Lesson 2: Text Structures

Analyze organizational methods

used in informational texts
Making Information Clear
 Authors choose structure to organize
information and make their meaning
clear.
 Readers use strategies to support
interpretation of text.
Writing Clarity
 Authors use organization to develop their
point of view
 They use different approaches to
support their purposes
 They pick an organization format that will
help make their ideas clear to the
reader
Readers ask…
 Why has the author chosen this
particular organization pattern?
 Can I see a pattern to
the writing?
 How are the ideas
divided and
presented?
Organizational Patterns
 Description
 Chronological (or Sequence)
 Cause and Effect
 Compare/Contrast
 Problem/Solution
Description

detail detail

topic
detail detail

• Author provides descriptive details or

characteristics of a topic.
Description Key Words
• For example
sparkle
• Specifically
• Characteristics
crystal white include
• Next
snow
• Another kind
• In addition
• Spatial words like
flakes frozen
near, beyond, over,
etc.
 Description Example 1

Coral snakes are distinguished by their

red, yellow/white, and black colored
banding. Most species of are small in
size. North American species average
around 3 feet in length, but
specimens of up to 5
feet or slightly larger
have been reported.
 Description Example 2
Geologists classify types of rocks by
closely examining certain characteristics.
They often begin by looking at the rock
through a magnifying lens to check for
crystal structures, luster, and color.
Breaking the rock shows specimen’s
fracture or cleavage.
Chronological
Sari’s Education

Elementary Middle High

School School School

 Story or information is told in the order

that the events occurred
Chronology Key Words
 First
First she sat in
the hard chair  Next
 Then
Next she sat in  After
the soft chair  Before
 Sequential dates
Finally, she sat in  Events
the baby’s chair  Order
Chronological Example (1)
 First, Goldilocks sat in the great big,
Papa Bear chair, but it was too hard.
 Then, she sat in the medium sized,
Mama Bear chair, but it was too soft.
 Finally, she sat in the
little, bitty, Baby Chair,
and it was just right.
Chronological Example (2)
When the Anglo-Saxons conquered the
British Isles they introduced their
language which was composed of
common everyday words like boat and
tree.
 Later, the Normans
added French words
like café.
Cause and Effect

Cause
Effect

 The author establishes a link between

the way things are now and how they got
that way.
Cause and Effect Key
Words
 If/then
 Reasons
Cause Effect  Why
 Because
 As a result
 This led to
 Consequently
 Due to
 Order doesn’t matter

Cause
Effect

 Sometimes the cause will be presented

first…
 …then the effect will follow
Cause/Effect Example (1)
 Cause: During the experiment, Henry
poured the liquid bromine into the saline
solution.
 Effect: His hypothesis
was proved correct
when the solution
changed colors.
Order still doesn’t matter

Effect
Cause

 Sometimes the issues are presented

with the effects sited first…
 …then the causes are offered as
explanation
Cause/Effect Example (2)
 Effect: The future of gorillas in the wild is
at risk. Scientists predict that at the
present rate of decline, in 30 years all
the world’s wild gorillas will be gone.
 Cause: Gorilla meat
is a dietary staple for
nearly 12 million
people in Africa.
Comparison and Contrast

Apples Oranges

 One idea is presented first, followed by a

similar or different way of seeing things.
Compare/Contrast Key
Words
 Differ
 Same
 Alike
 Compare
1920’s 1950’s
 But
 Both
 Similar
 On the other
hand
Compare/Contrast Example
(1)
 Seurat painted scenes of everyday life
full of realistic people and objects with
soft edges and lines. He wanted his art
to capture “feelings” of the moment.

 Picasso, on the other

hand, used distorted
images and strange
colors to create mood.
Compare/Contrast Example
(2)
 Saturn is the second largest planet in
the solar system, much larger than
Earth. It is mostly made of hydrogen. It
rotates more quickly too. A day on
Saturn is only about 10 Earth hours
long. But it takes about 30 of our years
to make one full trip around the sun.
Problem/Solution

Problem Steps Solution

• The beach was • Jeff organized a • 30 people came

littered with beach clean-up to pick up trash
trash. party. and soon the
beach was
clean.

 A problem is presented and followed by

the steps to bring about a solution.
Problem/Solution Key Words

Problem Steps Solution

 problem is  so that
 dilemma is  question-answer
 if-then  problem is solved
 because  reason why
 Problem/Solution (1)
 Native American tribes who
lived on the central plains
had to move from place to
place to follow the migrating
herds. Since they could not
build permanent homes, they
invented the teepee which
allowed them to move their
homes from place to place.
 Problem/Solution (2)
 Ted and Sam both wanted to drive
the car. They started yelling at
each other. Their mom came and
told them to stop fighting. She told
Ted he could drive the car today,
and Sam would have
a turn tomorrow.
Question Examples
This story is organized by—
 comparing Alfred’s life to
those of German families
 describing a series of events
in Nobel’s life
 discussing what the
scientist’s role was in
organizing the prize
 providing examples of how
people lived in 1925
Which of the following best
describes the organization of
the passage?
 Presenting in order the steps
of cave and sinkhole
formation
 Comparing the formation of a
cave to the formation of a
sinkhole
 Describing features of caves
and sinkholes
 Presenting basic information
first about caves and then
about sinkholes
 REVIEW
 What are the 5 organizational
patterns?
 Why do author’s use different
types of organization?
 What clues will help you
determine the pattern?
 Remember…

 Description
 Chronological
 Cause/Effect
 Comparison/Contrast
 Problem/Solution
Resources
Comprehension Strategies by Keene, Ellin Oliver, 2002.
When Kids Can’t Read by Kylene Beers, 1998

Graphics
Phillip Martin Clip Art
http://www.phillipmartin.info/clipart/homepage.htm

A Reading and Writing Out Loud Presentation

Barbara Yardley, M.Ed.

For additional activities, worksheets and a complete Common Core

teaching unit on Text Structure
visit
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Barbara-Yardley/