English Language Arts and Reading.8.8.D.iii

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The student is expected to

analyze characteristics and structural elements of informational text, including:

 

multiple organizational patterns within a text to develop the thesis;

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 a mentor text that has multiple organizational patterns that support the essay topic. Conduct a class discussion regarding the organizational patterns in the text. Once the organizational patterns have been determined, task students with identifying the thesis of the text and explaining how the different patterns and ideas work together to establish the thesis.
 

Further Explanation

This SE requires students to analyze the organizational patterns in a text and demonstrate understanding of how the organizational patterns are well suited to the purpose of the piece. Because informational texts often seek to inform or explain various aspects of a topic, students should understand that different organizational patterns may be used within a single text depending on how the ideas within the text are related.

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.
a text that presents information in order to explain, clarify, and/or educate
Informational text is often organized in a way that best reflects the purpose of the piece. Because informational texts generally seek to inform or explain various aspects of a topic, students should understand that different organizational patterns may be used within a single text depending on how the ideas within the text are related. Students at this grade level should recognize the complexities of a topic and the various organizational patterns authors use to discuss more than one aspect of the topic they are writing about. Students should also examine how an author connects these related but separate discussions to create a fully-formed picture for the reader.
in a speech or piece of writing, the premise or main idea that is supported by details and commentary

Research

1. Composition Writing Studio. The Writing Process. University of Purdue’s Online Writing Lab. Retrieved from
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/685/05/ 

Summary: This online resource offers a complete overview of the writing processes and the components involved in each. The overview includes definition of terms, examples, graphs and charts as appropriate, and additional resources. 

2. Olson, C. B., Land, R., Anselmi, T., & AuBuchon, C. (2010). Teaching secondary English learners to understand, analyze, and write interpretive essays about theme. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 54(4), 245–256. doi:10.1598/JA AL.54.4.2

Summary: This study reveals the results of a collaborative project with the California Writing Project and a large, urban, low‐SES school district where 93% of the students speak English as a second language and 69% are designated Limited English Proficient. The article describes a longitudinal study related to the impact of ongoing professional development centered on strategies used to teach student to comprehend, analyze, and write interpretive essays about themes. Fifty five teachers and 2000 students participated in study. The students showed significant improvement in comprehending and analyzing themes.