Procedure Text

PROCEDURE TEXT

WHAT IS A PROCEDURAL TEXT?

A procedural text instructs your audience on how to complete a specific task.  Generally this then falls into two categories, how to make something and how to do something.

The purpose of a procedural text is to provide sequenced information or directions so that people can successfully perform activities in safe, efficient and appropriate ways.

Recipes and science experiments are common examples of procedural texts.   They use headings and sub-headings they can be structured in the following manner.

Some common forms of procedural texts are.

·         Directions - How do I get somewhere?  Very specific instructions including location names and titles. Formal language is required and the addition of a map will make your instructions so much easier to understand. 

·         Instructions - How do I do something?  Your language must meet the needs of your audience and you may need to include a diagram if there are complex elements to complete.

·         Recipes - How do I cook something?  Recipes are a universal text.  There is a very clear expectation of the audience so never stray from the essentials.  Ingredients, method and a few visuals are essential.

·         Rules for games - How do I play this?  Be conscious of your audience and write in a style and language they will understand.  You are almost guaranteed to require visuals in this style of writing.

·         Manuals - How do I operate this?  Are there any warnings I need to be aware of before proceeding?  Be very specific in your explanation.

·         Agendas - What are we doing?  When are we doing it?  Who is responsible?

PROCEDURAL AND EXPLANATION TEXTS - WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

http://www.literacyideas.com/procedural-texts/

THE FOUR MAIN COMPONENTS OF A PROCEDURAL TEXT

Let’s take a look at the four main sections that form a procedural text to ensure our students get a broad overview. Then, we can take a closer look at some of the finer details.

1. Goal / Aim

This component addresses the what of the piece. It will refer to what is to be done or made. Very often too this will provide for the title of the text itself. Often this will be stated in the form of a ‘how to’ sentence or the name of the thing to be made itself. With more technical procedural texts, titles may be more generic and standardized, such as simply Operating Manual or User's Guide or in its most basic form, Instructions.

To help your students get a sense of the importance of the title and its relationship with the goal of the text, provide them with a set of procedural texts with the titles removed. In groups, have them brainstorm a variety of titles for the text. When they are finished, reveal the original title of the text and compare with the suggestions made by the group. Soon they will start to see the pattern evolve and this will help them when they come to produce and name their own procedural texts.

2. Resources

Usually done in the form of a list, this component may also be titled Materials, Equipment, Ingredients, Items Neededetc and is pretty self-explanatory. This component comprises a list of things required to complete the procedure outlined in the text. For a recipe, this will obviously include things like ingredients, but may also include things like the appliances and tools required to follow that recipe to completion. For flat-pack furniture, for example, items like a screwdriver, spanner, glue will form this section. Science experiment procedural texts will include apparatus such as Bunsen burners, test tubes, litmus paper etc. Regardless of the specific purpose of the text in question, the resources listed in this section will usually be  presented in the order they will be used, as far as this is relevant or possible.

3. Steps

This is the heart of the procedural text as it outlines step-by-step the methodology to follow in the procedure itself. Again, the title of this section of the procedural text may vary depending on the specific type of writing it is. Longer user guides and instructional manuals will have a complex and extensive list of steps to follow that will employ subtitles and subsections to explain micro-processes within the wider procedure being described. Simpler texts, such as recipes, will be much less complex in structure. It is important to encourage students to think very logically about the process they are attempting to outline in their writing. Too often students write themselves into corners as they try to describe complicated procedures while struggling with the technical difficulties of constructing grammatically sound sentences. A good rule of thumb for student writers is to use many short and simple sentences when writing about complex ideas. We will talk more on this aspect when we discuss language features in greater detail.

4. Conclusion

The conclusion of a procedural text offers guidance to the reader on how they can evaluate the success of the procedure that has been followed. This may take the form of, for example, a description of the completed meal for a recipe text or a description of the assembled furniture in a flat-pack instruction guide. Depending on the type of text in question, often illustrations can be used to reinforce what a successfully followed procedure will look like.