Learning Resource Type

Classroom Resource

Text Structures

Subject Area

English Language Arts

Grade(s)

2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Overview

Text structures refer to the way authors organize information in a text. Recognizing the underlying structure of texts can help students focus attention on key concepts and relationships, anticipate what is to come, and monitor their comprehension as they read.

This informational material will provide students and teachers with background knowledge related to these structures:

  • Narrative
  • Chronological, process, or sequence
  • Cause and effect
  • Problem/solution
  • Compare and contrast
  • Definition or description

This document provides a definition, graphic organizer, transition words, and guiding questions for each type of text structure.

    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 2

    ELA21.2.27

    Identify the text structures within literary and informational texts, including cause and effect, problem and solution, and sequence of events.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.2.27

    Vocabulary

    • Text structures
    • Literary texts
    • Informational texts
    • Cause and effect
    • Problem and solution
    • Sequence of events

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Literary and informational texts follow predictable structures.
    • Cause and effect text structure describes an event (the cause) and the consequence or result of the event (the effect).
    • Problem and solution text structure describes a problem and how the problem was solved or could be solved.
    • Sequence of events is the order of events within a text.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Identify the text structure of literary texts.
    • Identify the text structure of informational texts.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Identifying the text structure of literary and informational texts will set a purpose for their reading and improve their comprehension.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 3

    ELA21.3.24

    Identify the text structures within literary and informational texts.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.3.24

    Vocabulary

    • Identify
    • Text structures
    • Literary text
    • Informational text

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Literary and informational texts follow predictable structures.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Identify the text structure of literary texts.
    • Identify the text structure of informational texts.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Identifying the text structure of literary and informational texts will set a purpose for their reading and improve their comprehension.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 4

    ELA21.4.23

    Evaluate how text features and structures contribute to the meaning of an informational text.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.4.23

    Vocabulary

    • Text features
    • Text structures
    • Informational texts

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Informational text often includes text features, such as graphs, charts, diagrams, photographs, etc., to help readers better understand the information in the text.
    • Informational text often follows a predictable text structure.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Identify and describe how text features contribute to the meaning of informational text.
    • Identify and describe how text structure contributes to the meaning of informational text.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Text features are often included in informational text to help readers better understand the author's intended meaning and message.
    • Informational texts often follow a predictable text structure, and identifying the structure of a text can improve comprehension.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 5

    ELA21.5.24

    Determine and evaluate the effectiveness of digital and print text features and structures, including comparison and contrast, problem and solution, and cause and effect.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.5.24

    Vocabulary

    • Determine
    • Evaluate
    • Effectiveness
    • Digital text features
    • Print text features
    • Text structures
    • Comparison and contrast
    • Problem and solution
    • Cause and effect

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Text features are items like charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages.
    • Text features can provide additional information or enhance understanding of the text.
    • Text can be structured in different ways, depending on the type of information that is being communicated.
    • A text that follows a comparison and contrast structure will describe how two or more things are alike or different.
    • Problem and solution text structure describes a problem and how the problem was solved or could be solved.
    • Cause and effect text structure describes an event (the cause) and the consequence or result of the event (the effect).

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Identify digital and print text features and structures.
    • Evaluate the effectiveness of digital and print text features and structures in communicating the intended meaning.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Text features can be found in printed and digital text materials.
    • Text features often provide important information about details in the text or can enhance understanding of details in the text.
    • Texts follow a predictable structure that contributes to the overall meaning of the text.
    • They can demonstrate comprehension of the text by evaluating on the purpose and effectiveness of the text features and structure the author chose to use.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 6

    ELA21.6.2

    Make inferences and draw logical conclusions from the content and structures of informational texts, including comparison and contrast, problem and solution, claims and evidence, cause and effect, description, and sequencing.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.6.2

    Vocabulary

    • Inferences
    • Logical conclusions
    • Content
    • Structures
    • Informational text
    • Comparison and contrast
    • Problem and solution
    • Claims and evidence
    • Cause and effect
    • Description
    • Sequencing

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Explicit information in a text, like its content and structure, can be used to draw conclusions and support inferences.
    • Text can be structured in different ways, depending on the type of information that is being communicated.
    • A text that follows a comparison and contrast structure will describe how two or more things are alike or different.
    • Problem and solution text structure describes a problem and how the problem was solved or could be solved.
    • Claim and evidence structure proposes a particular claim, then provides evidence to support the claim.
    • Cause and effect text structure describes an event (the cause) and the consequence or result of the event (the effect).
    • A description text structure describes a topic by listing characteristics, features, attributes, and examples.
    • Sequencing text structure presents ideas or events in the order in which they happen.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Identify the structure of informational texts, including comparison and contrast, problem and solution, claims and evidence, cause and effect, description, and sequencing.
    • Make inferences and draw conclusions from the content and structure of informational texts.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Informational text provides explicit information in its content and structure that can be used to draw conclusions and support inferences.
    • Informational text generally follows a particular structure, and identifying this structure can help them better comprehend and analyze the text.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 7

    ELA21.7.2

    Evaluate how effectively an author uses structures of informational texts, including comparison and contrast, problem and solution, cause and effect, and substantiated or unsubstantiated claims and evidence, to achieve a purpose.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.7.2

    Vocabulary

    • Informational text structures
    • Comparison and contrast
    • Problem and solution
    • Cause and effect
    • Substantiated claim
    • Unsubstantiated claim
    • Evidence
    • Author's purpose

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Authors use particular informational text structures to achieve an intended purpose.
    • A text that follows a comparison and contrast structure will describe how two or more things are alike or different.
    • Problem and solution text structure describes a problem and how the problem was solved or could be solved.
    • Cause and effect text structure describes an event (the cause) and the consequence or result of the event (the effect).
    • Claim and evidence structure proposes a particular claim, then provides evidence to support the claim.
    • Substantiated claims will have relevant, credible supporting evidence, while unsubstantiated claims will not.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Identify the structure of informational text.
    • Evaluate the effectiveness of the text structure in achieving the author's intended purpose.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Authors choose to format their informational text in a particular structure to achieve a specific purpose.
    Link to Resource

    CR Resource Type

    Informational Material

    Resource Provider

    Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
    Accessibility

    Accessibility

    Text Resources: Content is organized under headings and subheadings
    License

    License Type

    Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives
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