I will know the different types of text structure.

I will be able to identify signal words for each

text structure.
I will be able to identify the different types of
text structure.

A structure is a
building or
framework
Text structure
refers to how a
piece of text is
built

Builders can use

different kinds of
structures to build
different things
A skyscraper, for
example, is a
different kind of
structure from a
house

Writers use
different
structures to build
their ideas
Each text
structure
communicates
ideas in a
different way

Authors use
chronological
order to explain
how things
happen in order
Chronological
order is also called
sequence or time
order

You will know

that you are
reading a text in
chronological
order because you
will see words like
first, next, later,
then, and finally

You will often see chronological order in

directions:
Have you ever made macaroni and cheese? Its
simple! First, boil some water and make some
macaroni. Then, make your cheese sauce. After
the cheese sauce is ready, mix it with the
macaroni. Bake the entire thing in the oven.
Finally, its time to eat!

You will often see chronological order in

directions:
Have you ever made macaroni and cheese? Its
simple! First, boil some water and make some
macaroni. Then, make your cheese sauce. After
the cheese sauce is ready, mix it with the
macaroni. Bake the entire thing in the oven.
Finally, its time to eat!

Pennsylvania has many

historic sites. You can visit
Revolutionary war sites,
like Valley Forge. You can
also visit important
locations from the Civil
War, like Gettysburg.
Finally, you can also see
the site of the first oil well
in Titusville. Pennsylvania
has many neat places to
visit!

Through the ages,

Pennsylvania has seen many
interesting events. The state
was founded in 1681 by
William Penn. Later,
Pennsylvania was the site of
important Revolutionary
War battles. After that,
Pennsylvania was home to
new factories during the
Industrial Revolution.
Today, Pennsylvania
continues to make history.

This is the
paragraph in
chronological
order. Can you
find the clue
words that show
this order?

Through the ages,

Pennsylvania has seen many
interesting events. The state
was founded in 1681 by
William Penn. Later,
Pennsylvania was the site of
important Revolutionary
War battles. After that,
Pennsylvania was home to
new factories during the
Industrial Revolution.
Today, Pennsylvania
continues to make history.

This is the
paragraph in
chronological
order. Can you
find the clue
words that show
this order?

Through the ages,

Pennsylvania has seen many
interesting events. The state
was founded in 1681 by
William Penn. Later,
Pennsylvania was the site of
important Revolutionary
War battles. After that,
Pennsylvania was home to
new factories during the
Industrial Revolution.
Today, Pennsylvania
continues to make history.

What is a structure?
What does chronological order
mean?
What are some clue words that
show chronological order?

Your task:
Write a chronological paragraph in which you
teach your classmates how to do something.
Don't forget to use words that demonstrate the
order in which the steps must be completed.
Your lesson must be five steps or less!

But what if an
author doesnt
want to show how
something
happened in
sequence?
The author would
need to use
another text
structure!

Suppose an author
wanted to explain how
these two birds are
similar and different
Chronological order
wouldnt work---there
is no order of events
The author would need
to use compare and
contrast

The cardinal and the cedar

waxwing are two common birds.
Both have crests on their heads.
Both are common at birdfeeders.
But the birds have some
differences. The male cardinal is a
bright red, while the waxwing is
brown. The cedar waxwing often
migrates from place to place. On
the other hand, the cardinal stays
in one place year after year.

When authors use the

text structure of compare
and contrast, they often
use special clue words to
show this text structure.
Can you find the clue
words in the paragraph?

The cardinal and the cedar

waxwing are two common birds.
Both have crests on their heads.
Both are common at birdfeeders.
But the birds have some
differences. The male cardinal is a
bright red, while the waxwing is
brown. The cedar waxwing often
migrates from place to place. On
the other hand, the cardinal stays
in one place year after year.

The cardinal and the cedar

waxwing are two common birds.
Both have crests on their heads.
Both are common at birdfeeders.
But the birds have some
differences. The male cardinal is a
bright red, while the waxwing is
brown. The cedar waxwing often
migrates from place to place. On
the other hand, the cardinal stays
in one place year after year.

To organize
details from a
paragraph in
compare and
contrast, use a
double bubble.

Can you explain the difference between

chronological order and compare and
contrast?
How can clue words help you as a reader?

Your task:
Write a compare and contrast paragraph for
Pepsi and Sprite or Baseball and Football or
Justin Bieber and One Direction.
You must present similarities and differences!

