Presentation by Maryellen Rooney Moreau.

1. Presenter:
Maryellen Rooney Moreau, M.Ed., CCC-SLP
President and Founder of MindWing Concepts, Inc.
Narrative & Expository
Text Development and Data Collection
with Story Grammar Marker® & ThemeMaker®
Staten Island
October 2015
1

2. Maryellen Rooney Moreau, M.Ed. CCC-SLP,
President & Founder, MindWing Concepts, Inc., Springfield, MA
• Financial: Maryellen has ownership interest in MindWing Concepts, holds
intellectual property rights and patents. Maryellen is employed as president of
MindWing Concepts. In that capacity, she designed Story Grammar Marker® and
Braidy the StoryBraid® along with many other books and materials. She runs this
business as well as consults, trains and presents on MindWing Concepts’
methodology and for this, she receives a salary. MindWing Concepts, Inc. receives
speaker fees, consulting fees and honoraria as well as reimbursement for travel costs.
• Nonfinancial: No relevant nonfinancial relationships exist.
• This presentation will focus exclusively on Story Grammar Marker® and will not
include information on other similar or related products.
Disclosures
2

3. https://www.facebook.com/groups/StoryGrammarMarker/
Please join the OFFICIAL Story Grammar Marker®
Professional Learning Community on FaceBook
3

4. 1. Focuses on critical, functional skills.
2. Uses explicit teaching
3. Is carefully sequenced
4. Emphasizes the use of conspicuous strategies
5. Uses scaffolding to promote student success
6. Utilizes prior knowledge
7. Provides regular opportunities for practice.
(McIntosh, 2010)
Quality Instruction Includes:
4

5. • How do our assessment practices need to change with the
Common Core State Standards?
• Changes in how we need to “examine the data”
• “Standardized assessments may fail to assess the dynamic
demands of the classroom”
• “We need to examine functional aspects of language through
narrative-based assessments, student work samples and the
like” 5

6. How…
• Know the Common Core…how do our assessments fit with them.
• Read educational publications “to keep up with standards-related
developments, state and federal.”
• Include narrative-based assessment:
– “Narrative skills play a critical role in accessing standards.”
– “Narrative-based assessment options give insight into a student’s
ability to use complex sentences in a variety of contexts.”
– “Standardized measures (TNL, Gillam; SALT) and informal
measures such as eliciting personal narratives… and retellings
• Recognize vocabulary demands: understand the role different types
of vocabulary play
– (PPVT; Montgomery Assessment of Vocabulary Acquisition; Tiers
of vocabulary; Academic Vocabulary).
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7. • Gain insight into a student’s pragmatic skills (Bellini, Autism
Social Skills Profile) Also, Brinton and Fujiki; Social Thinking®,
Mindwing Concepts etc…)
• Include student work samples in your assessment (writing
samples; children’s oral discourse/presentations)
• Familiarize yourself with Common Core Formal Assessments
(Smarter Balance;….). Does the language of the test questions pose
problems for your students?
“Allow yourself to admit we are all still just learning
as we go, which can be unsettling for many of us.
The important part is to remain flexible and keep
tweaking our current practices until we get the
formula just right for each student.” (Dodd, 2014)
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8. Speaking and Listening Standards K-5
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas #4
1
Describe
people,
places,
things, and
events with
relevant
details,
expressing
ideas and
feelings
clearly.
K
Describe
familiar
people,
places, things
and events
and, with
prompting
and support,
provide
additional
detail.
2
Tell a story or
recount an
experience with
appropriate facts
and relevant,
descriptive
details, speaking
audibly in
coherent
sentences.
3
Report on a topic
or text,
tell a story, or
recount an
experience with
appropriate facts
and relevant
descriptive
details, speaking
clearly at an
understandable
pace.
4
Report on a
topic or text, tell
a story, or
recount an
experience in an
organized
manner, using
appropriate facts
and relevant,
descriptive
details to
support main
ideas or
themes; speak
clearly at an
understandable
pace.
5
Report on a
topic or text or
present an
opinion,
sequencing
ideas logically
and using
appropriate
facts and
relevant,
descriptive
details to
support main
ideas or
themes; speak
clearly at an
understandable
pace.
Please note: If a child cannot take
perspective in the narrative, then he/she
will have difficulty using evidence to
argue a point or present an opinion.
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9. Just heard last Monday:
• “What about topic development? She can’t develop a topic.”
Others:
• “He has trouble expressing himself.”
• “She can answer questions about topics if I am there to encourage her to say
more.”
• “She tells everything out of order…”
• “Her writing, no matter what the topic is, is a list, but I guess everything is
essentially a list until you elaborate.”
• “All I hear from him are really short sentences.”
• “She keeps stopping and rewording in peer groups or “turn and talk”. I think she
is nervous. She needs to look at something to help her.”
• “Her stories are disorganized and sound like “and then and then and then”.
• “He goes off track and leaves out important details when talking about a
topic…we want the facts from the text.”
Teacher comments about discourse expression
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10. Student Engagement Indicators
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1. The ability to question, contribute, and/or collaborate
throughout the lesson.
2. The ability to actively listen, rephrase, agree/disagree and
offer rationales in order to understand each other.
3. The ability to sustain interaction, often in small groups in
order to complete academic tasks that include speaking,
listening, reading and writing or other means of expression.
4. The ability to cite and use evidence and/or data to analyze,
interpret, synthesize or evaluate information.

