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Informational Terms
Milestones Key Terms for Informational Texts
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Informational texts | Informational texts are passages that explain or inform. |
| Inference | To infer means to come to a reasonable conclusion based on evidence found in the passage. |
| Explicit | An explicit idea or message is fully stated or revealed by the author. The author tells the reader exactly what he or she needs to know. |
| Central Idea | The central idea is the most important point or idea that the author is making in a passage. The central idea is also known as the main idea. |
| Objective Summary | An objective summary is an overview of a passage. It captures the main points but does not give every detail and does not include opinions. |
| Fact and Opinion | A fact is a statement that can be proven. An opinion is a statement that cannot be proven, as it states an author’s belief or judgment about something. |
| Interactions | Interactions in text refer to how ideas influence individuals or events or how individuals influence ideas or events. As one analyzes a passage, the interactions give insight into the meaning. |
| Figurative meaning | Refers to the symbolic meaning of words or phrases and uses figurative language. |
| Connotative meaning | A meaning beyond the explicit meaning of a word is known as connotative meaning. For example, the word childlike connotes innocence. Connotations are meanings inferred from certain words. |
| Denotative meaning | The explicit meaning of a word is the denotative meaning. For example, helpful has only one meaning and denotation which is to be of service or assistance. |
| Technical meaning | Technical meaning is the meaning of a word as it relates to a specific subject or process. For example, the term run-on sentence in the study of English grammar has a technical meaning that refers to two complete thoughts joined incorrectly. |
| Tone | The tone found in writing is the attitude of an author about a subject or an audience. The author will choose words and language to create a tone and express a viewpoint in a text. |
| Organization | Organization refers to the way in which a passage is structured. Each sentence, paragraph, or chapter fits into the overall structure of a passage and contributes to the development of ideas. |
| Organizational structures | Can include chronological order, cause and effect, compare and contrast, order of importance, and problem and solution. |
| Chronological Order | Chronological order is the order in which a series of events happened. A passage that is arranged in order of time from the beginning to the end is in chronological order. |
| Cause and Effect | This is a relationship in which one thing causes another thing to happen. |
| Compare and Contrast | The structure of compare and contrast analyzes the relationships between ideas in a passage. Comparing analyzes the similarities, while contrasting analyzes the differences. |
| Order of Importance | Order of importance organizes text by listing supporting details from most important to least important, or by least important to most important. |
| Problem and Solution | Text that is organized by problem and solution identifies a problem and proposes one or more solutions. An author may use problem and solution to try to persuade readers about a certain topic or course of action. |
| Author's Purpose | The author’s purpose is the author’s intention for his or her writing. All passages have a purpose, whether it is to persuade, inform, explain, or entertain. |
| Author's Point of View | The opinion of the author is known as the author’s point of view. Your opinion may differ from the opinion of the author of a passage. |
| Claim | A claim is the main argument made by the author. A strong claim will be supported by reasons and evidence. |
| Counterclaim | A reasonable argument that opposes or disagrees with another claim is called a counterclaim. A strong counterclaim is supported by evidence and sound reasoning. Sometimes the author will include a counterclaim and the reasons it is weak or wrong. |
| Bias | When an author holds a strong opinion or belief about his or her topic, the writing may contain forms of bias. Bias within passages can appear as statements that favor one opinion or idea over another, which creates an unfair or unsound argument. |
| Evidence | Something that proves or demonstrates the truth of something else is known as evidence. Informational texts may contain evidence to prove that the information is correct. Be aware of bias, which can weaken claims. |
| Sound | Sound refers to reasoning that makes sense and follows some sort of logic. Sound reasoning means the same as logical reasoning. |
| Relevant | To be considered relevant, the facts, details, or other information within a text must be related to the topic. Relevant information helps support the author’s opinion, claim, and reasoning. |
Created by:
oberholtzerm
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