Sometimes, a writer will want to explain

how one event leads to another
This kind of text structure is called cause
and effect

Cause and Effect video

commercial

Commercial compilation

When authors write

paragraphs to show
causes and effects,
they use words like
cause, effect, as a
result, consequently,
and so

The nights snowstorm had many effects.

People were out shoveling snow from their
sidewalks. The power lines were draped with
ice. Snow plows drove down every street.
Children were the happiest of all. The
unexpected snow caused school to be
cancelled!

The nights snowstorm had many effects.

People were out shoveling snow from their
sidewalks. The power lines were draped with
ice. Snow plows drove down every street.
Children were the happiest of all. The
unexpected snow caused school to be
cancelled!

Baby painted turtles spend all winter in

their nests. They have special chemicals in
their blood that can keep their blood from
freezing. As a result, baby painted turtles
can survive freezing temperatures!

Baby painted turtles spend all winter in

their nests. They have special chemicals in
their blood that can keep their blood from
freezing. As a result, baby painted turtles
can survive freezing temperatures!

This is the
cause

Baby painted turtles spend all winter in

their nests. They have special chemicals in
their blood that can keep their blood from
freezing. As a result, baby painted turtles
can survive freezing temperatures!
This is the
effect

Which text structure tells about how things are

similar and different?
Compare and contrast
Which text structure explains how things
happen in time order?
Chronological order

Your task:
Write a cause and effect paragraph for a situation
of your choosing.

Don't forget to use appropriate signal words.

Some ideas might be: waking up late, forgetting to
eat breakfast, not doing your homework, eating
ice cream on a hot summer day, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w&safety_mode=tr
ue&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active

Sometimes, an
author will want to
explain a problem,
and then show one
or more solutions
This kind of text
structure is called
problem and solution

Park School had a

terrible problem. Every
day at recess, students
would argue over the
slides. Teachers had to
spend time every day
taking care of the
arguments. Finally, one
teacher came up with a
great solution. They
bought another set of
slides that everyone could
enjoy.

Park School had a

terrible problem. Every
day at recess, students
would argue over the
slides. Teachers had to
spend time every day
taking care of the
arguments. Finally, one
teacher came up with a
great solution. They
bought another set of
slides that everyone
could enjoy.

Can you find the

problem and the
solution in this
paragraph?

Park School had a

terrible problem. Every
day at recess, students
would argue over the
slides. Teachers had to
spend time every day
taking care of the
arguments. Finally, one
teacher came up with a
great solution. They
bought another set of
slides that everyone
could enjoy.

Here is the
problem

Park School had a

terrible problem. Every
day at recess, students
would argue over the
slides. Teachers had to
spend time every day
taking care of the
arguments. Finally, one
teacher came up with a
great solution. They
bought another set of
slides that everyone
could enjoy.

Here is the
problem

Here is the
solution

Often, authors will

signal problem and
solution structure
with clue words like
problem and
solution, just like in
the last paragraph
Sometimes, authors
will use related
words

Synonyms for
problem include
difficulty, struggle,
uncertainty, worry,
threat, and trouble
Synonyms for
solution include
possibility, hope,
bright spot, answer,
and future

The Chesapeake Bay faces an

uncertain future. Issues such
as pesticides, too many
nutrients, and habitat loss all
threaten the Bays water
quality and animal life.
However, scientists are
hopeful that the future may
be brighter. If everyone in
the Chesapeake Bay
watershed works together,
solutions may be found.

What is the
problem?
What is the
solution?

The Chesapeake Bay faces an

uncertain future. Issues such
as pesticides, too many
nutrients, and habitat loss all
threaten the Bays water
quality and animal life.
However, scientists are
hopeful that the future may
be brighter. If everyone in
the Chesapeake Bay
watershed works together,
solutions may be found.

Problem

Solution

The Chesapeake Bay faces an

uncertain future. Issues such
as pesticides, too many
nutrients, and habitat loss all
threaten the Bays water
quality and animal life.
However, scientists are
hopeful that the future may
be brighter. If everyone in
the Chesapeake Bay
watershed works together,
solutions may be found.

