Academic Language and Writing

• Academic language refers to the oral, written, auditory, and visual language proficiency required to learn effectively in schools and academic programs.
• Academic Language is formal, impersonal, precise, and objective.
• Social Language is informal, personal, uses slang, and can be repetitive.

Academic Writing

• Academic writing is clear, concise, focused, structured and backed up by evidence.
• The purpose of academic writing is to aid the reader's understanding.
• Academic writing includes information from credible sources that are properly cited.
• Academic writing entails concepts and theories that are related to the specific discipline
• Academic Writing starts by posing a question, problematizing a concept, evaluating an opinion
• Academic Writing ends in answering, clarifying, or arguing.
• Academic Writing aims to inform, argue a specific point or to persuade.

Academic Text

• An academic text is a reading material that provides information which includes concepts and theories that are related to the specific discipline.
• Informative Text, persuade the reader to agree with the author's perspective about the issue.
• Persuasive Texts are nonfiction
• Persuasive Texts use of appeals to credibility, logic and emotion
• Argumentative Texts elicit a response that matches the author’s own or to affect the reader, invoking feelings of rejection or sympathy for the subject matter.
• Argumentative text is based on Claims of fact, value and policy
• The nature and characteristics of an academic text are that is complex, contains evidence-based arguments, are thesis driven and have academic language in a structured way.
• Academic texts always have a topic, purpose and tone for an audience that may be categorized Experts, Semi Experts, and Non-Experts with a Point of View

Reading Strategies

• To gain insight from an academic text, start by previewing it, by reading the title, the back of the book, and the table of contents for a nonfiction book
• While reading an academic text, one should have a pen or pencil in hand to circle or highlight key concepts as well as write questions and comments in the margins or in a notebook.
• Summarizing by jotting down a few sentences or a short paragraph capturing the main ideas of the reading helps the reader understand and absorb the information.
• Reviewing the material by skimming through notes, re-reading the ends of chapters, and reviewing summaries is essential.

Text Structure

• Text structure refers to the way authors organize information in the text.
• Recognizing this helps students focus attention on key concepts and understand interrelationships

Narrative Text Structure

• Narrative structure tells an event/story, uses descriptive language
• Narrative structure includes characters, setting, conflict, point of view, and plot

Chronological Text Structure

• Chronological structure presents ideas or events in the order in which they happen and uses dates.

Cause and Effect Text Structure

• Cause and Effect provides explanations or reasons for phenomena.

Problem and Solution Text Structure

• Problem and Solution is used to Identify problems and pose solutions..

Compare and Contrast Text Structure

• Compare and contrast discusses two ideas, events, or phenomena, showing how they are different and how they are similar

Definition or Description Text Structure

• Definition or Description structure describes a topic by listing characteristics, features, attributes, and examples
• Text structure lets you organize information and details learned while reading, make connections between details, and summarize important details.

Thesis Statement

• A thesis statement is a main point, idea, or a central message.
• A thesis statement asserts a topic and predicts how the topic will develop.
• A thesis statement promises the reader the paper's scope, purpose, and direction as well as summarizes the writer's conclusions.
• A thesis statement is focused and specific enough to be proven within the paper's boundaries.