Reading Like Writers and Writing Like Readers: TEXTS AS MENTORS based on "Wonderous Word" by Katie Wood Ray
TEXT STRUCTURE: Circluar texts Seesaw texts Framing questions texts Time flies texts Text where time is constant Vignette texts with repeating lines or pharses Text fashioned as a series of short memories Two-Part-Text changing situations Story within a stroy Narrative sequenced by a series of objects, people, or animals Repeated, wraparound paragraph structure
The Craft Of Text Structure CIRCULAR TEXTS: Circular texts have beginnings and ending that match. Night of the Gargoyles by Bunting House on Mango Street by Cisneros My mama Had a Dancing Heart by Gray The Relatives Come by Rylant Miz Berlin Walks by Yolen
SEESAW TEXTS: The seesaw text structure is on that sets up a predictable balance of information that moves back and forth, back and forth, between chunks that work together in some way. Grandpa Bill's Song by Yolen Tough Boris by Fox Say Something by Stolz When I Was Little Like You by Walsh and Lambert
FRAMING QUESTIONS TEXT: With this structure, writers work off a central question at the beginning of the text and then make the rest of the text a series of responses to that question. The main body of the text is written as a succession of responses, all of which answer the question in another way, revealing another facet of information, description, or storyline being presented The Seashore book by Zolotow I Want to Be by Moss Cat's Colors by Cabrera
CONVERSATION TEXTS: In a conversation text structure there is no commentary and no narrative. The entire text is fashioned as a conversation. The text moves back and forth between just two characters or speakers, and the conversation tells the story or conveys the information. Yo! Yes? by Rashka What Is The Sun by Lindbergh I Am The Dog, I Am The Cat by Hall
TEXTS EMBEDDED WITH TEXT EMBEDDED WITH QUOTATIONS OR SONG RESPONSE: In these types of LYRICS: Writers sometimes texts writers will surround the create an organizing thread in story or the information with a text by embedding characters' comments and quotations or song lyrics responses on what is happening between section of the or being presented in the text. The embedded text. The comments are like quotations are connected in asides, and they create an some ways to the text or interactive, parallel text. illuminate the story or ideas presented in the text. Nappy Hair by Herron Cinderelli by Minters But I'll Be Back Again by Rylant Silent Night by Moises The Tent by Paulsen
TIME FLIES TEXTS: Writes use one setting or one object as a focal point and have a great deal of time pass while this focal point remains constant...time moves while place stands still. This structure is used to show changes occurring in the place that are brought on by the natural movement and changes of time. Homeplace by Shelby In My Own Backyard by Kurijan The Blue And The Gray by Bunting The Rifle by Paulsen This Is The Bird by Shannon
TEXT WHERE TIME IS CONSTANT, BUT SETTING CHANGE: Writers will hold a moment or period of time still, often using a repeating line to do so, and will move about in various locations to see what is happening at that specific time in different places. Soad Jerk by Rylant Meet Danita Brown by Grimes Family Reunion by Marilyn Singer
NARRATIVE POEM TEXTS: These texts are usually structured as a series of separate poems that can be read individually, but when they are read together they have narrative or expository elements that tie them together-characters, setting, plot and information. Soda Jerk by Rylant Meet Danitra Brown by Grimes Nathaniel Talking by Greenfield Family Reunion by Singer
THEMATIC POEM TEXTS: These texts are written as a series of poems about a single topic. Significantly, each of these texts is by a single poet. It's Raining Laughter by Grimes Sky Words b Singer Water Music by Yolen Come Sunday by Grimes The Big Sky by Mora
VIGNETTE TEXTS WITH REPEATING LINES OR PHRASES: This is a very common text structure, appearing as a whole-text structure in many short texts and as a section structure in many texts. The vignettes may be chunks of information, description, or narration. The repeating line or phrase is generally a statement that captures the connection common to all vignettes. When I Was Little by Curtis When I Was Young In The Mountains by Rylant Nocturne by Yolen
TEXTS FASHIONED AS A SERIES FO SHORT MEMORIES: Writers sometimes structure their texts by writing a series of short memoir pieces that can each stand alone as a single narrative units. Childtimes by Greenfield House On Mango Street by Cisneros
