CHAPTER



Chapter

4 |Explanation Text

How it works | |

Learning Objectives:

1. The students are able to understand the meanings of spoken explanation monologs accurately, fluently, and contextually accepted in daily life.

2. The students are able to express the meanings of spoken explanation monologs accurately, fluently, and contextually accepted in daily life.

3. The students are able to read the meanings of written explanation monologs accurately, fluently, and contextually accepted in the forms of written materials.

4. The students are able to write explanation texts accurately, fluently, contextually accepted in the forms of formal and informal forms of writing.

SECTION ONE: Building the Knowledge

Activity 1: Sharing your own experience

Answer the questions well read by your teacher.

[pic]

1. Have you seen this phenomenon?

2. When and where did you see it?

3. How do the phenomena occur?

4. Why did the phenomena happen?

5. Why do the experts explain those phenomena?

Activity 2: Exploring your knowledge

Say what you know about the following phenomena.

[pic] [pic] [pic] [pic][pic]

1. How does a computer work?

2. How do the plants grow?

3. How does the earth rotate?

4. How does a bomb explode?

5. How do gears run?

Activity 3: Improving Grammar Capacity

Study the following structure and grammar usually used in

the explanation text.

A. Complex Sentence

1. Subject + Verb + Conjunction + Subject + Verb

Examples:

a. It occurs when the water is contaminated by such substances as human and other animal wastes, toxic (poisonous) chemicals, metals, and oils.

b. It occurs when wastes dirty the air.

c. When we breathe normally, the air stream is inaudible.

d. It occurs when the shadow of one object in space falls on another object or when one object moves in front of another to block its light.

e. The wood-chipping process begins when the trees are cut down in a selected area of the forest called a coupe.

2. Subject + Verb + Complement + Relative Pronoun + Verb

Examples:

a. It is a body of water that covers normally dry land.

b. It is the movement of our vocal organs that generate speech sounds waves.

c. It is the steady stream of air that comes from the lungs.

d. The logs are taken to a chipper which cuts them into small pieces called woodchips.

e. These movements change the acoustic properties of the vocal tract, which in turn produce the different sounds of speech.

B. Passive Voice

Passive Voice is formed with ‘to be’ followed by the past participle,

Passive Subject + to be + Past Participle (V-3):

[pic][pic][pic][pic][pic]

1. A plant is moved to a suitable place.

2. The plant was planted in the suitable place yesterday afternoon.

3. Plants will be cut next month.

4. The plants have been watered just now.

5. The plants will have been fertilized by the end of this week.

SECTION TWO: Modeling of the Text

Activity 4: Identifying the Text Structure and Linguistic Features

Read the following explanation text. Study its text structure and

Linguistic features. GENERAL STATEMENT,

EXPLANATION, CLOSING.

[pic]

What Makes Talk?

Talk is when we have a thought that we put in to sound. When we talk, we use words to communicate with one another.

As humans, to be able to talk we need a voice box, lungs, tongue, lips and teeth. If you put your fingers about three cm under your chin and talk you can feel a vibration. That is because there is air floating past the vocal cords making vibrations. There are two stretchy flaps of skin called vocal cords in your voice box. When the vocal cords are stretched tight, you make a high sound. When the vocal cords are loose, you make a low sound. Did you know that if we didn’t have a tongue we wouldn’t be able to talk?

People all over the world use many languages to communicate. We all use talk every day in someway.

.nz/r/assessment/exemplars/eng/

Activity 5: Finding out the meaning of the words

Finding out the meaning of the following words.

1. communicate = …………………………………………………….

2. chin = …………………………………………………….

3. cord = …………………………………………………….

4. stretchy = …………………………………………………….

5. vibration = …………………………………………………….

Activity 6: Analyzing the text and context

Analyze the text in the Activity 4 by answering the followings.

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1. What is the purpose of writing the explanation text?

2. Who writes the explanation text?

3. Who usually reads the explanation text?

4. What is the schematic structure of the text above?

5. What are the linguistic features used in the text above?

Activity 7: Identifying the text structure and linguistic features of the text

Identify the text structure and linguistic features of the following

text.