Chronological order
Compare and
contrast
Cause and effect
Problem and solution

Can you figure out the text structure that these clue
words point to?

however, on the
other hand,
similarity, like,
unlike

Compare and
contrast

Can you figure out the text structure that these clue
words point to?

as a result,
consequently,
therefore, so,
cause, effect

Cause and effect

Can you figure out the text structure that these clue
words point to?

problem, solution,
threat, difficulty,
hope, answer,
possibility

Problem and
solution

Most paragraphs that we write in

school can be called main idea,
description, or statement and support
paragraphs

In this kind of
paragraph, the
author offers a
main idea
statement, and
then supports that
statement with
several details

The pond was a beautiful

place to visit. The falling
leaves, all different colors,
decorated the surface of the
water. At the edges of the
pond, small wildflowers grew.
The golden forest glowed
faintly in the distance.

Main idea

The pond was a beautiful

place to visit. The falling
leaves, all different colors,
decorated the surface of the
water. At the edges of the
pond, small wildflowers grew.
The golden forest glowed
faintly in the distance.

Main idea

All of the other sentences

explain why the main
idea is true

The pond was a beautiful

place to visit. The falling
leaves, all different colors,
decorated the surface of the
water. At the edges of the
pond, small wildflowers grew.
The golden forest glowed
faintly in the distance.

Clue words in
these paragraphs
may include:
One reason, another
reason, and for
example

On the next few slides,

you will read some
paragraphs about the
Great Chicago Fire
Your task is to decide
on the text structure
for each one
Understanding the
text structure will help
you to understand
each paragraph

Chronologi
cal order
Compare
and
contrast
Cause and
effect
Problem
and
solution
Main idea

Daniel Sullivan was the first to

notice the flames coming from the
OLeary barn at around 8:30 pm on
October 8. A problem with the alarm
box made it impossible for the
people in the area to call for the fire
department. By 9:30 pm, the entire
block was blazing. In another 3
hours, there were fires all over
Chicago. The heavy wind coming
from the lake only made the fire
bigger. It would be another day
before the fire would be completely
out. By that time, 17,500 buildings
had been burned.

Chronologi
cal order
Compare
and
contrast
Problem
and
solution

Daniel Sullivan was the first to

notice the flames coming from the
OLeary barn at around 8:30 pm on
October 8. A problem with the alarm
box made it impossible for the
people in the area to call for the fire
department. By 9:30 pm, the entire
block was blazing. In another 3
hours, there were fires all over
Chicago. The heavy wind coming
from the lake only made the fire
bigger. It would be another day
before the fire would be completely
out. By that time, 17,500 buildings
had been burned.

Chronologi
cal order

Daniel Sullivan was the first to

notice the flames coming from the
OLeary barn at around 8:30 pm on
October 8. A problem with the alarm
box made it impossible for the
people in the area to call for the fire
department. By 9:30 pm, the entire
block was blazing. In another 3
hours, there were fires all over
Chicago. The heavy wind coming
from the lake only made the fire
bigger. It would be another day
before the fire would be completely
out. By that time, 17,500 buildings
had been burned.

Chronologi
cal order

Daniel Sullivan was the first to

notice the flames coming from the
OLeary barn at around 8:30 pm on
October 8. A problem with the alarm
box made it impossible for the
people in the area to call for the fire
department. By 9:30 pm, the entire
block was blazing. In another 3
hours, there were fires all over
Chicago. The heavy wind coming
from the lake only made the fire
bigger. It would be another day
before the fire would be completely
out. By that time, 17,500 buildings
had been burned.

Chronologi
cal order
Notice
how the
paragraph
shows how
events
happen in
time order

Daniel Sullivan was the first to

notice the flames coming from the
OLeary barn at around 8:30 pm on
October 8. A problem with the alarm
box made it impossible for the
people in the area to call for the fire
department. By 9:30 pm, the entire
block was blazing. In another 3
hours, there were fires all over
Chicago. The heavy wind coming
from the lake only made the fire
bigger. It would be another day
before the fire would be completely
out. By that time, 17,500 buildings
had been burned.

Understand
ing that this
text is
written in
chronologic
al order can
help you to
understand
how the
Great Fire
started

Daniel Sullivan was the first to

notice the flames coming from the
OLeary barn at around 8:30 pm on
October 8. A problem with the alarm
box made it impossible for the
people in the area to call for the fire
department. By 9:30 pm, the entire
block was blazing. In another 3
hours, there were fires all over
Chicago. The heavy wind coming
from the lake only made the fire
bigger. It would be another day
before the fire would be completely
out. By that time, 17,500 buildings
had been burned.

