Explanation Text

Explanation Text

By Ms. K

• ​An explanation text tells your audience how something works or why something happens.

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• Explanations detail and logically describe the stages in a process, such as the water cycle, or how a steam engine works.  Other examples could be how a law is made, or why we blink when we sneeze.

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Types of Explanation Text

• ​Sequential – These detail the stages in an event.

e.g. How a caterpillar turns into a moth.

• ​Causal - Details what causes the change from one stage to the next.

​ e.g. How a president is elected.

• ​Theoretical - Details the possible phenomena behind a natural or created process that is not fully understood. For example:

What caused World War II. (Historical)

​ What caused the Nazi's to lose World War II. (Historical)

​ What caused climate change. (Scientific)

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Features of Explanation Text

• ​GENERALIZE

​Talk about your topics in groups or as a collective rather than as   individuals.

• ​CONNECTIVE LANGUAGE

​Use language which link cause and effect.

Cause and effect terms such as because of.., due to.., therefore, and as a   result.

• ​GET TECHNICAL & DETAILED

 Use technical language and terms specific to your subject. Use technical   descriptions to create richer meaning. e.g. evaporation, degradation if writing   about the water cycle.​

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Features of Explanation Text

​ TENSE AND VOICE

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  Explanations are written in:

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• The passive voice such as My series is called the Tsunami Road Show.

• Present tense and action verbs such as runs, develops and becomes

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Let's Practice

Multiple Choice

Tsunami

Tsunami occurs when major fault under the ocean floor suddenly slips. The displaced rock pushes water above it like a giant paddle, producing powerful water waves at the ocean surface. The ocean waves spread out from the vicinity of the earthquake source and move across the ocean until they reach the coastline, where their height increases as they reach the continental shelf, the part of the earth crust that slopes, or rises, from the ocean floor up to the land.

A tsunami washes ashore with often disastrous effects such as severe flooding, loss of lives due to drowning and damage to property.

A tsunami is a very large sea wave that is generated by a disturbance along the ocean floor. This disturbance can be an earthquake, a landslide, or a volcanic eruption. A tsunami is undetectable far out in the ocean, but once it reaches shallow water, this fast traveling wave grows very large.

According to the text, Tsunami occurs because ....

• a very large sea wave that is generated by a disturbance along the ocean floor

• severe flooding, loss of lives due to drowning and damage to property

• major fault under the ocean floor suddenly slips

• once it reaches shallow water, this fast traveling wave grows very large

Multiple Choice

Tsunami

Tsunami occurs when major fault under the ocean floor suddenly slips. The displaced rock pushes water above it like a giant paddle, producing powerful water waves at the ocean surface. The ocean waves spread out from the vicinity of the earthquake source and move across the ocean until they reach the coastline, where their height increases as they reach the continental shelf, the part of the earth crust that slopes, or rises, from the ocean floor up to the land.

A tsunami washes ashore with often disastrous effects such as severe flooding, loss of lives due to drowning and damage to property.

A tsunami is a very large sea wave that is generated by a disturbance along the ocean floor. This disturbance can be an earthquake, a landslide, or a volcanic eruption. A tsunami is undetectable far out in the ocean, but once it reaches shallow water, this fast traveling wave grows very large.

What is the function of the text?

• to tell the readers the effect of Tsunami

• to explain the readers how tsunami happens

• to give information to the readers about Tsunami

• to entertain the readers about the story of Tsunami

Multiple Choice

Tsunami

Tsunami occurs when major fault under the ocean floor suddenly slips. The displaced rock pushes water above it like a giant paddle, producing powerful water waves at the ocean surface. The ocean waves spread out from the vicinity of the earthquake source and move across the ocean until they reach the coastline, where their height increases as they reach the continental shelf, the part of the earth crust that slopes, or rises, from the ocean floor up to the land.

A tsunami washes ashore with often disastrous effects such as severe flooding, loss of lives due to drowning and damage to property.

A tsunami is a very large sea wave that is generated by a disturbance along the ocean floor. This disturbance can be an earthquake, a landslide, or a volcanic eruption. A tsunami is undetectable far out in the ocean, but once it reaches shallow water, this fast traveling wave grows very large.

"...but once it reaches shallow water, ...."

The underlined word can be replaced by ....

• flat

• deep

• dark

• full