Conquer It

Using the knowledge you have gained, continue reading and thinking about the author’s purpose and the structure that the author uses to achieve the overall purpose. Remember to ask yourself:

  • What is the structure and purpose of this section?
  • Is the author using more than one structure within this section? If so, why?
  • How does the purpose of this major section fit the overall purpose of the article?
  • How does the structure serve the author’s overall purpose?

Remember the author’s purpose involves revealing the central idea to the reader through a carefully selected text structure.  You will now engage in activities that require you to identify the relationships between the author’s central idea and text structure(s).

Now read the following paragraphs from the popcorn article from Newselaopens in new window and then complete the activity below.

A Quick Kick

10 It took them hundreds of tries to figure out what made the kernels jump. At first, they thought the steam makes the kernel jump, but that turned out to be wrong. They eventually discovered that a small "leg" pops out from the broken hull. The leg kicks the kernel into the air. When the leg is released, the popcorn moves like a gymnast somersaulting. All of this happens very fast, in just one-fifteenth of a second.

11 After studying these small movements, the French team was able to conclude what temperature the kernels need to pop. They put kernels of microwaveable popcorn in an oven and turned up the temperature slowly. Each time they cranked it up, the temperature increased 50 degrees. Almost all of the kernels popped when the heat reached 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit) — no matter how big or small the kernel was.

- Newselaopens in new window , February 22, 2015