[pic]

How Are Sedimentary Rocks Formed?

Sedimentary rock is formed by the comparison of layers of particles into a solid form.

Sediments such as sand and mud settle onto the floors of oceans and lakes. Over a long period of time, several layers of sediments collect on the floor. These layers are pressed together for many thousands of years, fusing the small solid particles of mud and sand to form solid rock.

This type of rock is called sedimentary rock.

Source: Exploring How Texts Work

SECTION THREE: Joint Construction of the Text

Activity 8: Composing an Explanation

Match the main clauses and sub-clauses in the table; then compose

an explanation.

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|When the sun radiates heat, |until they reach high land. |

|As soon as the water vapor forms, |rain is precipitated. |

|While rising, |the water flows back to the sea. |

|When the vapor cools, |the vapor cools. |

|During condensation, |it begins to rise |

|The clouds then move towards land, |clouds are formed. |

|When the clouds reach high land, |it condenses. |

|As the temperature falls, |sea water evaporates. |

|On being precipitated, |the air temperature falls. |

|After being absorbed, |the rain is absorbed by the soil. |

Activity 9: Arranging the sentences into an explanation

Arrange the following sentences into an explanation text.

[pic] [pic]

• Usually we have fine weather when the air pressure is high and clouds, rain or snow when the air pressure drops.

• Weather is produced when air moves from place to place.

• This moving air is known as wind. Winds are caused by warm air rising and cooler air moving in to place it.

• Warm air is usually less dense (lighter) than cool air; therefore, it creates low air pressure.

• Cool air is denser (heavier) and creates high air pressure.

• Weather is the physical condition of the atmosphere at a particular time.

• It includes temperature, air pressure and water content.

Source: Text Types in English

Activity 10: Constructing an Explanation Text

Do the following steps before your group constructs an explanation

text.

1. Collect ideas and organize the information about the phenomenon you know.

2. Use some visual materials to give a clear step of writing an explanation.

3. Write a plot outline, which consists of general statement, explanation, closing. Try to write the first draft together in your group.

4. Edit the grammatical aspects and writing mechanism (spelling, punctuation, capitalization, etc.)

5. Revise the text structure and linguistic features together in your group.

6. Ask your teacher to give corrections and suggestions.

7. After revising the text well, rewrite it.

8. Make some copies of the final draft and give them to your friends.

9. Do a conference and exhibit or explain it in front of the class

Activity 11: Writing an Explanation Text

Write an explanation text and use a set of pictures and clues below.

Explain it later in front of the class orally. Use the plan of

the explanation text: general statement, explanation, closing.

How evaporation occurs

• Evaporation happens every day

• The sun produces the heat energy

• The sun heats the water surface

• The temperature increases

• The water evaporates

• The substance's surface becomes vapor

• The cloud forms

General Statement : ……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

Explanation : ……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

Closing : ……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

SECTION FOUR: Independent Construction of the Text

Activity 12: Recognizing the Phenomena

Match each phenomenon with its definition provided below.

• It occurs when such substances as human and other animal wastes, toxic (poisonous) chemicals, metals, and oils contaminate water.

• It occurs when wastes dirty the air. People produce most of the wastes that cause air pollution.

• It is a shaking of the ground caused by the sudden breaking and shifting of large sections of the earth's rocky outer shell.

• It occurs when a body of water that covers normally the dry land.

• It occurs when the shadow of one object in space falls on another object or when one object moves in front of another to block its light.

Activity 13: Answering the questions

Answering the following questions based on the information in

in the Activity 12.

1. How does the flood occur?

2. How does the earthquake occur?

3. How does a total eclipse occur?

4. How does the water pollution occur?

5. How does the air pollution occur?

Activity 14: Constructing Your Own Explanation

Follow the following steps.

▪ Choose one of the followings as the topic of your own explanation.

▪ Build your knowledge of the field through reading, information gathering, and note taking.

