Nova hovers above the Signal Desk, her light sweeping across four pieces laid out in a row.
"Four texts," she says. "A guide, a report, a feature and an explainer. Each one built differently."
Rocket cracks his knuckles. "Sequence. Cause and effect with problem and solution. Sections through a year. Purpose and viewpoints."
"Fast," Raven says. "Now prove it. What do you notice when you look at the first sentence of each?"
Rocket looks. "Each one tells you what the piece is going to do."
"A writer builds the door before the house," Nova says. "Review time. Hints only."
This week you read four nonfiction pieces from this week's Signal.
How an Issue of The Signal Gets Made is a sequence. The Puddle at the Skate Ramp is cause and effect, then problem and solution.
A Year in the Community Garden is built from sections with headings. Why the Reading Room Has a Quiet Hour states its purpose and answers other viewpoints.
| Week review | True or false? |
|---|---|
| A section's job can be to explain how the other sections connect. | ? |
| A text can use only one structure from start to finish. | ? |
| An author who acknowledges another viewpoint is being fair to the reader. | ? |
| The purpose of a text is always hidden. | ? |
| The first sentence of a feature often tells what the whole piece will do. | ? |
Four texts, four shapes, one sharp reader. Tomorrow is Press Day, and your own piece of nonfiction goes in the basket.