*Summit Practice: Structures in Nonfiction Texts 7

How does the author organize the ideas in the [shortened] reading passage [about giraffes] below?

excerpt from the book A Natural History of Giraffes

[Paragraph 1] At birth a giraffe calf is about six feet tall (top of head) and weighs between 100 and 150 pounds....

[Paragraph 2] Spots of calves (young giraffes) tend to be paler than those of older giraffes, and they may change shape as the calf grows...

[Paragraph 3] A calf’s background color tends to be lighter than its mother’s...

[Paragraph 4] No young animal is more charming than a giraffe calf...

• by listing interesting details and facts about giraffes

• by comparing and contrasting giraffes with other animals

• by discussing the causes of giraffes being born without spots

• by explaining the problems faced by baby giraffes born in the wild

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CCSS.RI.5.5

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CCSS.RI.9-10.5

How does the author organize Paragraph 5? (the paragraph below about “Hurricane Hunters”, those who fly airplanes into hurricanes to collect weather data)

[Paragraph 5] When the National Hurricane Center in Miami determines that a hurricane is approaching the U.S., the “Hurricane Hunters” take off in two planes. One of the WC-130 planes will enter the hurricane close to the sea surface. The other plane will fly much higher into the storm...

• The author tells what happens when a hurricane is approaching the U.S. and the process the “Hurricane Hunters” use to track the hurricane.

• The author compares the National Hurricane Center to the “Hurricane Hunters.”

• The author makes a general statement about advanced satellites and gives related details.

• The author describes the causes of hurricanes and the effects they have on weather instruments.

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CCSS.RI.5.5

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How is the [last] paragraph of the passage [about sod houses, or grass houses] below organized?

[Paragraph 13 = Last paragraph] But during that first year, I also learned that our soddie [sod or grass house] kept us warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It leaked when it rained, and on hot days Mother needed to pour water over the floor once a week to keep the dust settled. The three of us were crowded but happy...

• It contrasts advantages and disadvantages of a sod house [soddie].

• It lists the steps necessary for eating inside a sod house.

• It gives details about the construction of a sod house.

• It summarizes the passage, giving events in chronological [time] order.

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CCSS.RI.5.5

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CCSS.RI.7.5

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CCSS.RI.9-10.5

How does the author organize the second and third paragraphs (Paragraphs 2 and 3) about chopsticks?

[Paragraph 2]...Although the exact date is unknown, [chopsticks were] these two thin, tapered pieces of wood were developed in China 3,000 to 5,000 years ago...

[Paragraph 3] ...by 400 B.C. people had to use less fuel for fires. By chopping food into smaller pieces, people could cook it faster...By 500 A.D., chopstick use spread to Japan and Korea, and it continues today.

• The author tells how chopsticks were developed, using chronological [earlier date in history to newer date in history] order.

• The author makes a general statement about chopsticks and gives related details.

• The author explains the reasons for chopsticks and describes the process of making them.

• The author tells the reason chopsticks were developed and the effects they have had on Asian culture.

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In Paragraphs 6 and 7 [below of a shortened article about "Hurricane Hunters"], the author uses the phrases “During this time”, “All the while”, and “Until then” to help the reader understand...

[Paragraph 6]...During this time the crew will fly from the outer edge all the way through the eye wall...All the while, radar, computers, and weather instruments will collect valuable information inside the hurricane...

[Paragraph 7] ...Until then, no hurricane can approach the shoreline of the United States without sufficient warning...

• the order of events.

• the causes of events.

• the comparisons being made.

• the solution to a problem.

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CCSS.RI.5.5

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A text that explains why something has happened would MOST likely use which of the following text structures?

• Cause/effect (provide a reason why about something)

• Description (explain the details of what about something)

• Compare/contrast (similarities/differences)

• Sequential (going in a particular order or number order)

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CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

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CCSS.RI.9-10.5

A text that shares the details of an event or object would most likely use which of the following text structures?

• Cause/effect (provide a reason why about something)

• Description (explain with more specific information about a topic)

• Problem/solution (question and answer)

• Chronological (going in a particular order or number order)

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CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

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CCSS.RI.9-10.5

How is the information in the [shortened] passage [about condors] organized?

How did condors become endangered? ... Scientists needed to move quickly to save the big birds. In California, the San Diego Zoo and the Los Angeles Zoo started bold programs... The plan to help condors included tricking them into laying more eggs... and... Another sneaky tactic was for the researchers to hide their faces and feed the chicks with puppets that looked like adult condor heads...

• Problem/solution: Condors are becoming extinct, so zoos are creating captivity breeding (allowing more animals to reproduce inside zoos) plans.

• Compare/contrast: Condors in the wild are compared to condors in human-made habitats.

• Cause and Effect: Condors live in an endangered environment, which prevents them from breeding.

• Argument and Support: Condors are an important Wyoming species and require the support of a zoo.

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Which paragraph [below] begins with a transition that indicates a chronological [in time order] organization for the [shortened] passage [about windshield wipers]?

[Paragraph 5] Nonsense, thought Mary, as she scribbled in her notebook...

[Paragraph 6] Later, when she returned to her home in Birmingham, she studied her sketches.

[Paragraph 7] "My invention relates to an improvement in window-cleaning devices..."

[Paragraph 8] In other words, a lever on the inside that would move an arm on the outside.

• Paragraph 5

• Paragraph 6

• Paragraph 7

• Paragraph 8

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The organizational pattern of this [shortened] text [about a woman named Mary Bennington] can best be described as...

Mary Engle Pennington was born in Nashville, Tennessee. When she was still a baby, her family moved to West Philadelphia in Pennsylvania... After high school, Pennington decided to go to the University of Pennsylvania to learn more about chemistry... In 1895, when she was twenty-two, she was eligible for a PhD in chemistry... For several years, Pennington worked in Philadelphia... Pennington continued to work until she was in her seventies...

• chronological (going in time or year order).

• process (start to finish).

• problem/solution (question/answer).

• compare/contrast (similarities/differences).

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CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5