11. 5. The ability to express thoughts through demonstration,
discussion, debate and multimedia in order to share their
ideas and defend their positions.
6. The ability to formulate questions, make predictions,
and perform strategies with increased confidence.
7. The ability to assess their own performance and set
appropriate goals for what they need to do to meet lesson
objectives or move to the next level of proficiency.
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12. Cervetti, G. & Hiebert, E. (2015). The sixth pillar of reading instruction:
knowledge development. The Reading Teacher, 68, 7, 548-551.
“One of the most significant changes of the CCSS/ELA
is a focus on knowledge development as part of
literacy development and focus on the acquisition of
literacy skills specific to different disciplines. In
highlighting these connections between ELA and
knowledge as part of literacy, the CCSS/ELA provide
an opportunity for teachers to emphasize what research
has validated for decades: that knowledge is a critical
component of the reading process. In this column, we
describe why knowledge development should be
viewed as the sixth pillar of reading instruction and
how teachers can increase their students’ knowledge
building through reading.”
KNOWLEDGE
DEVELOPMENT
The Sixth Pillar of Reading
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13. Mind taking flight =
thought & knowledge development
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14. 14

15. Language Provides the Building Blocks to Literacy
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16. Without Discourse There No Efficient Connection from
Oral Language Development to Literacy
CCSS
COLLEGE AND CAREER
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17. DISCOURSE
Spoken and Written Communication
CONVERSATION NARRATION EXPOSITION
The “Here and Now”………………………………….The “There and Then”
D I S C O U R S E
Carol Westby (1985)
The Oral-Literate Continuum
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18. What is the
Story
Grammar
Marker®?
A hands on, multisensory
narrative development tool
that has colorful, meaningful
icons that represent the
organizational structure of a
story. The tool itself is a
complete episode, the basic
unit of a plot.
Character
Setting
Kick-off
Feeling
Plan
Planned Attempts (Actions)
Direct Consequence
Resolution
http://mindwingconcepts.com/collections/story-grammar-marker 18

19. The Critical Thinking Triangle®:
It’s what is missing from
traditional graphic organizers!
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20. Macrostructure: Narrative Structure and Organization
Microstructure: Syntax and Morphology
“A growing body of literature substantiates the efficacy of narrative
intervention, including:
• parent training,
• explicit teaching of narrative structure interactively and
meaning based and
• use of narratives as a context for addressing both linguistic
and narrative skills.”
Boudreau, D. (2008). Topics in Language Disorders 28(2)
Narrative Based Language Intervention
20

21. A narrative is a story. It involves
the telling or re-telling of events
and experiences orally and in
writing. A story can be true or
fictitious and takes into account
one or more points of view.
Narrative Defined…
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24. http://tinyurl.com/eggbertmovietrailer
*** “Movie Trailer” ***
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25. Materials Used
in activities
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26. https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-
8#q=pocket+chart+red+yellow+green&tbm=shop&spd=12175336825629874342
Pocket Chart
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27. http://mindwingconcepts.com/products/cohesive-tie-jar-gon-kit
MindWing’s Cohesive Tie JAR-gon
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28. http://mindwingconcepts.com/products/universal-magnet-set
MindWing’s Universal Magnet Set
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31. 31

