Studyfin
✨ Sign up free
Hi! I am Studyfin, your science tutor. Today, we will explore our amazing solar system and learn how authors use text structures to explain it!
Our solar system is a busy place. It has one giant star, called the Sun, and eight planets that travel around it. To explain how these planets are arranged, science writers often use a spatial text structure, which describes things by where they are located in space.
When writers use a spatial structure, they guide your eyes from one place to another. For example, they might start at the Sun and move outward. This helps us visualize the huge gaps between the inner rocky planets and the outer gas giants.
Writers also use a comparison text structure to show how planets differ. They might compare the small, rocky inner planets to the cold, giant outer planets. This structure helps you understand why life can only exist on Earth.
Read this short passage and analyze how its text structure contributes to the author's purpose: 'Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and is extremely hot. In contrast, Neptune is the farthest planet from the Sun and is icy cold.'
- Identify the author's main purpose. Here, the author wants to show how temperature changes based on a planet's location.
- Look for clue words in the text. The phrase 'In contrast' is a major clue that points to a comparison structure.
- Analyze how the structure helps the purpose. By comparing the closest, hot planet directly to the farthest, cold planet, the author highlights the extreme differences in our solar system.
- Formulate your final conclusion. The comparison structure helps the reader easily understand the relationship between a planet's distance from the Sun and its temperature.
