RI 8.3 Informational Text Techniques

Which text technique is being used here?

A fuel cell is a kind of battery. It makes electricity. One side of the cell is filled with hydrogen. The other is filled with oxygen that comes from the air. The hydrogen separates into electrons and protons. The electrons supply the power for the motor. The protons mix with the oxygen to make water. The water passes out of the cell.

• defining key terms and technical vocab

• providing a surprising fact or statistic

• organization (text structure)

• quoting an authority

Which text technique is being used here?

You can’t control your fate. The truth of these words for Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy drive the paths of their lives. However, how each different boy’s fate unfolds is what makes one considered the hero and the other a villain. Harry Potter is destined to be the “Chosen One”. He did not choose this destiny, but it was thrown on him as a child because of how events unfolded for his family. On the other hand, Draco Malfoy has family expectations of siding with and supporting the death eaters because of his father’s affiliation. Failure to follow Voldemort could lead to not only his death but that of his family.

• raising questions (& answering them)

• addressing the reader directly

• giving an example/anecdote

• making a comparison

Which text technique is being used here?

All the passengers are seated on a plane out on the tarmac and the stewardess announces "We're just waiting for the pilots." The passengers look out the window and see two men, dressed as pilots walking towards the plane. Both men are using guide dogs and appear to be blind. There are murmurs among the passengers, and some believe it is a joke. The men board the plane and go into the cockpit. More concerned murmurs and uneasy chuckles from the passengers. The plane taxis normally to the runway and begins its takeoff. As passengers look out the window they realize they are nearing the end of the runway. The entire passenger cabin begins screaming but the plane lifts off just before the end of the runway. The passengers calm down and chuckle to themselves. In the cockpit, the pilot turns to his copilot and says "You know, one day those people are gonna scream too late and we're all gonna die!"

• quoting an authority

• addressing the reader directly

• making a comparison

• incorporating humor

Which text technique is being used here?

If I could redo one choice in my life, I would choose not to ride my cousin’s motorcycle. Growing up, I wanted to be just like my cousin Chip, even when he got a dirt bike. When I was seven years old, I asked Chip if I could ride his new motorcycle. My hand revving the throttle, I took off, slid on the pavement, and became trapped under my aunt’s car.

• providing a surprising fact or statistic

• giving an example/anecdote

• organize (text structure)

• repeat - use parallelism

Which text technique is being used here?

In 1419 Prince Henry of Portugal, known as “Henry the Navigator,” set up a research center in southern Portugal. In 1492 Columbus discovered the Americas. Only 7% of the men who began the voyage with Magellan completed the journey. The Native American population decreased by as much as 20 million after the Spanish arrived in the Americas.

• providing a surprising fact or statistic

• organization (text structure)

• defining key terms and technical vocab

• raise questions (and sometimes answer them)

Which text technique is being used here?

A pounding heart. Tense muscles. Sweat-beaded forehead. The sight of a coiled snake or a deep chasm might trigger such stress responses. These physical reactions signal that the body is prepared to deal with a life-threatening situation.

• make a comparison

• organize (text structure)

• give an example/anecdote

• repeat - use parallelism

Which text technique is being used here?

How can people shift into a stress-is-enhancing mindset? Start by recognizing that stress can be useful. "We only stress about what we care about," Crum says. She points out that achieving goals necessarily involves stressful moments. If we know that stress is coming, then we can see it for what it is: part of the process of growth and accomplishment.

• raise questions (and sometimes answer them)

• choose words/phrases that lead the reader to think one way or another

• text text features and/or provide a visual

• make a comparison

Which text technique is being used here?

"There has been a substantial gap between the clinical use of these tests and what the research suggests about their validity," said Dr. Scott O. Lilienfeld, an associate professor of psychology at Emory University and the lead author of the article. "The research continues to suggest that they are not as useful for most purposes as many clinicians believe."

• provide a surprising fact or statistic

• give an example/anecdote

• quote an authority

• repeat - parallelism

Which text technique is being used here?

Yet almost since its creation, the inkblot test has also been controversial, with early critics calling it "cultish" and later ones deeming it "scientifically useless."

• organize (text structure)

• define key terms and technical vocab

• quote an authority

• choose words/phrases that lead the reader to think one way or another

Which text technique is being used here?

That fight-or-flight response is how the body prepares to deal with the threat at hand. And it triggers some major changes in physiology, or how the body functions. For instance, blood is shunted away from the fingers, toes, and digestive system. That blood then rushes to large muscles in the arms and legs. There, the blood provides the oxygen and nutrients needed to sustain a fight or to beat a hasty retreat.

• make a comparsion

• use text features and/or provide a visual

• define key terms and technical vocab

• quote an authority