M S . B A N E

WRITING STRATEGIES

INFORMATIONAL TEXTS

• What are the features of “informational texts”?• Provide information for a CONSUMER• Uses STRUCTURAL FEATURES to communicate to reader• Uses specific FORMATTING to stand out to readers

• Vocabulary• Consumer: A person who uses a product or service• Structural features: Different types of text that help guide

a reader’s attention• Formatting: Type of text used to help word or features

stand out from other words in a document

SAMPLE INFORMATIONAL DOCUMENT

• Who is the consumer? What are the structural features? Why is this formatting used?

SAMPLE INFORMATIONAL DOCUMENT

• Consumer: Someone interested in fitness (“Be ready for the beach!”)

• Formatting: Uses headers (bold and italics) and pictures to draw in reader,

• Structural Features: Headings (bold and italics) that draw in the consumer…one header uses “expert” testimony by referencing a magazine (Fitness Journal)

FICTION VS. INFORMATIONAL TEXT

Fiction

• Text: One kind of text so that style does not detract from writing• Graphics and

illustrations: Enhance the reader’s ideas of setting, more common in juvenile literature to help kids understand reading

Informational Text

• Text: Different kinds of text to draw the reader’s eye to different points

• Graphics and illustrations: Provide a quick visual tool, help the reader easily find information, help clarify difficult concepts, give a visual demonstration of steps in a process

FICTION VS. INFORMATIONAL TEXT

Fiction

• Numbering and bullets: Not commonly used• Headings: Seldom

used in fiction

Informational Text

• Numbering and bullets: Provide lists of important ideas, may assist the reader in locating specific steps, may establish chronological order

• Headings: Used throughout, help reader find important information, enable the reader to find a particular topic rather than reading the entire document

FICTION VS. INFORMATIONAL TEXT

Fiction

• Title: Creative, inspires curiosity• Table of Contents:

Lists chapter titles

Informational Text

• Title: Functional, clearly covers the main point of the document• Table of Contents:

Outlines the points covered in the document, makes finding information easier

TONE

• Remember, tone is the AUTHOR’S ATTITUDE.• The tone of a nonfictional text (like an

informational document) will depend on its audience. • An advertisement is trying to get people to buy

something, so its tone might be PERSUASIVE.• A review of a product might be trying to see if it

works for all consumers, so its tone might be OBJECTIVE.

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING!

• Quick! You were paying attention, right? Now, write a quickwrite explaining everything there is to know about the difference between the PURPOSE of an informational document.• If you were not paying attention, I suspect you now look like this.

NEXT UP, BIBLIOGRAPHY!

• A bibliography is a list of books, articles, and other sources you use when researching a topic and writing a paper.• A bibliography comes at the END of a paper.

• What’s the difference between a BIBLIOGRAPHY and a WORKS CITED?• In a WORKS CITED, you only list sources that you

CITED.

MLA FORMAT

• MLA is a style of citation. Most papers written in high school must be written in MLA format. Once you get to college, some classes will use different styles, but MLA is still predominantly used.

MLA FORMAT

• How to cite a(n)…

• Book: Last, First M. Book. City: Publisher, Year Published. Print.• Website: Last name, First name. "Article Title."

Website Title. Publisher of Website, Day Month Year article was published. Web. Day Month Year article was accessed. <URL>.• Encyclopedia: Last, First M., and First M. Last.

"Article Title" Encyclopedia Name. City: Publisher, Year Published. Page(s). Print.

MLA FORMAT

• How to cite a(n)…

• Magazine Article: Last, First M. "Article Title." Magazine Title. Date Month Year Published: Page(s). Print.• Online Database: Last, First M. "Article Title."

Database Name. Database Publisher, Date Month Year Published. Web. Date Month Year Accessed.• Newspaper: Last, First M. "Article Title."

Newspaper Title [City] Date Month Year Published: Page(s). Print.

WHEN TO CAPITALIZE IN TITLES

• Capitalize the first word of the title, the last word of the title, and all “principal” words (nouns, verbs, and so on), and all words longer than three letters. (Grammar Girl)

• For example: At the Circus in Hogan’s Alley

ITALICS VS. QUOTATION MARKS

• For long works (books, magazines, encyclopedias, moves), use italics in MLA format.

• For short works (articles, short stories, songs, entries WITHIN an encyclopedia), use “quotation marks” in MLA format.

• ***This rule holds true in your essays, too. If something is LONG, it gets italicized OR underlined. If something is SHORT, it gets quotation marks.

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING!

• Not this again! You need to swiftly cite the following BOOK using MLA format. Make sure you capitalize it properly!

• Title: DANGERS OF COOKING Author: Adrian Jenson Publisher: Michael Scott Paper Publishing Date: June 7, 2012 City: Encinitas, CA Favorite Song of Author: “Everybody Dance Now”• If you were not paying attention, I suspect you now look like this.

WHAT IS A RESEARCH QUESTION?

• A TOPIC is something you are writing about. For example, you might be asked to write about GLOBAL WARMING for Environmental Science.• How do you go about researching it? You must

come up with QUESTIONS to guide your research.• Remember that research questions should be

driven by FACTS not OPINIONS.

• Example of a research question: “How is global warming impacting California’s ecosystems?”

FACT VERSUS OPINION

• A FACT is something that can be proven.• An OPINION is something subjective that people

are likely to disagree on.

• Fact: Sea otters use tools to help them access food.• Opinion: Sea otters are the most important

animal and must be protected at all costs.

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING!

• Impossible. You had to have been paying attention. You knew this was coming.• Now, write a FACT-BASED research question about

violence in the media.• If you were not paying attention, I suspect you now look like this.