INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATIONAL WRITING AND READING

What is it??  Informational (expository) writing is a type of writing in which the purpose is to inform, explain, describe, or define the author’s subject to the reader. It is meant to deposit information. No opinion or bias!

Purpose  To gain information  To satisfy curiosity  Understand our world more fully  Understand new concepts and expand vocabulary  To make connections to our lives and learning

5 structures of Informational Text 1. Enumeration 2. Time order 3. Compare Contrast 4. Cause and Effect 5. Question and Answer

Text Features  Text features are parts of informational (nonfiction) text other than the body that help the reader understand the content more clearly.

Text Features:  Pictures  Photographs  Graphs  Tables  Charts  Time lines  Headings/ subheadings  Type of print (highlighted, bold, italic)  Glossary/index  maps

Title  Title is the name of the book, essay, article, etc.  Purpose: -To hint what the text might be about -brief summary of the text content

Pictures  Pictures are images or graphics often found in writing  Purpose: to help us visualize what we are reading about. To catch readers’ attention and the text more interesting.

Caption  Text smaller than print that is found next to a picture  Purpose: brief explanation of the picture.

Heading  The title of a main short section within the main body of a text.  Purpose: To give readers clues as to what they will read next. To make it easy to find main topics/ideas within the body of the text.

Subheading  The title of a small section found underneath the heading.  Purpose: To help organize the text into sections of information that support he main topic. Easy to find topic within the body of the text

Charts and Tables  Tables: summaries of facts or data written in columns or rows  Purpose: easy to read format  Charts: visual representations of quantities or results.

Graphs/Maps  Graphs: visual comparisons of data  Purpose: help us read facts/figures.  Maps: representation of specific location  Purpose: help us visualize where something is taking place

Others: Bold words Index Table of contents Glossary Diagrams Timeline

Let’s try it  ines/action/pdfs/ACT TEEN-810L.pdf ines/action/pdfs/ACT TEEN-810L.pdf

Credibility When collecting evidence for a research project, information report, argument paper, or similar task, it is important to use factual information. You want to include accurate and reliable facts and information!

So how do you know?  Who wrote the information? Determining an author can help you determine the credibility and truthfulness of your source. Consider: What is the author’s education, training, or experience as it relates to the content? Do they have a professional title or are they recognized as an authority? If the author is unnamed, can you take extra steps to find information about the author?

When was It written?  For many topics, how old the information is can impact the reliability and accuracy. It is important that he information be current. Consider: Does the author include date for the information written? Do the links on the site work, or are the outdated?

Can information be verified?  To check accuracies of the information consider: What sources does the author use? Are the sources listed in the article? Does the author include a works cited or other links to provide additional resources or original source information? Are their identified sources for any data or statistics in the content?

Does the tone or style reflect credibility?  The actual design of the website will not necessarily mean that it is unreliable. What is most important is the actual writing. The way it is written reveals clues about its credibility. Consider: Does the article have several grammar, spelling. punctuation, or capitalization errors? Is the writing emotional and include language that is bitter, critical, or demanding tone? Is the writing so informal that it seems hard to trust? Does it seem unfair or extremely slanted point of view and biased?

Too good to be true?  Sometimes content seems so amazing that it makes the reader wonder if it’s true or not. Beware of this as it can indicate unreliability and inaccuracy Consider: Does information seem unbelievable? Does it make sense? Does something you read conflict with something that you already know to be true? Does information seem to be exaggerated?

IMPORTANT!  When researching NEVER use Wikipedia Blogs Answers.com or ask.com  Also remember:.gov = government.com = commercial ---  Company.edu = educational.org = organizational --  Non- profit