Reading Academic Texts PDF

READING ACADEMIC TEXTS  OBJECTIVES 1 2 3 4 Differentiate Determine the Use knowledge Use various language used structure of a of text structure techniques in in academic specific to glean the summarizing a...

READING ACADEMIC TEXTS  OBJECTIVES 1 2 3 4 Differentiate Determine the Use knowledge Use various language used structure of a of text structure techniques in in academic specific to glean the summarizing a texts from academic text; information variety of various he/she needs; academic texts. disciplines; and  An academic text is a written language that Nature and provides information, which contain ideas Characteristics and concepts that are of an Academic related to the particular discipline. Text Essay, Research Paper, Report, Project, Article, Thesis, and Dissertation are considered as academic texts.  Structure The basic structure that is used by an academic text is consist of three (3) parts; introduction, Characteristics body, and conclusion which is formal and of Academic logical. This kind of Text structure enables the reader to follow the argument and navigate the text. In academic writing a clear structure and a logical flow are imperative to a cohesive text.  This refers to the attitude conveyed in a piece of writing. The arguments of others are fairly presented and with Tone an appropriate narrative tone. When presenting a position or argument that disagrees with one's perspectives, describe the argument accurately without loaded or biased language  It is important to use unambiguous language. Clear topic sentences enable a reader to follow your line of thinking without difficulty. Formal language and the third person point-of-view Language should be used. Technical language appropriate to area of study may also be used, however, it does not mean using "big words" just for the sake of doing so.  Citing sources in the body of the paper and providing a list of references as either footnotes or endnotes is a very important aspect of an academic text. It is essential to always Citation acknowledge the source of any ideas, research findings, data, or quoted text that have been used in a paper as a defense against allegations of plagiarism.  An academic text addresses complex issues that require Complexity higher order thinking skills to comprehend.  What is valued in an academic text is that opinions are based on a sound Evidence-based understanding of the pertinent body of Arguments knowledge and academic debates that exist within, and often external to a specific discipline.  The starting point of an academic text is a particular perspective, idea or position applied to the chosen research Thesis-driven problem such as establishing proving, or disproving solutions to the questions posed for the topic.  1. Complex - Written language has no longer words, it is lexically more varied vocabulary. - Written texts are shorter and the language has more Features of grammatical complexity, including more subordinate Academic Texts clauses and more passives 2. Formal - Should avoid colloquial words and expressions. 3. Precise - Facts are given accurately and precisely.  4. Objective - has fewer words that emphasize on the information you want to give and the arguments you want to make - mostly use nouns (adjectives), rather than verbs (adverbs) Features of 5. Explicit Academic Texts - It is the responsibility of the writer in English to make it dear to the reader how the various parts of the text are related 6. Accurate - Uses vocabulary accurately - Most subjects have words with narrow specific meanings.  7. Hedging - It is necessary to make decisions about your stance on a particular subject, or the strength of the claims you are making Features of 8. Responsible - You must be responsible for Academic Texts and must be able to provide evidence and justification for any claims you make. 9. Organize - Well-organized - It flows easily from one section to the next in a logical fashion.  10. Plan - Well-planned. Features of - - It usually takes place Academic Texts after research and evaluation, according to specific purpose and plan.  To locate a main idea; To scan for information; To identify gaps in existing studies; Purposes in To connect new ideas to Reading an existing ones; Academic Text To gain more pieces of information; To support a particular writing assignment; and To deeply understand an existing idea.  Text structures refer to the way authors organize information in text. Recognizing the underlying Text structure of texts can help students focus Structure attention on key concepts and relationships, anticipate what is to come, and monitor their comprehension as they read. Common Text Structures Narrative Chronological, Process, or Sequence Cause and Effect Problem/Solution Compare and Contrast Definition or Description Why is Text Structure Important?  Techniques in Summarizing Variety of Academic Texts  Summarizing is how we take larger selections of text and reduce them to their bare essentials: the gist, the key ideas, the main points that are worth noting and remembering Webster's calls a summary the "general idea in brief form", it's the distillation, condensation, or reduction of a larger work into its primary notions Basic Rules A. Erase things that don't matter. Delete trivial material that is unnecessary to understanding B. Erase things that repeat Delete redundant material. In note taking time and space is precious. If a word or phrase says basically the same thing you have already written down, then don't write it again! Basic Rules C. Trade, general terms for specific names. Substitute superordinate terms for lists (eg, flowers for daisies, tulips for roses). Focus on the big picture. Long technical lists are hard to remember. If one word will give you the meaning, then less is more. D. Use your own words to write the summary. Write the summary using your own words but make sure to retain the main points. Techniques Little Red Riding Hood wanted to take cookies to her sick grandmother, but she encountered a wolf. He got to her grandmother’s house first and pretended to be the old woman. He was going to eat Little Red Riding Hood, but she realized what he was doing and ran away, crying for help. A woodsman heard the girl’s cries and saved her from the wolf. 1. Somebody Wanted But So. The strategy helps students generalize, recognize cause and effect relationships, and find main ideas. 2. SAAC Method This method is particularly helpful in summarizing any kind of text. SAAC is an acronym for “State, Assign, Action, Complete.” Each word in the acronym refers to a specific element that should be included in the summary. “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” by Aesop (a Greek storyteller), tells what happens when a shepherd boy repeatedly lies to the villagers about seeing a wolf. After a while, they ignore his false cries. Then, when a wolf really does attack, they don’t come to help him. SAAC Method  Why did How did When the main the main Who is did the Where characte characte the What action did the r do r do story did they take story what what she about? do? place? happen? s/he did? did? 3. 5 W’s, 1 H This technique relies on six crucial questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how. These questions make it easy to identify the main character, important details, and main idea. 4. First Then Finally This technique helps the students summarize events in chronological order. First: What happened first? Include the main character and main event/action. Then: What key details took place during the event/action? Finally: What were the results of the event/action? Goldilocks and the Three Bears First, Goldilocks entered bears’ home while they were gone. Then, she ate their food, sat in their chairs, and slept in their beds. Finally, she woke up to find the bears watching her, so she jumped up and ran away. 5. Give me the Gist This type of technique is like giving a friend the main point of a story. In other words, they want a summary – not a retelling of every detail.