STR Text Structure and Academic Language 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Narrative text structure typically includes which elements?
- Thesis, evidence, conclusion
- Setting, characters, problem, events, resolution (Correct answer)
- Cause, effect, solution
- Introduction, body, summary
Correct answer: Setting, characters, problem, events, resolution
Story grammar — setting, characters, problem, events, and resolution — describes the structure of narrative texts.
Question 2: Which strategy helps students identify and use text features in informational texts?
- Phonics mapping
- Text feature walk before reading (Correct answer)
- Echo reading
- Word sorts
Correct answer: Text feature walk before reading
A text feature walk has students preview headings, subheadings, captions, graphs, and bold words before reading to build purpose and activate knowledge.
Question 3: Academic language instruction should include which of the following?
- Only vocabulary flashcards
- Explicit instruction in word meanings, sentence structures, and discourse patterns of academic texts (Correct answer)
- Grammar drills in isolation
- Reading only narrative texts
Correct answer: Explicit instruction in word meanings, sentence structures, and discourse patterns of academic texts
Comprehensive academic language instruction addresses vocabulary, syntax (sentence structures), and discourse patterns that appear across content areas.
Question 4: Which text feature helps readers locate information in informational books quickly?
- Illustrations
- Index (Correct answer)
- Title page
- Dedication
Correct answer: Index
An index is an alphabetical listing at the back of a book that directs readers to where specific topics are discussed.
Question 5: Syntactic complexity in academic texts refers to:
- The number of new vocabulary words per page
- Long, complex sentence structures with multiple clauses (Correct answer)
- The topic being unfamiliar to readers
- The length of the text
Correct answer: Long, complex sentence structures with multiple clauses
Syntactic complexity refers to long, embedded, or multi-clause sentence structures that are common in academic writing and challenging for many readers.
Question 6: Which instructional approach explicitly deconstructs complex sentences to help students access academic texts?
- Round-robin reading
- Sentence unpacking / syntax instruction (Correct answer)
- Independent reading only
- Phonics drills
Correct answer: Sentence unpacking / syntax instruction
Sentence unpacking involves analyzing complex academic sentences to identify the main idea, subject, and modifying phrases.
STR Text Structure and Academic Language 2
Narrative text structure typically includes which elements?