An explanation is a set of statements constructed to describe a set of facts which clarifies the causes,

context, and consequences of those facts.

This description may establish rules or laws, and may clarify the existing ones in relation to any objects,
or phenomena examined. The components of an explanation can be implicit, and be interwoven with
one another.
An explanation is often underpinned by an understanding that is represented by different media such as
music, text, and graphics. Thus, an explanation is subjected to interpretation, and discussion.
In scientific research, explanation is one of the purposes of research, e.g., exploration and description.
Explanation is a way to uncover new knowledge, and to report relationships among different aspects of
studied phenomena.

Explanation
Explanation texts explain how or why things happen eg how acid soil affects farm productivity.
Explanation begins by identifying the phenomenon (thing) that will be explained. (Phenomenon
identification.)
Then there is an explanation sequence which explains how things work.
Example of an explanation: shows the structure and language features.
Writing explanations
When writing explanations use:
general nouns eg nutrients.
technical terms (often used) eg pH, acid
present tense eg provide
words that show cause and effect eg if.

Use the sample explanation text to answer these questions.
1 List some general nouns that are used in the text.
2 There are other technical terms used in the text. List some of these.
3 List some of the words (or phrases) that have been used to show cause and effect.

Explanation: example
This sample explanation is labelled to show you the structure and language features of an explanation
text.
title : The effects of acid soil
phenomenon identification :Soils with a pH of less than 7.0 are acid. The lower the pH, the more acid the
soil. When soil pH falls below 5.5, plant growth is affected. Crop yields decrease, reducing productivity.
explanation sequence : Soils provide water and nutrients for plant growth and development. Essential
plant nutrients include phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium and sulfur. Plants require other elements such
as molybdenum, in smaller quantities. Some elements eg aluminium and manganese, are toxic to plants.
Nutrients become available to plants when they are dissolved in water. Plants are able to take up
phosphate, nitrate, potassium and sulfate ions in solution.
The solubility of nitients changes with pH. In acid soils (low pH), molybdenum becomes less soluble and
aluminium becomes more soluble. Therefore, plant growth may be affected by either a deficiency of
molybdenum or too much aluminium.
Both crop and pasture plants are affected by acid soils. there may be a range of symptoms. Crops and
pastures may be poorly established resulting in patchy and uneven growth. Plant leaves may go yellow
and die at the tips. The root system of the plant may be stunted. Crops may yield less.
Plants vary in their sensitivity to low pH. Canola and lucerne are very sensitive to acid soils so do not
grow well. Lupins and triticale are tolerant to soils of low pH so they still perform well.
Land can become unproductive if acid soil is left untreated. Incorporating lime into the soil raises the pH.
Therefore, liming soil can reverse the effects of acid soil on plants and return a paddock to productivity.

How Roman Roads were Built
The system of roads for mobility has been begun early decades. It was started since the Roman
Empire conquered the world. The roads in Roman era were known as the best construction.
The Romans built roads are for the purpose of mobility, especially for the army. Having the best
road, the army could march from one place to another. They built the roads as straight as
possible, so that the army could take the shortest route.
It is interesting to know how the roads were built, which some of them are still in use today.
First, the Romans builders would clear the ground of rocks and trees. Then they dug a trench
where the road was to go and filled it with big stones. Next, they put in big stones, pebbles,
cement and sand which they packed down to make a firm base. After that, they added another
layer of cement mixed with broken tiles. On top of that rough construction, then they put paving
stones to make the flat surface. These stones were cut so that they fitted together tightly. As the
finishing touch, kerb stones were put at each sides of the road to hold in the paving stones. It was
also used to make a channel for the water to run away.
How Chocolate is Made

Have we wondered how we get chocolate from? Well this time we will enter the amazing world
of chocolate so we can understand exactly we are eating.

Chocolate starts a tree called cacao tree. This tree grows in equatorial regions, especially in place
such as South America, Africa, and Indonesia. The cacao tree produces a fruit about the size of a
small pine apple. In side the fruits are the tree's seeds. They are also known as coco beans.

Next, the beans are fermented for about a week, dried in the sun. After that they are shipped to
the chocolate maker. The chocolate maker starts by roasting the beans to bring out the flavour.
Different beans from different places have different qualities and flavour. So they are often
shorted and blended to produce a distinctive mix.

The next process is winnowing. The roasted beans are winnowed to remove the meat nib of the
cacao bean from its shell. Then the nibs are blended. The blended nibs are ground to make it a
liquid. The liquid is called chocolate liquor. It tastes bitter.

All seeds contain some amount of fat and cacao beans are not different. However, cacao beans
are half fat, which is why the ground nibs from liquid. It is pure bitter chocolate.

How Cell Phone Work

A cell phone is a great gadget in this modern world. What is a cell phone? A cell phone is
actually a radio in certain way. Like a radio, by a cell phone we can communicate to other people
in real time. Million people use cell phone for their communication. Even nowadays, people use
cell phones to communicate in voice, written and data. Alexander Graham Bell is the person who
make great change in the way people communicate to each other. He invented a telephone in
1876. While wireless radio was formally known in 18994 presented by Guglielmo Marconi. By
these two technologies, then a cell phone was born. However do you know how actually cell
phones work?

This short explanation on how a cell phone work is really wonderful. A cell phone or in long
term "cellular telephone' works by transmitting signals of radio to towers of cellular. The towers
are networked to a central switching station. The connection usually uses wire, fiber optic-cables,
or microwave.

Then the central switching station which handles calls in certain given area is directed connected
to the wire-based telephone system. Cellulars are pick up by the towers and relayed to another
cellular telephone user or the user of wire-based telephone network.

the towers vary in the capacity and capability to receive signals. Some can receive the signal
from short distance and the others can receive more distance. However, there are usually more
than one tower in certain given area so that the system can handle the increasing telephone
traffic.

