Nonfiction: Analyzing Text Structure

Skill focus: Analyzing Text Structure

Photo: Yazid N / Pexels

For the parent

Today's focus is analyzing text structure. Have your teen read the passage once silently, then once aloud. Ask, 'What sentence carries the most weight here?' Annotation isn't decoration — it's thinking made visible. Push for evidence in answers, not just opinion.

What you'll need

pencil
paper
highlighter (optional)

Warm-up

Pick a word you've heard but never used. Try using it in a sentence right now.

Vocabulary

tides

Look up this word in a dictionary, then use it in a sentence.

places

Look up this word in a dictionary, then use it in a sentence.

steady

Look up this word in a dictionary, then use it in a sentence.

rhythm

Look up this word in a dictionary, then use it in a sentence.

Sentence frames

The author's purpose in this passage is to .

One piece of evidence for this is .

An inference I can make is .

Guided practice

1
Read this passage: "Every coast on Earth has tides. Twice a day, in most places, the ocean rises and falls in a steady rhythm. The cause is gravity — specifically, the pull of the Moon as it travels around the Earth. The Moon is small compared to the Sun, but it is much closer, so its pull on Earth's water is stronger. The Sun adds a quieter, smaller pull of its own. When the Sun, Earth, and Moon line up, the two pulls combine. The result is a 'spring tide' — the highest highs and lowest lows of the month. (The name has nothing to do with the season; it comes from the older meaning of the verb 'to spring,' meaning 'to rise sharply.') When the Sun and Moon pull at right angles, their forces partly cancel each other out. The result is a 'neap tide' — a quiet, low-range tide. Sailors and fishers have known about these patterns for thousands of years, long before they understood why." Q: What causes tides?
Parent tip: Read aloud once, then ask your child to read it back. Underline answers together.
2
Using the same passage, answer: How often do tides rise and fall in most places?
Parent tip: Point back to the line in the text that proves the answer.

Your turn

1
Why does the Moon pull harder on Earth's oceans than the larger Sun does?
2
What is a spring tide?
3
What does the word 'neap' refer to?
4
What does the final sentence suggest about ancient sailors?
5
What is one word from the passage you didn't know? Look it up and write a kid-friendly definition.
6
What feeling does the passage give you? What word in the text supports that feeling?
7
Draw a picture of one moment from the passage.
8
What is one detail you remember? Write it in a complete sentence.
9
Underline one sentence you think is the most important. Why?
10
Find one adjective (a describing word) in the passage. Write it here.

★ Challenge

Write a 3-sentence summary of the passage in your own words.

Reflection

What is one thing you'll remember from this passage tomorrow?

For the parent

Answer key

guided #1The gravitational pull of the Moon, with a smaller pull from the Sun.

guided #2Twice a day.

independent #1Because it is much closer.

independent #2When Sun, Earth, and Moon line up, producing the highest and lowest tides.

independent #3A quiet, low-range tide when Sun and Moon partly cancel each other.

independent #4They observed and used patterns long before science explained them.

independent #5Open response — vocabulary lookup.

independent #6Open response — reader response with text evidence.

independent #7Open response — visual response.

independent #8Open response — supporting detail.

independent #9Open response — student picks a key sentence and justifies.

independent #10Open response — varies by passage.

Bright Hearth · printable for home learning