Text Structure

Read the passage and determine its text structure!

You may think it’s bad to forget your homework, but what if you forgot who you were? Amnesia is a condition where a person loses some of their memories, like details about their personal identity, but still may remember how to do things, like play a piano. One type of Amnesia is called post-traumatic amnesia. Post-traumatic amnesia is usually due to a head injury (like a serious fall or knock on the head). The degree of memory loss may be related to the force of the injury. A simple whiplash may cause a person to forget the moments before the accident, but a more severe injury may cause a greater loss. For example, the victim may not remember who certain people are or may forget details about their own identities.

• Compare and Contrast

• Chronological/Sequential

• Cause and Effect

• Problem and Solution

Read the passage and determine its text structure!

Ansel Bourne was a preacher, carpenter, and most likely an inspiration for the name “Bourne” in the movie and novel series, The Bourne Identity. Up until 1857, Bourne had been a carpenter, until he was called to religion. After 1858, he worked as an evangelical preacher, until 1887. He set up shop in Norristown, Pennsylvania, as a candy maker using the name A.J. Brown. Three months later, he woke up not knowing where he was, with no memory of the previous months. The case of Mr. Bourne has fascinated psychologists, and some film makers, for years.

• Compare and Contrast

• Description

• Cause and Effect

• Chronological/Sequential

Read the passage and determine its text structure!

The term Amnesia refers to complete or partial memory loss. Almost all of us will experience some form of Amnesia in our lives, even if it’s just a simple case of verbal amnesia, like forgetting someone’s name. Fortunately, there are things that you can do to prevent amnesia. Here is a list of foods that you can eat to improve your memory: almonds, walnuts, bananas, honey, apples, and black pepper. Though these foods may not reverse post-traumatic amnesia, they should improve your memory in daily life if you eat them regularly enough.

• Compare and Contrast

• Chronological/Sequential

• Cause and Effect

• Problem and Solution

Read the passage and determine its text structure!

What do Finding Nemo and Robocop have in common? Not much, except that they both feature characters who suffer amnesia. Amnesia is a common plot device in movies and TV shows, but how accurate are these depictions? In television and movies, memory loss caused by a knock to the head (post-traumatic amnesia) is shown as fairly common, when it is actually quite rare. Unlike in movies and television shows that feature amnesia, most knocks to the head will not produce memory loss. In reality, memory loss or amnesia is much more likely to occur as the result of a stroke, brain infection, or brain surgery. So while amnesia causes people or characters to lose memories in both film and reality, characters are usually “fixed” by taking another knock to the head. In reality, people are not cured so simply.

• Compare and Contrast

• Descriptive

• Cause and Effect

• Problem and Solution

Read the passage and determine its text structure!

The brain is the most complicated system in the human body. The brain is separated into two hemispheres or halves. From front to back, the brain is further divided into three parts: the forebrain, the midbrain, and the hindbrain. The forebrain is where most reasoning, thinking, and emotional activity occur. It is also where most memories are stored. The midbrain controls reflexes and process sensory information (sight, touch, taste, etc.) The hind brain processes basic survival functions, like breathing and maintaining heart beat. The brain is truly the most amazing system in the human body.

• Compare and Contrast

• Descriptive

• Cause and Effect

• Chronological/Sequential

Read the passage and determine its text structure!

What would you do if you awoke one day and discovered that you could not create new memories? You might remember everything that occurred in your life up to the point of an injury, but could not form new memories beyond that. This condition is called “anterograde amnesia,” and it is difficult to treat, but doctors and therapists recommend these steps: first, use technology to help. A cell phone with a calendar reminder can do much to offset this condition. Second, use helpers. Having people to assist with daily tasks, like paying bills, will prove quite helpful. Lastly, seek therapy. While there is no cure for anterograde amnesia, memory training may help the afflicted live a more normal life. Currently, there are no chemical medications or drugs that will alleviate this condition.

• Compare and Contrast

• Problem and Solution

• Cause and Effect

• Chronological/Sequential

Read the passage and determine its text structure!

Automation is the use of machines to reduce the need for human labor. In other words automation is when jobs done by people become jobs done by robots. Automation can be a good thing. Because of automation, clothing, cars, and other manufactured products are available at good prices and in large supply. But automation can also be a bad thing. Because of automation, there are over 700,000 robots in America alone that do jobs once performed by humans. The way of automation may not be best for humanity, but it is the course we are taking.

• Compare and Contrast

• Problem and Solution

• Cause and Effect

• Chronological/Sequential

Read the passage and determine its text structure!

What do you get when you cross a robot and an astronaut? A Robonaut! Robonauts are robot helpers designed to work side-by-side with astronauts. Work on the first Robonaut began in 1997, and by 2002 Robonaut B was revealed to the public. Robonaut B may have featured interchangeable lower bodies, like four-wheel mode or hydraulic legs, but scientists and engineers continued to improve Robonaut. In February of 2010, Robonaut 2 was released to the public. Robonaut 2 moved four times faster than the first Robonaut. An advanced version of Robonaut 2 was finally tested in outer space in 2011. Robonaut functioned exactly as designed.

• Compare and Contrast

• Problem and Solution

• Cause and Effect

• Chronological/Sequential

Read the passage and determine its text structure!

From airplanes to forklifts, hydraulic power is the strength behind many amazing technologies that affect our daily lives, even the breaks on your school bus, but how do they work? First, fluid is rapidly released into a chamber through a valve. As the fluid collect, the valve is slammed shut which causes a pressure spike. Because the chamber is sealed, the pressure has nowhere to go. The hydraulic mechanism channels the pressure and provides great power. And that’s how, with the help of hydraulics, Grandma can stop a car with one foot.

• Compare and Contrast

• Problem and Solution

• Cause and Effect

• Chronological/Sequential

Read the passage and determine its text structure!

Many people use the words cyborg and android interchangeably when, in fact, they have different meanings. Both terms refer to beings powered by robotics, but an android is powered entirely by robots. Though androids are completely mechanical, they are designed to look like humans. They may have synthetic skin, hair, and other features, but no human organs. On the other hand, cyborgs are part human and part machine. They may have robotic hands, legs, or eyes, but all cyborgs have surgically implanted technologies that enhance their abilities.

• Compare and Contrast

• Chronological/Sequential

• Cause and Effect

• Problem and Solution