1. Review how to identify text structure in Informational Text.
2. Review how to determine author’s purpose, claim, evidence, and the affect it has on the reader.
3. Review how to interpret author’s use of evidence in an Informational text and determine if it strengthens the author’s argument.
1. To identify text structure in informational text, you should look for certain patterns and organizational techniques that authors use to present information. These include:
- Chronological order: The author presents information in the order in which events happened or steps should be followed.
- Cause and effect: The author explains how certain actions or events lead to specific outcomes.
- Compare and contrast: The author discusses similarities and differences between two or more subjects.
- Problem and solution: The author presents a problem and suggests possible solutions.
- Description: The author provides detailed descriptions of a person, object, or event.
- Main idea and supporting details: The author presents a central idea and provides evidence or examples to support it.
By recognizing these text structures, you can better understand the organization and key points of the text.
2. When determining the author's purpose, claim, evidence, and its impact on the reader, you need to analyze the overall goal and message of the text:
- Author’s purpose: Determine why the author wrote the text - to inform, persuade, entertain, or express an opinion.
- Claim: Identify the author’s main argument or point of view.
- Evidence: Look for the information, facts, statistics, examples, and expert opinions that the author uses to support their claim.
- Impact on the reader: Consider how the author’s purpose, claim, and evidence influence the reader’s understanding, beliefs, feelings, or actions.
Understanding these elements allows you to evaluate the author's intention and the effect the text may have on its audience.
3. Interpreting an author’s use of evidence in an informational text involves examining whether the evidence strengthens the author’s argument. Here are some considerations:
- Relevance: Assess whether the evidence directly supports the author’s claim and is relevant in the context of the subject matter.
- Reliability and credibility: Evaluate the sources of the evidence and determine if they are reputable, unbiased, and trustworthy.
- Sufficiency: Determine if the evidence is substantial enough to convince the reader and address counterarguments or opposing viewpoints.
- Logical reasoning: Look for logical connections between the evidence and the author’s claim, ensuring the evidence is sound and valid.
By analyzing the use of evidence in this way, you can determine if it strengthens the author's argument or if it may be weak or insufficient.