Explanation Text and Descriptive Text

Enrichment

The Difference between Explanation Text and Descriptive Text

The Amazing Life Cycle of Monarch Butterfly

TEXT 1 

Monarch Butterfly Life Cycle

https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/life-cycle-of-a-monarch-butterfly-printable-book-6290469

"How long does a monarch live?" "Why do monarchs migrate south?" The answers to these two questions go hand-in-hand. Children ask them all the time. Most monarchs live from two to six weeks as an adult butterfly, but the Monarch's migration is the key to its yearly life cycle.

The total time frame for one butterfly's life cycle (one generation) is about 6-8 weeks......egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly. It grows inside the egg for about 4 days. It then munches milkweed and grows as a monarch caterpillar (larvae) for about 2 more weeks. The caterpillar's life inside the chrysalis (pupa) lasts about 10 days and its wonderful life as an adult butterfly lasts from 2-6 weeks.

February/March - hibernating monarch in Mexico and southern California reawaken, become active, find a mate, begin the flight northward and lay their eggs. Finally they die. These special monarchs have lived about 4-5 months through the long winter.

March/April-the 1st generation monarchs are born-egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, adult butterfly; May/June - the 2nd generation is born- egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, adult butterfly; July/August - the 3rd generation is born - egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, adult butterfly; Sept/Oct - the 4th generation is born - egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, adult butterfly .......but THIS generation does not die.

In migrates south and lives 6-8 months in Mexico or Southern California. They begin awakening and mating in February/March of the next spring, and then lay their eggs! Withered and tattered from their migration and hibernation they finally die.

The cycles goes on as the new baby caterpillars are born each spring and the cycle continues throughout the year into the next spring. MAGICAL and AMAZING!

TEXT 2

Monarch Butterfly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRNw0WhsJMw

Monarchs are a primary example of true migration in insects. From their natural home in the Western  Hemisphere, they have spread to Hawaii, Indonesia, the Canary Island, and Australia. They are also known from the Mediterranean. Normal migration patterns in the United States in the fall lead to northern Mexico and California.

Monarch Butterflies have contrasting colors of black and orange, and are one of the most familiar of butterflies. Both sexes have the same appearance, and the wingspan is 3 to 4 inches. The well known caterpillars are banded with yellow, black and cream. Tentacles are present at both ends of the body of the caterpillar.

After you read both text 1 and text 2, let's analyze the differences between those texts.

Text 1 is an explanation text. It is because there is sequenced explanation in the text. It explains the life cycle of Monarch Butterfly. While text 2 is descriptive text. It describes the characteristic of Monarch Butterfly. However, there is no sequenced explanation in the text 2. To help you differentiate explanation text and descriptive text, look at the following table!

Differences	Explanation	Descriptive
Purpose	To explain the process involved in the formation or working of natural or socio cultural phenomena	To describe a particular person, place or thing
Generic structure	Ø General statement: stating the phenomenon issues which are to be explained Ø Sequenced explanation stating a series of steps which explain the phenomena	Ø Identification (identify phenomenon to be described) Ø Description (describe parts, qualities characteristics)
Language use	Ø Featuring generic participant; sun, rain, etc. Ø Using chronological connection, to begin with, next, etc. Ø Using passive voice pattern Ø Using simple present tense Ø Prequent use degree of comparison	Ø Focus on specific participants Ø Use of the simple present tense Ø Frequent use degree of comparison Ø Frequent use classifiers in nominal groups

adopted from "Bahasa dan Sastra Inggris, Mediatama"

Test of Explanation Text