Clever ways informational text is written to grab a

reader’s attention!Ms. Bond

6th Grade Reading

Objective

I can analyze how individuals, events, or ideas are introduced, illustrated and elaborated in a text.

Essential Questions

What does it mean to introduce, illustrate and elaborate?

How does the author of the text introduce, illustrate and elaborate?

What is an example or anecdote?

How does the author use examples and anecdotes to convey his message?

Vocabulary

Introduce- to get the reader acquainted with a topic or idea

Illustrate- to describe an individual, event, or idea with words

Elaborate- to expand with details

Anecdote-a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person

Big Ideas

Author’s introduce, illustrate and elaborate so that readers can understand an individual, event or idea.

The use of examples and anecdotes helps the reader better understand the individual, event, or idea.

Elaboration Techniques

anecdote- short story

scenario- a hypothetical situation

example- a representative person, place, thing or event

definition- an explanation of an unfamiliar word

statistic- facts or numerical data

quotation- dialogue from someone else

cause/effect-a relationship between an event and its results

comparison/contrast- similarities and differences

Introduce ExampleThe Paralympic Games are great because they offer athletes with a disability

the chance to compete on a world stage. In 1948, a sports competition was held for World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries. In 1960, after the Olympics in Rome, the first official Paralympic Summer Games took place. The first Paralympic Winter Games were played in 1976, and in that year, the competition was opened to athletes with disabilities other than spinal cord injuries. Today, athletes who are visually impaired or blind, have amputated limbs, spinal cord injuries, or motor impairment due to stroke, brain injury, or cerebral palsy can enter the Paralympics. Furthermore, athletes are grouped by ability, not by medical classification.

Question: How are the Paralympic Games introduced in this selection? How does this introduction set the tone for this selection?

Answer: “The Paralympic Games are great because they offer athletes with a disability the chance to compete on a world stage.”

The introduction directly states what the rest of the passage is about.

IllustrateDescribe an individual, event, idea with words

Bullying is a problem in schools today. Some kids pick on other kids because it makes them feel strong. Other kids start bullying because they think it will make them fit in. There is no excuse for bullying. Kids who are bullied are sometimes too upset or scared to tell anyone. Any student who sees bullying should tell an adult.

ElaborateExpand with details

A familiar site in many school hallways is a water fountain. School water fountains don’t look like the fountains in big city parks. Those are large, often beautiful, and usually built for decoration. Water fountains in schools are installed so students (and teachers) can get a quick drink just by pushing a button. School water fountains are not large and most people would not call them beautiful.

Anecdote-A short story

Some kids lose mittens. Others lose puzzle pieces. One thing that all kids lose is their baby teeth. Around age six, a child’s baby teeth begin to fall out. One by one, they are replaced with permanent teeth. Within the next six or seven years, kids have a whole new mouth! A full set of adult teeth includes 32 teeth of various sizes and purposes.

Anecdote

How are colds spread? Picture this: Jeremiah coughs and covers his mouth with his hand. Then Ming borrows his highlighter. Ming yawns and rubs her eyes. She forgets to return Jeremiah’s highlighter. She gives it to Valerie, who will see Jeremiah next period. Valerie holds it in her teeth while opening her locker, and now, instead of one person with a cold, there are three!

Scenario

You decide to go swimming and look at some of the animals living in the sea. You dive underwater to get a better look and see a starfish on a rock. You try to pick it up, but you can’t separate it from the rock.

Example

Severe weather can be very dangerous. For example, hurricanes in the South Atlantic Ocean have been the cause of many deaths and damaged homes in recent years.

Definition

The word “limey” actually has its roots in the wisdom of Benjamin Franklin. He recognized the value of fruit. He even coined the phrase, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Following his advice, the British Navy began giving each sailor a lime a day. The limes prevented scurvy, a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C. Since then, Englishmen are often called “limeys.”

Statistics

He found that cardiac disease had killed 41 percent of adult gorillas. The males seemed especially vulnerable, with 70 percent of those over 30 dying of heart disease.

Quotation

Munching on leaves, playing with toys, entertaining visitors -it’s all in a day’s schedule for Mokolo and Bebac, two young male gorillas at the Cleveland Zoo. “You look at the gorillas, and they’re running around, eating, drinking,” says Pam Dennis, a veterinarian and disease researcher at the zoo. “Everything looks normal.”

Cause/Effect

Students at school have been sick all winter long. Many students have missed over a week of school due to the viruses passing from student to student. A few students, though, have not gotten sick at all. They have had perfect attendance. When asked why they had not gotten sick, the students explained that they clean their hands regularly with hand-sanitizer.

Compare/Contrast

American football is played on a rectangular field with goalposts. Well-padded players pass, carry, and kick the ball. The game is full of pauses as teams discuss their next play.

Australian football is played on a round field with no goalposts. Players don’t wear any padding. And they kick the ball almost as often as in soccer, making for nonstop action.