▪ Construct your own explanation, approximating appropriate schematic structure and grammatical patterns.

▪ Consult with other students or with the teacher regarding the appropriateness of the text.

▪ Make a draft and edit where necessary.

▪ Discuss it when necessary.

▪ Focus on language lessons (such as spelling, punctuation, lay out of text, handwriting).

|[pic] |Why a telephone rings |

|[pic] |How a diesel engine works |

|[pic] |Why a match burns |

|[pic] |How atoms move |

|[pic] |Why lightning occurs |

Activity 15: Identifying the schematic structure and linguistic features

Identify the text structure and linguistic features of the following

explanation text; then answer the questions below.

How a Spider’s Web Forms

A spider web looks delicate but it is very strong. I can hold 4000 times a spider’s weight. But how does it form?

First, the spider spins a thread of silk. The thread gets blown over to a branch by the wind. Then she makes another two threads and makes a Y shape. Next she makes more threads and they look like spokes off a wheel. Then the spider goes in a spiral, out and back in, sits in the middle and waits for food.

This is how a web is formed.

Source: . org.nz/r/assessment/exemplars/eng/

1. What is the purpose of reading the explanation text?

2. Why does the writer write the explanation text?

3. How does the spider’s web form?

4. What is the generalized non-human participant based on the text?

5. Analyze the verbs are used in the text.

Activity 16: Arranging the sentences into the explanation text

Arrange the followings into the explanation text.

Use the plan of the explanation text provided below.

The plan of explanation text:

General Statement : an introduction to the explanation;

description of event

Explanation : a sequence of the process

Closing : a conclusion

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How Does an Oil Refinery Work?

• Oil is first distilled, which breaks it down into gas, petrol, paraffin, lubricant oils, diesel and other fuel oils and asphalt.

• Before crude oil can be used it has to be processed in a refinery and converted into many different products.

• The vapors are cooler.

• This is done by heating the crude oil, which is then pumped to the bottom of a tall steel tube called a ‘fractionating tower’.

• Crude oil is made up of a number of different ingredients and each of these boils and vaporizes at a different temperature.

• This tower is divided into compartments all the way up and the very hot petroleum enters the bottom of the tower a vapor.

• Ay the bottom of each compartment in the tower are trays, and the different vapors condense, or turn into liquid, on the trays at different levels.

• In this way, the crude oil is separated into the various fractions, which are drawn off ready for further refining.

• Petrol collects in the top trays, paraffin condenses a little lower down and the other oils become liquids at even lower levels.

Source: An Introduction to Genre-Based Writing

The plan of explanation text:

General Statement : ……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

Explanation : ……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

Closing : ……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

Ativity 17: Writing Your Explanation Text

Write an explanation text base on the clues below.

Use the plan of the explanation text.

The steps for constructing a written explanation are:

1. a general statement about the event or thing—this can serve as an introduction to the explanation, and it gives the audience a description of the event or thing and a preview of what the rest of the text will be about.

2. a series of paragraphs that tell the hows or whys—these should be in a sequence so that the audience is told of the process that causes the event or thing to happen.

3. a concluding paragraph—if this is concluded, it signals to the audience that the explanation has finished.

4. Language features in an explanation: non-human participants; abstract nouns (technical terms), action verbs, the timeless present tense, complex sentence, and passive voice.

[pic]

Air Pollution

|transportation |gasoline |chemical matter |

|industry |burning of fuels |released |

|atmosphere |contribute |sulfur |

|nitrogen |carbon |interact |

|automobiles |dangerous |ultraviolet radiation |

|react |hydrocarbon |nitrogen oxides |

|acid rain |ecosystem |global problem |

The plan of explanation text:

General Statement : ……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

Explanation : ……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

Closing : ……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

-----------------------

Closing

Explanation:

Shows the Process

General Statement

c

b

a

5

4

3

2

Non-human participant

Present Tense

Action Verb

Present Tense

Passive Voice

Action Verb

Present Tense

1

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