two objects or ideas. The purpose is to develop the relationship between them and, in the process, explain both in detail.

different from, same as, alike, like, similar to, unlike, as well as, yet, either . . . or, not only . . . but also, compared to, in contrast, while, resembles, although, most, however, on the other hand, opposite, opposed to, similarly

Cause and Effect

The writer presents a reason or motive for an event, situation, or trend and then explains its result or consequence.

because, so that, thus, unless, therefore, as a result of, led to, then, reasons for, then . . . so, for this reason, consequently, an explanation for, this reason, nevertheless, thus, accordingly

 

Further Explanation

For this SE, students are expected to determine how an author organizes ideas in a text to accomplish a specific purpose such as to entertain, convince a reader to believe an idea, share an experience, or provide information.

Students are expected to analyze how the author’s purpose has a specific effect on readers. Authors write for diverse reasons. If an author’s purpose is to entertain the readers, the author will probably choose to write a story in a narrative way. However, if the author wishes to convince a reader to believe an idea or take a course of action, he or she will likely use persuasive writing.
When students analyze text structure, they are expected to determine how an author organizes ideas in a text to accomplish specific purposes. For example, in an article that deals with a new piece of technology, the author may use a structure that builds a definition of the tool, but also organizes the information by explaining the advantages or possible disadvantages to using the new technology. By doing this, the author may want the readers to understand how certain aspects of the invention can be considered positive or negative to its users.

Research

Maine, F. (2013). How children talk together to make meaning from texts: A dialogic perspective on reading comprehension strategies. Literacy, 47(3), 150–156. doi:10.1111/lit.12010

Summary: The analysis of how text structure contributes to the author's purpose is examined from the reader's perspective instead of from the writer's. The findings of the study reveal that student talk allows students to question the reading and draw multiple interpretations of the author's intention. In the study, students used creative and hypothetical scenarios. The article includes a discussion on the benefits of creative dialogue and innovation.