Tsunami

The term of tsunami comes from the Japanese which means harbour ("tsu") and wave
("nami"). A tsunami is a series of waves generated when water in a lake or a sea is rapidly
displaced on a massive scale.

A tsunami can be generated when the sea floor abruptly deforms and vertically displaces the
overlying water. Such large vertical movements of the earth's crust can occur at plate boundaries.

Subduction of earthquakes are particularly effective in generating tsunami, and occur where
denser oceanic plates slip under continental plates.

As the displaced water mass moves under the influence of gravity to regain its equilibrium, it
radiates across the ocean like ripples on a pond.

Tsunami always bring great damage. Most of the damage is caused by the huge mass of water
behind the initial wave front, as the height of the sea keeps rising fast and floods powerfully into
the coastal area.

How Earthquakes Happen

Earthquake is one of the most destroying natural disasters. Unluckily it often happens in several
regions. Recently a horrible earthquake has shaken West Sumatra. It has brought great damages.
Why did it occur? Do you know how an earthquake happens?

Earthquakes are usually caused when rock underground suddenly breaks along a fault. This
sudden release of energy causes the seismic waves. It make the ground shake. When two blocks
of rock or two plates are rubbing against each other, they stick a little. They don't just slide
smoothly. The rocks are still pushing against each other, but not moving. After a while, the rocks
break because of all the pressure that's built up. When the rocks break, the earthquake occurs.

During the earthquake and afterward, the plates or blocks of rock start moving, and they continue
to move until they get stuck again. The spot underground where the rock breaks is called the
focus of the earthquake. The place right above the focus is called the epicenter of the earthquake.
photosynthesis
What is photosynthesis? Photosynthesis is a food-making process that occurs in green plants. It
is the chief function of leaves. The word photosynthesis means putting together with light. Green
plants use energy from light to combine carbon dioxide and water to make sugar and other
chemical compounds.

How is the light used in photosynthesis?

The light used in photosynthesis is absorbed by a green pigment called chlorophyll. Each food-
making cell in a plant leaf contains chlorophyll in small bodies called chloroplasts. In
chloroplast, light energy causes water drawn form the soil to split into hydrogen and oxygen.

What are the steps of photosynthesis process? Let me tell you the process of photosynthesis, in a
series of complicated steps, the hydrogen combines with carbon dioxide from the air, forming a
simple sugar. Oxygen from the water molecules is given off in the process. From sugar together
with nitrogen, sulphur, and phosporus from the soil-green plants can make starch, fat, protein,
vitamins, and other complex compounds essential for life. Photosynthesis provides the chemical
energy that is needed to produced these compounds.

How does Rain Happen?

Rain is the primary source of fresh water for most areas of the world, providing suitable
conditions for diverse ecosystems, as well as water for hydroelectric power plants and crop
irrigation.

The phenomenon of rain is actually a water circle. The concept of the water cycle involves the
sun heating the Earth's surface water and causing the surface water to evaporate. The water vapor
rises into the Earth's atmosphere. The water in the atmosphere cools and condenses into liquid
droplets. The droplets grow until they are heavy and fall to the earth as precipitation which can
be in the form of rain or snow.

However, not all rain reaches the surface. Some evaporates while falling through dry air. This is
called virga, a phenomenon which is often seen in hot, dry desert regions.

Respiration

Every human needs the air that contains oxygen for breathing. Without it, we wont life and we cant do
our daily activity. But, have you ever thought about the process of respiration?

First, the air enters through our nose. In the nose, it will be warmed by mucus membrane and it also will
be cleaned by the soft hairs in the nose. After that, it flows through the throat, larinks, and trachea. And
if theres a strange thing which is brought by the air, it will be refused by a web which is located in
trachea. Then, the air flows throught a branch of broncus called bronchiolus. The last, it enters into
abranch of bronchiolus called Alveolus. Alveolus is collection of collection of the lungs buble an its a
place were the cange between oxygen and carbon dioxide happens.

Thats the process of respiration that we do all the the time because we are the living creature.

How do seasons happen?

Seasons come to us regularly. We have probably noticed that it gets warmer in summer or dry
season while it get colder in the winter or wet season. However do we know how these seasons
change?

Seasons happen and change every year. This happens because the earth tilts back and forth as it
goes around the sun. During the summer, the earth tilts toward the sun. It makes half of the earth
hotter. this condition is what we call summer. During the other half of the year, the earth tilts
away from the sun. As a result, it makes that half of the earth cooler. This cool condition is then
what we call winter.

The different parts of the world have the same season at different times. In the northern half of
the world , winter happens during the months of December, January and February. The regions
are such North America and Europe. In the other hand, the southern half of the world have
winter during the months of June, July and August.The regions are like South America and
Australia. How does this difference happen? The same season happens at different times because
the top and bottom halves of the earth tilt away from the sun at different times.

How Venus Eclipse Happens

On May 16, 2010, people in most regions in the world have seen a very rare natural
phenomenon. It was Venus eclipse. It was very rare amazing natural event. It was reported that
the Venus eclipse will seen again in the future in 2050. Do you know how this rare Venus eclipse
happens?

Well, actually Venus eclipse is like Sun eclipse. Venus eclipses occurs when the position of the
earth, moon and Venus is parallel. Venus planet will slowly disappear for a moment because it is
covered the surface of the Moon. Venus planet seems to move to the back side of the Moon.

The moon and planets are sharing a similar apparent path in the sky. That is why, it is not
unusual for the moon to appear to pass close to Venus. In fact, the moon appears somewhere
near it about once a month. However, most people dont see these events because they are visible
in the evening sky only half the time, and then only for a short period after sunset. The apparent
closeness varies from month to month as well