Informational Text

Subjective Point of view

Biased text that expresses personal opinions.

Rebuttal

Counter-argument to an opposing argument

Bias

Distorted information presented to support personal interests

Text Structure

How a text (or piece of writing) is organized

Sequence Structure

Ideas or events are presented in the order they happened. Signal words are first, next, and finally.

Primary Source

Original records created during the time of the event that give a first-hand account or insider's view.

Persuasive Techniques

Propaganda, bandwagon appeal, generalization, stereotyping, snob appeal, plain folks appeal, emotional appeal

Neutral Point of View

Stating the facts without expressing personal opinions

Secondary Source

Text written after the events occurred by someone who did not witness the event first hand.

Text Feature

Title, subheadings, bold and italic type, captions, sidebars, and bulleted lists.,

Graphic Feature

an image that helps the reader visualize information. It may explain the text or it may add new information.

Persuasive Text

attempts to convince readers to accept a certain view or take a specific action

Whole-to-Part Structure

begins with a topic sentence or general idea, followed by facts and details that explain and support the idea.

Part-to-Whole Structure

begins with facts and details and leads up to a main idea or concept.

Compare-and=Contrast Structure

describes how two or more topics are alike or different. Signal words are also, similar, like, both, unlike, although, but.

Spatial Structure

describes things in terms of where they are located.

Examples of Persuasive Texts

editorials, blogs, speeches, letter to the editor, arguments

Types of Evidence

example, case study, statistics, expert opinions

Examples of Scientific Texts

experiments, academic textbooks, science magazine articles

Cause-and-Effect Structure

explains why something happens and what happens as a result. Signal words are because, since, as a result.

Historical Text

informational text that tells about the past

Examples of Historical Texts

letters, biographies, newspaper stories, government documents, speeches, and pamphlets.

Technical Text

provides detailed informational on a specific topic, such as how to do something

Argument

the author supports his or her claim with logical reasoning and evidence

Examples of Technical Texts

user manuals, how-to guides, instructions, brochures, and cookbooks.