JOURNAL OR DIARY TEXTS: The text may be made up of only the entries in the journal or diary, without any parallel text. Starry Stranger by Sis Searching For Laura Ingalls. by Lasky and Knight Celia's Island Journal by Krupinski
LETTER TEXTS: Writers will sometimes choose to structure a text as a letter. The texgt might be a single letter, or a series of letter either back and forth among two or more characters or more over time from only one character. Dear Mr. Blueberry By James Dear Rebecca, Winter Is Here by George Nettie's Trip South by Turner The Gardner by Stewart
TWO PART TEXTCHANGING SITUATION: Writers write the first part of the text with the content strongly influenced by some situational factor, and then in the second part of the text that factor changes and its influence on the text is clear. Everything is one way, and then it changes and everything is another way. Night In The Country by Rylant Rainflower by Turner Sophie by Fox Underground Train by Quattlebaum Raven And River by
STORY WITHIN A STORY: When writers use this structure, they use one story to tell another story or to present information, memoir, or description. The structure has a framing story which generally has some sort of trigger in it that moves the text to the inside story. We Got Here Together by Stafford Knots On A Counting Rope by Martin Jr. Everglades by George The Seashore Book by Zolotow
NARRATIVES SEQUENCED BY A SERIES OF OBJECTS, PEOPLE OR ANIMALS: Texts structured in this way tell stories that are sequenced primarily by moving through various objects, people, or animals, rather than the more traditional event sequencing of many narrative texts.
IDEA TEXTS SEQUENCED BY A SERIES OF OBJECTS, PEOPLE, ANIMALS, OR CONCEPTS: Texts structured in this way to tell stories that are sequenced primarily by moving through various objects, people, or animals, rather than the more traditional event sequencing of many text narratives
Aunt Fossie's hats by Howard Wilford Gordon McDonald Partridge by Fox Grandad Bill's Song by Yolen The Very Hungry Caterpillar
In The Wild by Ryder Water Dance by Locker Families Of The Deep Blue Sea by Mallory So They Scare You by Collard
PARTICIPATION TEXTS: These texts use a second person "YOU" to address readers directly and invite them to participate in the text. The effect of this is that it makes readers feel as if they are experiencing what the "CHARACTERS" are experiencing. Shark In The Sea by Ryder Winter Whale by Ryder Families Of The Deep Blue Sea by mallory The Seashore Book by Zolotow
GEOGRAPHICAL TEXTS: These texts borrow specific geographical structure to help them move their narratives. The pieces of text work together to create a story that follows a real map from place to place. Often, each stop on the map in the text will be written in a similar way, with corresponding kinds of details and sometimes even similar sentence structure. My Mama Had A Dancing Heart by Gray Let's Eat by Zamorano Water Dance by Locker Moonstick: The Seasons Of
REPEATED, WRAPAROUND PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE: Sometimes writes will construct a very sophisticated text in which a long series of paragraphs is structured repeatedly in the same exact way. Tulip Sees America by Rylant The Important Book by Brown If You're Not From The Praire by Bouchard Raven and River by Carlstrom
Way With Words Echo effect Repeating details Repeating sentence structure Re-say Striking adjectives Striking adverbs Striking verbs Proper nouns Intentional vagueness Make-your-own words Artful use of AND Run-Away sentences
Artful sentence fragments Seesaw sentences Short, short, long sentences Sentences that make a long story short Whispering parentheses Commentary dashes Items in a series Super colons Super ellipses Interesting italics Text shaped to match meaning
CLOSE ECHO EFFECT: A writer will often repeat words or phrases very close together when it is not necessary to do so, creating an echo effect in the text.
REPEATING DETAILS: Writes will take specific details and repeat them at different points in a text, creating a thread of continuity through the artful repetition of details,
Night In The Country by Rylant The Whales by Rylant Water Dance by Locker Miz Berlin Walks by Yolen
Roxaboxen by McLerran The Relatives Came by Rylant Miz Berlin Walks by Yolen
REPEATING SENTENCE STRUCTURE: Writes will sometimes repeat a sentence structure or a series of sentence structure for effect. This is a repetition not of words, but kinds of words, and how they are put together.
