Analyzing Texts: Main Ideas, Multiple Plots and Cause and Effect

Remember from Grade 5

In Grade 5 you sequenced two plots, found main ideas, and followed cause-and-effect chains.

In Grade 6 you'll analyze both literary and informational texts on the same topic, explain how two plots connect, and use your analysis to formulate a conclusion.

Hook: Meanwhile, across town...

Movies often jump between characters: one scene shows the hero, then meanwhile... another character somewhere else. Books do this too. Sections switch between characters until their stories meet. As you read, keep track of who, where and what happens.

The Night the Lights Went Out (a story written for this website)

1. Leila Freezing rain ticked against the kitchen window. Leila taped the last wire to her science fair board: a small circuit with a battery pack, a switch and three LED lights. She flicked the switch. The lights glowed. "Perfect," she whispered.

2. Grandpa Sami Next door, Grandpa Sami watched the maple in his yard. Every branch was coated in shining ice, and the biggest branch hung low over the power line. He frowned, filled his thermos with hot tea, and put on his boots with ice cleats.

3. Leila CRACK. The kitchen went black. The fridge stopped humming. "The power's out!" called Mom from the hallway. Leila felt her way back to the table, found her board, and flicked the switch. Three tiny lights glowed in the dark.

4. Grandpa Sami The big branch lay across the snowy yard, and the power line sagged. Grandpa Sami stayed far away from it and phoned the power company to report it. Then he crossed slowly to Leila's back door, one careful step at a time, thinking, They'll have no light at all.

5. Together When Grandpa Sami opened the door, he found the whole family around the kitchen table, sharing the glow of Leila's science project. He laughed and poured the tea. "You built a lamp," he said. Leila looked at her circuit. "I think I just found the last section of my project," she said. "Circuits in an emergency."

Cause-and-effect chains

In a chain, each effect causes the next event:

freezing rain → ice coats the maple branch → the heavy branch falls on the power line → the power goes out → Leila turns on her battery circuit → Leila gets an idea for her project.

Some events have more than one cause: Grandpa crosses the yard because the power is out and because he cares about his family.

Ice Storms in Ontario (an informational text written for this website)

Ice storms can cause serious damage. During an ice storm, rain falls through cold air near the ground and freezes as soon as it touches trees, roads and power lines. The ice can build up into a thick, heavy coating. Branches and even whole trees can break under the weight, and they can fall onto power lines. Ice-coated lines can also snap. In January 1998, a huge ice storm left many people in eastern Ontario and Quebec without electricity, some of them for weeks. That's why safety experts recommend that families keep flashlights, batteries and water in an emergency kit.

Formulating a conclusion from your analysis

Put the story and the informational text together. The story shows the same cause-and-effect chain that the informational text explains (ice → falling branch → power out). Both show preparation matters: Leila's battery circuit and Grandpa's ice cleats and thermos helped.

Conclusion: Being prepared for ice storms, with things like flashlights and batteries, helps families stay safe and comfortable when the power goes out. This conclusion is supported by both texts.