32. Micro-structure: Gluing the Sentences Together
1. Micro-structure, as defined by Justice (2004), is the internal linguistic organization of the
narrative.
2. Micro-structure is commonly referred to as “story sparkle” (Westby). It focuses on
vocabulary and sentence development as well as cohesive ties (see page 39-40 of SGM®
manual.)
3. Micro-structure is the elaboration and cohesion that makes a story (narrative) meaningful.
(SGM® manual page 39-44.)
4. Micro-structure’s literate language features:
• Elaborated noun phrases (ex. The big, scary fish…)
• Verb phrases (tense use & adverb use, ex. The big, scary fish swam slowly.)
• Mental State verbs (the character may: remember, know, think, realize, etc.)
• Linguistic verbs (whispered, yelled, asked, etc.)
• Conjunctions (and, but, so, because, first, then, next, finally, etc.)
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33. • Elaborated noun phrases: a hard fall on the sidewalk; beautiful little lights;
• Verb phrase & -ly adverbs: sadly, luckily (See sentence exemplars below)
• Conjunctions: Then, but, and, just when, finally
• Mental State Verbs: thought, knew, thinking, notice, realized, notice
• Communication (linguistic) verbs: whispered; ordered
• Figurative language: caught his eye; if the truth be told; Split!; Voila!,
Scramble!, hunched
• Exemplar Sentences to demonstrate cohesion and the complexity of mental
state verbs:
• He hunched his shoulders, what little shoulders he had, and pressed
his shell together, so that the crack almost disappeared.
• All the drawers had labels, but none of them was right for Eggbert.
• But just as Eggbert was thinking he’d found the perfect place, a
potato plant happened to notice his crack.
• He realized that no matter how he painted himself, he could not hide
who he was.
Microstructure Examples and Literate Language Features from Eggbert
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46. 46

47. http://mindwingconcepts.com/products/cohesive-tie-jar-gon-kit
MindWing’s Cohesive Tie JAR-gon
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55. 55

56. Sequence for the Character Mapping
& Paragraph Writing
This actual lesson was done as a whole group in grade 1.
Steps were:
1. Teacher filled out the character map on chart paper eliciting
student input. A large Character Icon Magnet can be used on
a white board or a Character Image can be used on a
Smartboard
2. Teacher put the map on a student Character Map and made a
copy for each student.
3. Teacher reviewed the map together with the students and
had them number the categories 1-4.
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57. 4. Teacher then wrote the sentences on chart paper with
student input using each item from the map and checking
off the item on the map as each item was used.
5. Teacher then read the paragraph with students from the
chart paper.
6. Teacher copied the paragraph for each student so the next
day each child received the completed class paragraph.
7. As a group, the paragraph was reread and then each child
underlined with the teacher modeling, each item from the
map.
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63. 63

64. Outcome
Students were able to visually see taking a list and
turning it into sentences, development of a paragraph
and thus…a description of our character!
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65. Older Student
Mapping/Writing Example
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66. 66

67. 67

68. 68

69. 3 Choices for ART PROJECTS
The art projects were done with the students of various
ages and abilities – use your discretion. There are
several opportunities for conversational discourse.
69

70. 1.) Provide a paper with 2 large
ovals. Eggbert can be drawn
showing happy and sad.
70

71. 71

72. 2.) Eggbert is created showing a
gradual build up of an expository
sequence using google eyes, a beret
cut out from red felt and the arms
and legs. All were prepared ahead of
time. See the steps.
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79. 3.) Eggbert cut-outs with Setting
Map drawn portraying Eggbert in
a creative setting. If the child is
able, he/she can draw a picture
and write a sentence.
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82. 82

83. Expository Text
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84. ThemeMaker Kit – Expository Text
http://mindwingconcepts.com/products/the-thememaker-kit 84

85. Expository or informational text is found in text books such as history,
geography, social studies, science and technology. Expository text is
particularly important for organizing and comprehending information in: news
articles, textbook chapters, science experiments, research papers,
advertisements, content area texts, the Internet and even in everyday life.
The basic expository or informational text structures are: description, list,
sequence, cause/effect, problem/solution, compare/contrast and persuasion.
(Rooney Moreau & Fidrych, 2008, p. 18).
Expository Defined…
85

86. As the curriculum becomes more complex…
EXPOSITORY TEXT IS INTRODUCED AND BECOMES
MORE PREVALENT. IT IS:
TECHNICAL ABSTRACT DENSE
COMPLEX ALIENATING
Technical Vocabulary
Embedded Clauses
Fang, Z., and Schlippegrell, M. (2010). Disciplinary Literacies Across Content Areas: Supporting
Secondary Reading Through Functional Language Analysis. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy
53(7). International Reading Association.
86

87. Examples of Expository Text…
87

88. 88

89. 89

90. http://mindwingconcepts.com/products/discourse-and-thought-development-chart-wheel
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93. 93

94. 94

95. 95

96. 96

97. Companion Expository Text Lesson:
EGGS
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98. 98

99. Sea Turtle Eggs/Nesting/Hatching
99

100. 100

101. 101

102. http://tinyurl.com/seaturtlesTM
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103. 103