Secret Place by Bunting Ninght In The Country by Rylant
STRIKING ADJECTIVES: Writers will sometimes describe a noun using an adjective that is unusual or unexpected in some way. Letting Swift River Go by Yolen The Relatives Came by Rylant Miz Berlin Walks by Yolen
STRIKING VERBS: The crafting technique involves the very careful selection of striking verbs that catch a reader's attention.
STRIKING ADVERB: Writers also use adverbs in unexpected ways to create striking textual effect.
My Great-Aunt Arizona by Houston The Whales by Rylant Maniac Magee by Sinelli Secret Place by Bunting Miz Berlin Walks by Yolen
Miz Berlin Walks by Yolen The Lost And Found House by Cadnum Nocturne by Yolen
INTENTIONAL VAGUENESS: Writers will be intentionally vague for effect in their texts. This is often achieved by manipulating pronouns and adjectives that modify nouns, making them nonspecific when we expect them to be more specific. The Relatives Came by Rylant The Whales by Rylant The Aunt In Our House by Johnson
PROPER NOUNS: Using proper nouns gives writing a specificity that makes readers trust the authority of the narrator. Missing May by Rylant Baby By MacLachlan
MAKE-YOUR-OWNWORDS: Sometimes writes can't find just the right words they need, but they are not distracted by this. They just make up words! Manica Magee by Spinelli Home Run by Burleigh An Angel For Solomon Singer by Rylant Nocturne by Yolen
ARTFUL USE OF "AND":
Missing May by Rylant When I Was Young In The Mountains by Rylant What You Know First by MacLachlan
RUNAWAY SENTENCES: To convey a sense of franticness, of desperation, excitement, or being carried away with something, writers will sometimes craft a very long, winding runaway sentence. House On Mango Street by Cisneros Missing May by Rylnat Amazing Grace by Kozol
ARTFUL SENTENCE FRAGMENTS: In all kinds of writing, good writers will craft sentence fragments for effect. If you take these sentence fragments out of context and place them on a classroom chalkboard, they do apper to be incomplete thoughts. But inside the text in which they are found they are always quite complete. Maniac Magee by Spinelli I Had Seen Castles by Rylant Woodsong by Paulsen Home Run by Burleigh
DIRECT-CONTACT SENTENCE: These are sentences-often commands, but they can be of any sentence type-in which the writers interrupts the narrative to speak directly tot he reader or to comment on what's happening in the text. But I'll Be Back Again by Rylant Night In The Country by Rylant
SEESAW SENTENCES: Sewsaw sentences are crafted with predictable pairs of information or detail. Just like seesaw text structure, but on a smaller, one-or-twosentence scale. An Angel For Solomon Singer by Rylant Whoever You Are by Fox
SHORT, SHORT, LONG SENTENCES:
Welcome To The Green House by Yloen An Angel For Solomon Singer by Rylant
SENTENCES THAT MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT: Sometimes when a writer want to move in hurry through a lot of time or activity in a text, they will write one sentence that covers lots of ground fast. The Relatives Came by Rylant I had Seen Castles by Rylant
SENTENCES THAT MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT: Sometimes when a writer want to move in hurry through a lot of time or activity in a text, they will write one sentence that covers lots of ground fast. The Relatives Came by Rylant I had Seen Castles by Rylant
COMMENTARY DASHES: You will see that another way writers add layers of commentary to a text is to set extra, "by-theway" details off with dashes. Crayons by Paulsen Missing May by Rylant
ITEMS IN A SERIES: The Relatives Came by Rylant Night In The Country by Rylant the Whales by Rylant Scarecrow by Rylant Welcome To The Green House by Yolen
SUPER COLONS: Colons can set an idea off from others, show that someone is thinking or talking, or serve as a marker that something big is about to follow. Tulip Sees America by Rylant Dreamplace by Lyon Scarescrow by Rylant
SUPER ELLIPSES: Ellipses can show that an action is continuing, transition from one action to another or from one idea to another, move time or place, or show that there jus are not words for something. Dog Heaven by Rylant On The Day You Were Born by Frasier The Whales by Rylant Down The Road by Schertle
INTERESTING ITALICS: Writers use italics in many interesting ways that add layers of meaning to any text. You will see italics that make noise, give emphasis, distinguish present from past, match speech pattern, show that someone is remembering, and do all kinds of other work in texts. Baby by MacLachlan Night In The Country by Rylant Manica Magee by Spinelli Water Dance by Locker