Understanding Text and Discourse

Lesson Objectives

• Learners will be able to describe and differentiate text and discourse.
• Learners will be able to appreciate the different types of discourses.
• Learners will be able to demonstrate how text functions as connected discourse.

Review

• Review of first semester material.
• Assess acquired skills from previous subjects.

Activity 1

• 4 Pics 1 Word activity, focusing on vocabulary learning.

Text Examples

• Provided examples of texts, including a story excerpt.

Discourse

• Discourse is communication extending beyond single sentences, focusing on the larger context, including language use, opinions, and information sharing.
• Discourse includes the language structure (how sentences connect and are organized), and social, cultural, and situational factors that influence communication.

Communication

• Images of video calls, meetings, letters, and sign language demonstrate different communication methods.

Text Definition

• Text is any written or spoken material conveying information, ideas, or stories, ranging from single words to elaborate documents.
• Texts include books, articles, conversations, advertisements, and social media posts

Discourse Definition

• Discourse encompasses the broader communicative context.
• It considers how language is used across different settings to express opinions, convey information, and share perspectives.
• It includes both the textual structure and the social, cultural, and contextual factors shaping communication.

Text as Connected Discourse

• Written and spoken texts are structured, not just individual sentences or phrases, but organized components to create meaning.
• Connections between sentences, paragraphs, etc. are crucial.

Devices for Analyzing Written Text

• Cohesion identifies the grammatical and lexical links that tie together parts of a text, creating a flowing and connected read.
• Cohesive Devices include pronouns, conjunctions, and transitional words.
  • Example: "John went to the store. He bought milk." ("He" refers back to "John").
• Conjunctions ("but", "and", "therefore", "however") link ideas.
• Pronouns ("it", "they", "he") demonstrate connections.
• Lexical Repetition emphasizes key concepts (e.g., "climate change").
• Substitution replaces words with synonyms (e.g., "big" with "huge").

Coherence

• Overall meaning or sense of the text.
• Ideas logically connect, creating a clear message.
• Logical organization of ideas.
• Paragraphs build upon preceding ones to convey clear progression.

Parallelism

• Using similar grammatical structures enhances balance and flow in sentences and across sentences.
• It emphasizes related ideas.
• Example: "She likes to read, to write, and to draw." ("to [verb]")

Text Analysis

• Text as connected discourse explains how elements interact to create a complete meaning and coherence.
• Allows for a more complete understanding of communication intentions.

Abstraction Questions

• Difference between text and discourse?
• Analysis device for written text and its functions?
• Importance of studying text as connected discourse?

Sentence Link Game

• Activity where sentences are jumbled, and participants must identify the logical order and connections between sentences.
• Focuses on transitions and logical flow between sentences.

Sentence Link Game Examples

• Provided examples of jumbled sentences ("It jumped up onto the table...", "Finally, the cat ate the food...")

Rubrics

• Provided rubric to assess the organization, content development, and grammar in written work.

Online Activity Quiz #1

• Multiple choice quiz questions on cohesion, parallelism, coherence, and cohesive devices in written text.