104. Sea Turtle Article (handout)
Sea turtles are interesting and mysterious animals. They live in both
warm and cool climates around the world. Sea turtles look like other
land turtles but they cannot pull their legs, or flippers, under their
shells for protection. The female sea turtle lays eggs. She returns to the
same sandy beach, where she, herself, was born. How she remembers
where to go is a mystery since sea turtles travel hundreds of miles in
their lifetimes. Their traveling is always in water unless it is time to
lay their ping pong ball shaped eggs.
When it is time to lay eggs, the female sea turtle travels back to her
birthplace and crawls up on the beach past the high water mark to dry,
sandy soil using her large flippers as legs. Then, she has to take a rest
since walking on land makes her extremely tired. Soon she begins to
lay her eggs.
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105. She digs at least one deep hole in the sand and lays up to 150
eggs in it. Next, she covers the eggs with warm sand and walks
back into the sea. The sand, covering this “nest”, protects the
eggs until they hatch. The warmer the nest temperature, the more
female turtles hatch. If the temperature is balanced, there will be
a balanced number of males and females.
In a few weeks, the sandy area where the nests are located
begins to shake and hundreds of little black headed creatures
scramble out of the sand. These two inch long creatures seem to
know right away that they must go into the water. So begins a
life journey for these baby sea turtles. The males will never
return to the beach again but somehow the females will
remember the place, when it is time to lay their eggs.
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108. 108

109. 109

110. Three 4th Grade Student Examples
(Sequence Passage)
TASK:
1. Teacher chunks the text
2. Talk as a group using MindWing’s magnets for Listing
Sequencing and Cause/Effect (use Maps as guide)
3. Map the sequence on Sequence Map together
4. Teacher provides Maps (in handout)
5. Write Paragraph using the Sequence/Cause-Effect/List
Cohesive Tie Words
6. Underline details
110

111. When it is time to lay eggs, the female sea turtle
travels back to her birthplace and crawls up on the
beach past the high water mark to dry, sandy soil
using her large flippers as legs. Then, she has to
take a rest since walking on land makes her
extremely tired. Soon she begins to lay her eggs.
She digs at least one deep hole in the sand and
lays up to 150 eggs in it. Next, she covers the eggs
with warm sand and walks back into the sea.
111

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113. 113

114. 114

115. AmazingEggs_rubric for webinar.pdf
115

116. 116

117. Deepening Narrative Thought
117

118. Focus: The Internal Response &
Mental States
Social emotions…
• are abstract and most often must be inferred
• must be thought about and analyzed
• Rely on facial expressions and body language as well as real-life
experience, motivation and words of characters within the social
situation in order to identify specific social emotions
• are emotions that depend on interaction with another person or
group of people.
118

119. “Although there are emotions for all
shades and degrees of joys, sadness
and anger, it is problematic to create
a universal facial expression for envy
or pride (Nikolajeva, p.253).”
Nikolajeva, M. (2014). Picturebooks and Emotional Literacy. The Reading Teacher,
67, 4, p. 249-254.
119

120. “Images play a significant role in representing
social emotions and frequently carry the
heaviest load, especially through body
language and mutual position of characters
on the page [or in real-life situations]. Social
emotions are not directly connected to
external manifestations and thus more
difficult to express visually [and to interpret]
(p. 253).”
Nikolajeva, M. (2014). Picturebooks and Emotional Literacy. The Reading Teacher,
67, 4, p. 249-254.
120

121. Perspective Taking and Inference
121

122. What story are these characters from?
How are they feeling?
122

123. 123

124. Expository Features
FACTS:
Elephants love water and can swim!
As a rule, pigs don't like being in
the rain for extended periods – they
will hunt out some form of cover.
124

125. • How many emotions did you notice in Are
You Ready to Play Outside?
• What were they?
• Were they tied to the kick off?
• Were they tied to characters’ mental states
and plans?
• Was there perspective-taking involved?
• What stage of Narrative Development is this
book? 125

126. The Analysis
126

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128. 128

129. http://education.nationalgeographic.com/encyclopedia/weather/
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/encyclopedia/rain/
129

130. Islands
and
Peninsulas
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135. 135

136. “Because expository texts are the primary
means for acquiring academic and
schooled knowledge, students’ failure to
understand and learn from expository
texts can create a cumulative knowledge
deficit as children progress through
schools.”
Improving Comprehension Instruction: Rethinking Research, Theory, and
Classroom Practice. Edited By: Cathy Collins Block, Linda B. Gambrell and
Michael Pressley. ISBN: 0-87207-458-7
136