Chronologi
cal order
Compare
and
contrast
Cause and
effect
Problem
and
solution
Main idea

Why was the Great Chicago Fire so

disastrous? After all, Chicago had
fire departments and fire alarms.
One reason for the terrible fire is
that the alarm malfunctioned. The
local fire company noticed the fire
by accident as it was returning from
another fire. As another problem, a
watchman who saw the flames
directed other fire companies to a
location that was nearly a mile away
from the fire. Because of these two
problems, a fire that could have been
controlled rapidly spread across the
city.

Compare
and
contrast
Cause and
effect
Problem
and
solution

Why was the Great Chicago Fire so

disastrous? After all, Chicago had
fire departments and fire alarms.
One reason for the terrible fire is
that the alarm malfunctioned. The
local fire company noticed the fire
by accident as it was returning from
another fire. As another problem, a
watchman who saw the flames
directed other fire companies to a
location that was nearly a mile away
from the fire. Because of these two
problems, a fire that could have been
controlled rapidly spread across the
city.

Cause and
effect

Why was the Great Chicago Fire so

disastrous? After all, Chicago had
fire departments and fire alarms.
One reason for the terrible fire is
that the alarm malfunctioned. The
local fire company noticed the fire
by accident as it was returning from
another fire. As another problem, a
watchman who saw the flames
directed other fire companies to a
location that was nearly a mile away
from the fire. Because of these two
problems, a fire that could have been
controlled rapidly spread across the
city.

Cause and
effect
Notice
how the
causes (in
blue) lead
to the
effect (in
yellow)

Why was the Great Chicago Fire so

disastrous? After all, Chicago had
fire departments and fire alarms.
One reason for the terrible fire is
that the alarm malfunctioned. The
local fire company noticed the fire
by accident as it was returning from
another fire. As another problem, a
watchman who saw the flames
directed other fire companies to a
location that was nearly a mile away
from the fire. Because of these two
problems, a fire that could have been
controlled rapidly spread across the
city.

Chronologica
l order
Compare and
contrast
Cause and
effect
Problem and
solution
Main idea

After the fire, thousands of people

were left homeless. Many escaped
the fire with nothing except the
clothes on their backs. Providing all
of these people with food, clean
water, and shelter was a huge task.
Luckily, the city quickly formed a
Relief and Aid Society. This group
started giving out the food
donations that were pouring in
from other cities. The society built
places for people to live, gathered
the tools that people needed to
rebuild their houses, and even
vaccinated 64,000 people against
smallpox.

Chronologica
l order
Cause and
effect
Problem and
solution

After the fire, thousands of people

were left homeless. Many escaped
the fire with nothing except the
clothes on their backs. Providing all
of these people with food, clean
water, and shelter was a huge task.
Luckily, the city quickly formed a
Relief and Aid Society. This group
started giving out the food
donations that were pouring in
from other cities. The society built
places for people to live, gathered
the tools that people needed to
rebuild their houses, and even
vaccinated 64,000 people against
smallpox.

Problem and
solution

After the fire, thousands of people

were left homeless. Many escaped
the fire with nothing except the
clothes on their backs. Providing all
of these people with food, clean
water, and shelter was a huge task.
Luckily, the city quickly formed a
Relief and Aid Society. This group
started giving out the food
donations that were pouring in
from other cities. The society built
places for people to live, gathered
the tools that people needed to
rebuild their houses, and even
vaccinated 64,000 people against
smallpox.

Problem and
solution
Here is the
problem

After the fire, thousands of people

were left homeless. Many escaped
the fire with nothing except the
clothes on their backs. Providing all
of these people with food, clean
water, and shelter was a huge task.
Luckily, the city quickly formed a
Relief and Aid Society. This group
started giving out the food
donations that were pouring in
from other cities. The society built
places for people to live, gathered
the tools that people needed to
rebuild their houses, and even
vaccinated 64,000 people against
smallpox.

Problem and
solution
Here is the
solution

After the fire, thousands of people

were left homeless. Many escaped
the fire with nothing except the
clothes on their backs. Providing all
of these people with food, clean
water, and shelter was a huge task.
Luckily, the city quickly formed a
Relief and Aid Society. This group
started giving out the food
donations that were pouring in
from other cities. The society built
places for people to live, gathered
the tools that people needed to
rebuild their houses, and even
vaccinated 64,000 people against
smallpox.

