Text Structures

What is a text structure?

• “Text structure” refers to how a piece of text or writing is built or put together.

Authors…

• Structure their work differently for different types of texts.

• For example, authors of fiction use a different text structure than an author of non-fiction.

Non-FictionDifferent Structures for

Different Purposes

1. Chronology

2. Compare/Contrast

3. Cause and Effect

4. Description/Categorization

5. Problem/Solution

6. Position/Reason

Objective:REVIEW 3 TEXT STRUCTURES and ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERNS FOR

Chronology/Sequential Order Compare/ContrastCause and Effect

Text Structure Review:Lesson 1

Chronological/Sequential Order

• Purpose:– Nonfiction: to inform– Fiction: to entertain

• To show events in the order in which they occurred or to show steps in a process.

• Chronological: events• Sequential: steps or

process

Chronological Order Keywords

• first, next, later, then, and finally –can you think of any more?

• Even dates or time periods in history give a sense of time.

CHRONOLOGY/SEQUENCE/ ORDER – TIMELINE

OR A CYCLE/PROCESSCan you think of cycle or process?

For Example…

Compare/Contrast

• Comparisons – show how things are alike

• Contrast – shows how things are different

• Suppose an author wanted to explain how these two faces are similar and different.

• The author would need to use compare and contrast.

COMPARE/CONTRASTVenn diagrams allow you to all the information in one place.

For Example…

Cause/Effect Text Structure• Purpose: to

explain how and why things happen.

• How one event leads to another

• Why decisions are made.

Cause/Effect Keywords

cause, effect, as a result, consequently, and so.

Organizing Cause/Effect

You may have one or more causes that create on huge effect which may in turn create one or more other effects as well.

For Example…

How could your organize the cause and effects of flooding?

• Draw your own causal chain using the information from the passage?

• Let’s go back to the passage.

Text structures we’ve learned so far

• Chronological Order

• Compare and Contrast

• Cause and Effect

Match the clue words!

on the other hand similarity

Can you identify the text structure that these clue words indicate?

Compare/Contrast

as a result Cause/Effect

after that Chronological Order

Uncover the answers to see if you are right!

Problem/Solution Text Structure

• Purpose:

to explain a problem, and then offer one or more solutions.

Problem/SolutionKeywords

Synonyms for problem:

difficulty, struggle, uncertainty, worry, threat, and trouble

Synonyms for solution:

possibility, hope, bright spot, answer, and future

Organizing Problem Solution

Another way…

Problem Solution

For Example…

Position/Reason

• Author’s Purpose:

to persuade/influence • Gives reasons why an idea

or point should or should not be supported.

• Article states someone’s position and gives reasons why they do or do not support something.

Organizing Position/Reason

What in this passage is a fact and what is an opinion? What argument is being made?

Sort out the Facts from the Opinions.

Facts Opinions

Last One…Description/Categorization

•IF the author wants you to know or describe how something looks, moves, works, etc he or she may use this type of text structure.

•Also used to show which things can be organized into LIKE categories or groups based on some identifying characteristic.

Last One…Description/Categorization

• Texts organized using this structure will list various types of things and their characteristics which set them apart from other things that have similar qualities.

Organizational charts used to help sort out texts with a lot of information can be webs, venn diagrams and descriptive matrixes.

Text Structures

All Done!!!