137. Our students will almost ALWAYS
do better on multiple choice tests…
than if they have to formulate the
response on their own.
Michelle Garcia Winner (2010). Social Thinking® Across the Home and
School Day: The I LAUGH Model of Social Thinking
137

138. • Describe
• List
• Sequence
• Find cause/effect
• Identify Problem/Solution
• Interpret and write persuasive text
• Compare and Contrast
• Predict
• Summarize
• Infer
• Find the most important informational points/facts
• Know the Author’s purpose
• Find answers to “Wh” Questions within text
• Find the main idea
• Follow the pronoun referent
• Know the organization of text
• Self monitor
• Process complex sentences & abstract vocabulary words
The ThemeMaker® helps
to comprehend and
express information!
Good Readers & Writers of Expository Text can:
138

139. English Language Arts Standards » Writing » Grade 5 - Text Types and Purposes
http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-standards/writing/grade-5/
•W.5.1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
• Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas are logically
grouped to support the writer’s purpose.
• Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details.
• Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically).
• Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.
•W.5.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
• Introduce a topic clearly, provide a general observation and focus, and group related information logically; include
formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
• Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the
topic.
• Link ideas within and across categories of information using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., in contrast, especially).
• Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
• Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.
•W.5.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear
event sequences.
• Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence
that unfolds naturally.
• Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or show the
responses of characters to situations.
• Use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events.
• Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.
• Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events. 139

140. TOPIC SENTENCE:
CLINCHER:
Paragraph Writing Template
Details:
140

141. 141

142. 142

143. Improving Comprehension Instruction: Rethinking Research, Theory, and Classroom Practice
Edited By: Cathy Collins Block, Linda B. Gambrell and Michael Pressley
ISBN: 0-87207-458-7
• Expository texts present additional
comprehension obstacles for
struggling comprehenders…
…Because…
• Expository genres are written to
provide information versus to tell a
story
• The patterns in which authors
organize their ideas and information
differ depending on their purpose and
the specific content area
143

144. Simply providing students with access to quality
expository books is a necessary, but often
insufficient condition for improving students’
ability to handle the more advanced expository
texts.
Students do not just “get used to” the seemingly
“foreign language” of expository texts through
exposure and Immersion. They need strategies for
unpacking this languge and for developing a keen
awareness of its unique Characteristics.
Fang, Z. (2008). Going Beyond the Fab Five: Helping Students Cope
with the Unique Linguistic Challenges of Expository Reading in
Intermediate Grades. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 51:6.
144

145. OLDER STUDENTS NEED SPECIFIC INSTRUCTION
AND PRACTICE WITH THE LANGUAGE DEMANDS
OF EXPOSITORY TEXT:
The problem of learning through science and other expository
texts is fundamentally a problem of translating the patterns of
written language into those of spoken language.
Spoken language is the medium through which we reason
ourselves and talk our way through problems to an answer. It is,
for the most part, the medium in which we understand and
comprehend.
145

146. EXPOSITORY TEXT IS OFTEN
 TECHNICAL,
 DENSE,
 ABSTRACT, AND
 IMPERSONAL
ALL AT THE SAME TIME.
SO…. STUDENTS NEED TO TALK IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE ABOUT
THE TOPIC IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND AND BE ABLE TO EXPRESS
WHAT THEY UNDERSTAND.
Lemke, J. (1989). Making text talk. Theory Into Practice, 28, 136-141.
146

147. The language that is used to construct specialized knowledge (science, social studies, math) is
different from the language that is used to construct the commonsensical knowledge of everyday
ordinary life. (Ho-hum days!)
EXPOSITORY TEXT VOCABULARY:
• TECHNICALITY: Specific to the content area: ie., genome, liberty
Common words used in uncommon ways in the text.
• ABSTRACTION: Certain types of Nouns (or adjectives) derived from verbs:
NOMINALIZATION
Instruct: Instruction
Begin: Beginning
Discover: Discovery
Significant: Significance (incredible significance)
• DENSITY: Many content words per sentence (especially nouns and their modifiers;
many clauses, subordinate and embedded, as well)
147

148. • Core knowledge
• Use of higher level vocabulary
• Advanced grammar and sentence structures
• Text- level structures
Cain, K., & Oakhill, J. (1998). Comprehension skill and inference-making ability: Issues and causality. In C. Hulme & R.
Joshi (Eds.), Reading and spelling: Development and disorders. London: Erlbaum.
With students having reading disabilities, it is reasonable to
suspect that “matthew effects” will create further language
problems for them as they struggle with learning to read.
As these students with reading disabilities get older and
continue to struggle with written language, they often wind
up with deficits in:
148

149. It is not enough, however, to tell students
about a strategy that would be helpful for
them to use. It is important that teachers:
• explain how to use the strategy
• Model its use
• Require students to use the strategy in
relation to their content assignments.
Ehren, B., Lenz, B., & Deshler, D. (2007). Enhancing literacy Proficiency
with Adolescents and Young Adults.
149

150. Thinking out loud during a shared reading of a content area passage
models for students how a proficient reader grapples with the
problems of:
• unfamiliar vocabulary,
• new concepts,
• text features and
• expository text structures that can seem quite foreign- even
after years of success with narrative reading.
Lapp, D., Fisher, D., & Grant, M. (2008). You can read this text---I’ll show you how:
Interactive comprehension instruction. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. 51(5).150

151. Many young and poor readers fail to identify and follow the
organizational text structure and the explicit expository
cues so that the following academic tasks become
extremely difficult:
– Identifying main ideas
– Distinguishing important information/details
– Noting inconsistencies
– Recalling and summarizing information
– Monitoring comprehension
Improving Comprehension Instruction: Rethinking Research, Theory, and Classroom Practice
Edited By: Cathy Collins Block, Linda B. Gambrell and Michael Pressley
ISBN: 0-87207-458-7
151

152. 152

153. Using ThemeMaker™ Maps
for Explicit Instruction of
Academic Expository Text
Selections
153

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166. 166

167. 167

168. TERMS:
TECHNICAL ABSTRACT DENSE
COMPLEX ALIENATING
Technical Vocabulary
Embedded Clauses
Fang, Z., and Schlippegrell, M. (2010). Disciplinary Literacies
Across Content Areas: Supporting Secondary Reading Through
Functional Language Analysis. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 53(7).
International Reading Association.
168

169. DENSITY EXAMPLE:
DNA: THE MOLECULE OF LIFE
A time span of 50 years is insignificant compared to the billions of years that life has
existed on Earth. But the 50 years between 1953-2003 are of incredible significance to
biology because it was during that half of a century that many of the secrets of life were
revealed. The trigger for these revelations was one of the great science feats of all time-
the discovery of the structure of DNA, the material from which genes are made. Once
DNA’s structure was known scientists were able to figure out how it provides a library
of instructions that control the cells that make up our bodies and those of all other living
things. At the beginning of this century the Human Genome Project made another great
leap forward by completing the enormous task of reading the letters that make up the
instructions contained in our DNA. This achievement marks the start of a process that
one day will allow humans to understand completely how DNA makes us all human
beings but also makes us unique individuals. (Page 25).
Walker, R. (2003). Genes and DNA. NY: Kingfisher
Fang, Z. (2008). Going Beyond the Fab Five: Helping Students Cope with the Unique Linguistic Challenges of
Expository Reading in Intermediate Grades. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. 51:6. 169

170. DENSE TEXT
EXAMPLE: #1: TASK
At the beginning of this century the human genome
project made another great leap forward by completing
the enormous task of reading the letters that make up
the instructions contained in our dna.
The task (determiner)
The enormous task (determiner plus adjective)
Task of reading the letters (modified by a prepositional phrase).
Of reading the letters that make up the instructions contained in our DNA
(embedded clause within the prepositional phrase).
170

171. DENSE TEXT (cont.)
EXAMPLE: #2: LIBRARY (Uncommon use of the word)
Once dna’s structure was known, scientists were able to figure out
how it provides a library of instructions that control the cells that
make up our bodies and those of all other living things.
Prepositional Phrase:
Embedded Clause:
Embedded Clause:
Walker, R. (2003) Genes and DNA. NY: Kingfisher
Fang, Z. (2008). Going Beyond the Fab Five: Helping Students Cope with the Unique linguistic Challenges of
Expository Reading in Intermediate Grades. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 51:6.
171

172. VOCABULARY
ABSTRACT TECHNICAL MULTIPLE MEANINGS OTHER
Discover- Discovery genome library feats
Instruct-Instructions gene read
Begin- beginning DNA
Reveal- revelations biology
Achieve-achievement
Significant-significance
172

173. SYNTACTIC DENSITY WITHIN THE MICROSTRUCTURE OF THE TEXT:
TEXT #1
It had already been known that DNA was the molecule of which genes are made when
two young scientists, James Watson and Francis Crick, took on the challenge of figuring
out its structure.
ANALYSIS:
Passive Voice: It had already been known….
Subordinate Clauses: “been known that”…
“been known when”…
Embedded Clause: (within the subordinate clause): “molecule of which”…
TEXT #2
In 1953 they constructed a model that showed that each DNA molecule
consisted of two long chains that spiraled around each other in a twisted ladder shape -
a double helix.
ANALYSIS:
Embedded Clause: “ a model that”…
Subordinate Clause: “showed that”…
Embedded Clause: “two long chains that”…
173

174. 174

175. Ice Cream Sundae Activity
175

176. MYSTERIOUS
CREATURE
ACTIVITY
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184. 184

185. The Bear’s Toothache is used here in the
workshop for assessing the stage of
narrative development of children.
MindWing’s Data Collection & Progress
Monitoring Set contains extensive
assessment and progress monitoring
work with this book and the re-tellings.
185

186. 186

187. 187

188. Text Types and Purposes Standards:
Kindergarten: Draw/Dictate/Write topic or book name and state an opinion or preference about it;
My favorite book is___________________.
Grade 1: Write introduction to topic/book and state an opinion, supply a reason and closure.
Grade 2: Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about supply
reasons to support opinion using “linking words” such as (because/also) to connect opinion/reasons.
Provide concluding statement/section.
Grade 3: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons:
• Introduce topic or text, state an opinion, create an organizational structure that lists reasons. (List
Expository Text Structure)
• Provide reasons that support the opinion
• Use linking words and phrases such as because/therefore/since/for example to connect opinion and
reasons.
• Provide concluding statement or section.
ELA CCSS for Writing
188

189. Grade 4: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information
• Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related
ideas are grouped to support the writer’s purpose. (Multiple Expository Text Structures)
• Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details.
• Link opinion and reasons using words and phrases such as for instance/in order to/ in addition.
• Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.
Grade 5: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
• Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas
are logically grouped to support the writer’s purpose. (Tenents of Argument)
• Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details
• Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases and clauses such as consequently/specifically
• Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.
BIG CHANGES in 6th Grade……….
Grade 6: Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence
• Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly
• Support claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and demonstrating
an understanding of the topic or text.
• Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the relationships among claims and reasons
• Establish and maintain a formal style
• Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented.
189

190. What is argument?
ar·gu·ment (noun) ˈär-gyə-mənt
• a statement or series of statements for or against
something
• a discussion in which people express different
opinions about something
• an angry disagreement
190

191. “They’re so much cooler that way” is Calvin’s opinion. As a
six-year-old, his version of a “debate” or “argument” is really
an opinion.
The purpose of argument:
• To change the readers’ point of view through logic
• To bring about some action on the part of the reader
• To convince the reader to accept the explanation or evaluation of a
concept, issue or problem
191

192. • In life, all humans have likes and
dislikes. (See our SGM® Character
Map). These give rise to opinions.
Think about Vanilla/Chocolate,
McDonald’s/Burger King,
Buying/Renting, or
Democrat/Republican! Everybody
has an opinion about something.
• Opinions are thoughts we have about
things, people’s behavior, ideas or
situations that we like or dislike and
agree or disagree with in our lives.
Let’s start from the beginning:
From the Character Map to Argument - The Process!
192

193. • Opinions ( as in The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown) may be stated. “The important
thing about a daisy is that it is white.” Other things about daisies are listed here, as descriptive
elements, but the author has chosen one to be the “important thing” (IHO).
• Opinions may be backed by listing reasons: I like daisies. Daisies are yellow in the middle.
Yellow makes me feel happy.
• Opinions, supported by listed reasons, are written using more advanced syntax incorporating
cohesive ties: I like daisies because daisies are yellow in the middle and that makes me feel joyful.
C
O
H
E
S
I
V
E
193

194. Another person (or people) may have an opinion that is
different from your opinion. This is their “point of view” or
perspective. Perspective-taking is the ability to see a point of
view in addition to one’s own.
Look at the photo to the right…
• What do you see?
• What is the point of view of the
couple?
• What might another perspective
reveal?
Opinion and Perspective-Taking/Point of View
194

195. Persuasion…
• Requires agreement with you/your perspective on
a particular topic
• Blends emotion and facts in attempt to convince
(relies heavily on opinion)
• single-minded goal based on a personal
conviction
• Intention is to gain another “vote” so it is more
personal, more passionate, more emotional
Argument…
• Requires acknowledge that your claim is valid
and deserves more consideration than another
perspective.
• Includes relevant reasons, credible facts, and
sufficient evidence
• Acknowledgement that counter-claims exist and
refute these views tactfully
• Take into account multiple perspectives
• Intention is to share a conviction and prove it is
worth consideration using reasons and evidence
The Difference Between
PERSUASION and ARGUMENT
The CCSS distinguishes “argument” as the skill to be developed.
195

196. 196

197. 197

198. There is big box supercenter that wants to build a
location in the city; there are many people for or
against this project.
• I know the location is zoned for business
development
• I think that encouraging competition is
tantamount to a thriving economy,
• I remember from other businesses coming
into town that this will increase the
business tax base and alleviate the tax
burden of homeowners.
• I know that this area cannot accommodate
the traffic and it is too close to a residential
neighborhood.
• I think it will destroy local businesses.
• I remember reading many articles about the
fact that jobs offered are low paying and do
not offer full time employment with benefits.
I feel anxious about a
supercenter being built in
my city, but I want my city
to thrive.
Others feel excited about a
supercenter being built in my
city and they want the city to
thrive.
I intend to outline reasons
and evidence that prove
that this supercenter is
detrimental to the city.
Planning an Argument using the
Critical Thinking Triangle®
198

199. There is big box supercenter that wants to build a
location in the city; there are many people for or
against this project.
A big box supercenter in the city will be beneficial to the residents of the
city. The location is zoned for business development, encouraging
competition is tantamount to a thriving economy, residents will have more
options and better prices for common goods, a supercenter will increase the
business tax base and alleviate the tax burden of homeowners, this type of
store will offer convenience of a variety of products under one roof.
The plan is to demonstrate reasons and evidence that show the negative
impact that a big box supercenter would present to the city.
Having a big box supercenter in the city will be
detrimental to the residents of the city, although
there are people in favor of such an endeavor.
199

200. Traffic reports show that the road is
already congested with a mall and other
shopping centers and is only two lanes.
The lot is adjacent to heavily populated
public housing and a quiet residential
neighborhood.
Even though it is zoned for
business, this location cannot
accommodate a supercenter
type of store.
This supercenter will destroy
small businesses in the local
economy.
A study of small towns in Iowa showed
lost sales for local businesses amounting
to a total dollar loss of $2.46 BILLION
over a 13-year period resulting from a
supercenter being built.
The job offerings are low
paying and not full time with
benefits.
Tens of thousands of supercenter employees and
their children are enrolled in Medicaid and are
dependent on the government for healthcare. Due
to supercenters ordering from China, the United
States has actually lost an average of about
50,000 good paying manufacturing jobs PER
MONTH since 2001.
Having a big box supercenter in the city will be detrimental to the city due to
several reasons and facts. The area cannot accommodate the traffic, it is too
close to a residential neighborhood, it will destroy local businesses and many
of the jobs are low paying and do not offer full time employment with
benefits.
There is big box supercenter that wants to build a location in the city; there
are many people for or against this project. Some resident claim that a big
box supercenter in the city will be detrimental to the residents of the city,
although there are also residents in favor of such an endeavor.
200

201. Argument Against Construction of a Supercenter
A big box supercenter wants to build a location in the city and there are many people for or against this project.
Some residents claim that a big box supercenter in the city will be detrimental to the residents of the city, although there
are also residents in favor of such an endeavor. The residents that support the construction of a big box supercenter in the
city think that the supercenter will be beneficial to the residents. They cite several reasons, including: the location is
zoned for business development, encouraging competition is tantamount to a thriving economy, residents will have more
options and better prices for common goods, a supercenter will increase the business tax base and alleviate the tax
burden of homeowners, this type of store will offer convenience of a variety of products under one roof. Despite these
purported benefits, there are many reasons and evidence that will outline the negative impact that a big box supercenter
would present to the city.
There are many reasons that a supercenter will be detrimental to the city. First, even though it is zoned for
business, this location cannot accommodate a supercenter type of store. Traffic reports show that the road is already
congested with a mall and other shopping centers and is only two lanes. In addition, the lot is adjacent to heavily
populated public housing and a quiet residential neighborhood.
Next, this supercenter will destroy small businesses in the local economy. According to a study of small towns in
Iowa, the lost sales for local businesses amounted to a total dollar loss of $2.46 BILLION over a 13-year period as a
result of a supercenter being built there.
Finally, although the supercenter promises local jobs, these job offerings are low paying, not full time and do not
carry benefits. In fact, tens of thousands of supercenter employees and their children are enrolled in Medicaid and are
dependent on the government for healthcare. Further, due to supercenters ordering products from China, the United
States has actually lost an average of about 50,000 good paying manufacturing jobs PER MONTH since 2001.
Having a big box supercenter in the city will be harmful to the city due to several reasons and facts related to
traffic concerns, congestion, employment issues and the destruction of local small businesses. Therefore, despite the
perceived benefits of this type of store, citizens should recognize the overwhelming evidence against construction of the
supercenter.
201

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203. NARRATIVE AND EXPOSITORY TEXT
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206