Chronologi
cal order
Compare
and
contrast
Cause and
effect
Problem
and
solution
Main idea

Chicago changed in many ways after

the fire. Before the fire, most of the
buildings were less than five stories
high. The buildings that were
constructed after the fire, however,
were some of the first skyscrapers in
the country. Before the fire, most of
the houses were made of wood. After
the fire, people chose to build their
houses out of stone or brick. There
were changes in where people lived, as
well. The poor people in the city lived
close to the center of the city before
the fire. After the fire, they moved
into neighborhoods that were farther
away from the downtown area.

Compare
and
contrast
Cause and
effect
Main idea

Chicago changed in many ways after

the fire. Before the fire, most of the
buildings were less than five stories
high. The buildings that were
constructed after the fire, however,
were some of the first skyscrapers in
the country. Before the fire, most of
the houses were made of wood. After
the fire, people chose to build their
houses out of stone or brick. There
were changes in where people lived, as
well. The poor people in the city lived
close to the center of the city before
the fire. After the fire, they moved
into neighborhoods that were farther
away from the downtown area.

Compare
and
contrast

Chicago changed in many ways after

the fire. Before the fire, most of the
buildings were less than five stories
high. The buildings that were
constructed after the fire, however,
were some of the first skyscrapers in
the country. Before the fire, most of
the houses were made of wood. After
the fire, people chose to build their
houses out of stone or brick. There
were changes in where people lived, as
well. The poor people in the city lived
close to the center of the city before
the fire. After the fire, they moved
into neighborhoods that were farther
away from the downtown area.

Compare and
contrast
Notice how
this paragraph
is comparing
Chicago
BEFORE the
fire to Chicago
AFTER the fire

Chicago changed in many ways after the

fire. Before the fire, most of the
buildings were less than five stories high.
The buildings that were constructed
after the fire, however, were some of
the first skyscrapers in the country.
Before the fire, most of the houses were
made of wood. After the fire, people
chose to build their houses out of stone
or brick. There were changes in where
people lived, as well. The poor people in
the city lived close to the center of the
city before the fire. After the fire, they
moved into neighborhoods that were
farther away from the downtown area.

Compare and
contrast
Notice how
this paragraph
is comparing
Chicago
BEFORE the
fire to Chicago
AFTER the fire

Chicago changed in many ways after the

fire. Before the fire, most of the
buildings were less than five stories high.
The buildings that were constructed
after the fire, however, were some of
the first skyscrapers in the country.
Before the fire, most of the houses were
made of wood. After the fire, people
chose to build their houses out of stone
or brick. There were changes in where
people lived, as well. The poor people in
the city lived close to the center of the
city before the fire. After the fire, they
moved into neighborhoods that were
farther away from the downtown area.

By Monday night, the

town of Chicago was
burning. People described
it as terrible, but amazing.
The flames were brighter
than anything people had
ever seen. The harsh winds
swept the fire across the
city with terrible speed.
For many who watched, it
was a sight to remember
for the rest of their lives.

Chronological
order
Compare and
contrast
Cause and
effect
Problem and
solution
Main idea

By Monday night, the

town of Chicago was
burning. People described
it as terrible, but amazing.
The flames were brighter
than anything people had
ever seen. The harsh winds
swept the fire across the
city with terrible speed.
For many who watched, it
was a sight to remember
for the rest of their lives.

Compare and
contrast
Cause and
effect
Main idea

By Monday night, the

town of Chicago was
burning. People described
it as terrible, but amazing.
The flames were brighter
than anything people had
ever seen. The harsh winds
swept the fire across the
city with terrible speed.
For many who watched, it
was a sight to remember
for the rest of their lives.

Main idea

By Monday night, the

town of Chicago was
burning. People described it
as terrible, but amazing.
The flames were brighter
than anything people had
ever seen. The harsh winds
swept the fire across the
city with terrible speed.
For many who watched, it
was a sight to remember
for the rest of their lives.

Main idea

Notice the
main idea

By Monday night, the

town of Chicago was
burning. People described it
as terrible, but amazing.
The flames were brighter
than anything people had
ever seen. The harsh winds
swept the fire across the
city with terrible speed.
For many who watched, it
was a sight to remember
for the rest of their lives.

Main idea

Notice the
main idea
The rest of
the sentences
explain the
main idea

Share your ideas with a partner

Be sure to explain how you can find the text
structure of a paragraph