This academic English workshop intends to illustrate an academic methodology of text analysis that helps students to recognize text features such as text patterns and structure, paragraph characteristics, main and supporting ideas, logical relations among ideas, text cohesion and coherence, and word and grammatical choices. Also, students will question the texts concerning their context, purpose, and audience.
Academic texts will be explored by students considering the following reading activities and analysis:
Looking for academic texts in databases, academic journals, or websites.
-Take a look at these tips to look for resources on the University databases:
The university counts on databases available for the academic community using the username and password.
-Chose an academic paper of your field of interest.
1. Recognition of Topics:
Recognize the topics of the text (Write the key words of the paper).
2. Analysis of sections of the text:
Identify the titles, subtitles and headings. Write on the margins the sections of the paper (introduction, paragraphs with specific ideas or topics, conclusion)
Look at the following example:
Introduction: The importance of bats for the environment
A. General features of bats
1. Bats Feeding
2. Bats Behavior
B. Benefits and importance for the environment
1. Bats as pollinators
2. Bats as food chain regulators
Conclusion: recommendations to preserve them
3. Analysis of Paragraphs:
- Underline or highlight the main idea of each paragraph with one color.
- Underline or highlight the secondary supporting ideas with other color.
- Write the topic of each paragraph on the margins of the text. Remember that the topic of a paragraph is expressed in key words or concepts. Ex: Common bats behavior
4. Analysis of terminology and parts of speech:
Build a glossary with 15 terms or words from the text. Write the definition of the word in English and the part of speech of it. You can use a monolingual dictionary to define the words:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/es/diccionario/britanico/
https://www.linguee.es/espanol-ingles/search?source=auto&query=policy
If the word is a specific term of a field of knowledge you can use Technical Dictionaries:
http://www.engineering-dictionary.org/Materials-Science-and-Engineering-Dictionary/
http://dictionary.babylon.com/science/
5. Graphic Organizers:
Organize, classify and summarize the information of the text using an appropriate graphic organizer. Remember that the purpose of a graphic organizer is to represent graphically the main themes or ideas of a text and the logical relations existing among them.
You can use the following graphic organizers according to the text you chose:
You can find a summary of connectors below:
https://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/courses/elc/sample/ite/gs/gs_38.html
https://www.k12reader.com/subject/composition/transition-words/
https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/style/transitions/
https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/paragraphs/transitions
Take a look at this MAP of Linking words
Watch this video about additive transitions:
Let's Play
Conjunction Game
Enjoy this great conjunction game and have fun while learning more about sentence structure. The practice exercises involve understanding the correct use of conjunctions (joining words) such as but, so, and or, while, because, since, after, if and although. Complete each compound sentence by finding the right conjunction, read the sentences carefully, click the bubbles and find out if you were correct. This interactive English language activity offers perfect practice exercises for students.
http://www.funenglishgames.com/grammargames/conjunction.html
Quiz
https://www.grammar-quizzes.com/conn-diagnostic.html
7. Analysis of word and grammatical choices
Each text uses a range of verb tenses, word choices, or grammatical structures that correspond to its genre and purpose of it. In this activity, you should analyze the main verb tenses, the use of active or passive voice, modals, imperatives, kind of adjectives to describe or give opinions, style (personal or impersonal), level of formality, etc.
8. Analysis of Context, Purpose and Audience of texts
To recognize the context of a text you should ask questions such as:
Who wrote the text?
When was the text written?
Where was the text written?
Where was the text published?
To recognize the purpose of the text you should consider the following intentions:
Does the text intend to Inform, narrate, recount, describe or illustrate a fact? These are some text types and their purposes:
Recount
To recognize the audience of a text you should ask the following questions?
According to the level of difficulty of the language used, the topics or ideas complexity, the organization of the text, or the level of formality, is the text written for...
-Children
-Elementary students
-High school students,
-University students of any field
-Researchers
-A specific community
These are some sample texts analysis of a Reading Comprehension Class. These students gave permission to share this material with the university community:
Sample 1
Sample 2
Sample 3
Sample 4
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/es/diccionario/britanico/
https://www.linguee.es/espanol-ingles/search?source=auto&query=policy
If the word is a specific term of a field of knowledge you can use Technical Dictionaries:
http://www.engineering-dictionary.org/Materials-Science-and-Engineering-Dictionary/
http://dictionary.babylon.com/science/
5. Graphic Organizers:
Organize, classify and summarize the information of the text using an appropriate graphic organizer. Remember that the purpose of a graphic organizer is to represent graphically the main themes or ideas of a text and the logical relations existing among them.
You can use the following graphic organizers according to the text you chose:
6. Analysis of connectors or linking words or transition words
Select 10 sentences from the text that include linking words or connectors. Specify what kind of connector is. Recognizing connectors or linking words will help you analyze the logical relations existing among themes or ideas in the text.You can find a summary of connectors below:
https://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/courses/elc/sample/ite/gs/gs_38.html
https://www.k12reader.com/subject/composition/transition-words/
https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/style/transitions/
https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/paragraphs/transitions
Take a look at this MAP of Linking words
Some common transitions in English
Watch this video about additive transitions:
Let's Play
Conjunction Game
Enjoy this great conjunction game and have fun while learning more about sentence structure. The practice exercises involve understanding the correct use of conjunctions (joining words) such as but, so, and or, while, because, since, after, if and although. Complete each compound sentence by finding the right conjunction, read the sentences carefully, click the bubbles and find out if you were correct. This interactive English language activity offers perfect practice exercises for students.
http://www.funenglishgames.com/grammargames/conjunction.html
Quiz
https://www.grammar-quizzes.com/conn-diagnostic.html
7. Analysis of word and grammatical choices
Each text uses a range of verb tenses, word choices, or grammatical structures that correspond to its genre and purpose of it. In this activity, you should analyze the main verb tenses, the use of active or passive voice, modals, imperatives, kind of adjectives to describe or give opinions, style (personal or impersonal), level of formality, etc.
8. Analysis of Context, Purpose and Audience of texts
To recognize the context of a text you should ask questions such as:
Who wrote the text?
When was the text written?
Where was the text written?
Where was the text published?
To recognize the purpose of the text you should consider the following intentions:
Does the text intend to Inform, narrate, recount, describe or illustrate a fact? These are some text types and their purposes:
Recount
Retells past events or experiences
Sequences events in the order they happened
Narrative
Tells a story mainly used to entertain, motivate or teach
Aims to get attention and maintain interest
Ex: a real life drama, a fable, a fairy tale story, mystery,
Information Report
Provides information by stating facts
Describes or classifies information
Description
Describes the characteristics of a particular thing
Often used in other text types
Procedure
Tells how to make or do something
Give instructions
Ex: a recipe or machine manual
Discussion
Presents both sides of an issue
Outlines arguments for and against the topic
Persuasion - Exposition
States a point of view with supporting evidence
Influences opinions or sells something
Response
Describes personal reactions to a subject or event
May be used for a review, feedback or an assessment
To recognize the audience of a text you should ask the following questions?
According to the level of difficulty of the language used, the topics or ideas complexity, the organization of the text, or the level of formality, is the text written for...
-Children
-Elementary students
-High school students,
-University students of any field
-Researchers
-A specific community
These are some sample texts analysis of a Reading Comprehension Class. These students gave permission to share this material with the university community:
Sample 1
Sample 2
Sample 3
Sample 4
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