8 th Grade Reading Mrs. Dobbs Structure of nonfiction text EQ: How does analyzing structure increase comprehension?

8 th Grade Reading Mrs. Dobbs What is text structure? Nonfiction text is organized and planned according to its content. Knowing how a piece of text is organized helps the reader to better understand the content of the text. Readers should determine the structure of the text before reading.

8 th Grade Reading Mrs. Dobbs Determining structure 1.Before reading, scan the text. What is the purpose of the text? 2.Identify the signal words. Each structure uses different signal words. 3.Identify the organizational structure of the text. How is the information organized? How will I, as a reader, best understand the information after reading?

8 th Grade Reading Mrs. Dobbs Types of structures Time Order (Chronological) Information is organized by sequence. Identifies events in time order. Found in history & science What are examples?

8 th Grade Reading Mrs. Dobbs Types of structures Description Many details given are sensory (sight, hearing, touch, taste, & smell) Information is not organized by sequence Informational text with many details Found in Science and History. What are examples?

8 th Grade Reading Mrs. Dobbs Types of structures Compare & Contrast Looks at the differences between 2 or more things Looks at the similarities between 2 or more things Found in History, Science, Math. What are examples?

8 th Grade Reading Mrs. Dobbs Types of structures Cause & Effect Occurs whenever one or more events makes one or more events happen. Found in History, Math, Science. What are examples? CauseEffect

8 th Grade Reading Mrs. Dobbs Types of structures Problem & Solution Discusses possible solutions and consequences Asks the reader to find a solution Identifies a problem and explains the significance. Found in History, Math, Science. What are examples?

8 th Grade Reading Mrs. Dobbs Understanding text What is the author saying about the text? What is the topic of the text? What is the author’s opinion of the topic? Predict the main idea of the passage before reading. Read the text critically. Look for details to support your predicted main idea. Revisit the main idea prediction. Was your prediction correct? If not, REVISE!

8 th Grade Reading Mrs. Dobbs Example #1 To find out why cookies crumble, researchers at England’s Loughborough University used laser beams to examine freshly baked cookies. They found that a cookie right out of the oven absorbs moisture around the edges, causing it to expand. But at the same time, the cookie loses moisture in the middle, making the cookie contract, or shrink. This “push me, pull me” combination can make a cookie break right away, or it can cause tiny cracks to form in the cookie, leading it to crumble or break later.

8 th Grade Reading Mrs. Dobbs Example #2 Asteroids are rocky objects in space. They are sometimes called minor planets, because they are much smaller than planets. Scientists believe that there are millions of boulder-size asteroids in the solar system. Sometimes these smaller asteroids hit the Earth. These small impacts do little damage.

8 th Grade Reading Mrs. Dobbs Example #3 First, add the onions and garlic to heated olive oil and cook until the onions start to soften. Second, add mushrooms and stir until soft. Add fresh cracked black pepper to taste. Next, add the reserved clam juice, plus a small pinch of red pepper flakes. Simmer until slightly reduced. Taste, and add salt and/or pepper as needed. Once pasta is cooked (al dente, according to package directions), add the clams to the sauce and heat through. If you don’t want to cook them, just bring them up to temperature (about a minute or less). Pour over pasta and serve, topped with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese.