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Grade Level: Grade 11/12 Module #2

Subject: English for Academic and Professional Purposes
Week of the Quarter/ Grading Period: 1st Quarter
Teacher: Ms. Jhonelyn Rose M. Mogueis, LPT
Date: August ,2020

Most Essential Learning Competencies Uses knowledge of text structure to glean the information he/she needs.
What is
text structure?

• Text structure refers to the internal organization of a text

• As authors write a text to communicate an idea, they will use a structure that goes along with the idea (Meyer
1985)

• Suppose an author wanted to show how hawks and owls compare

• The author would help the reader to understand the similarities and differences by using words and phrases such
as similarity, difference, on the other hand, also, and as well

• The author would be using the text structure of compare and contrast

•A nonfiction text can have one overall text structure, or several different text structures

• For example, a page from a social studies textbook may be written in chronological order, but contain a paragraph
that explains a cause and effect

What are the common text structures?

• It’s important to understand that there is no “official” list of text structures

•Different writers have different lists of text structures
• Check your state standards for the exact terminology in your state

A. Chronological Order- Also known as time order, sequence, or temporal order. This structure is organized
from one point in time to another.
• Transition words such as first, next, later, and finally are included to help the reader understand how
events relate to one another
• Dates and times are also used
• This is one of the easiest text structures for students to understand, since it matches the way that they
experience the world
Example: cook book, biography, books about life cycle, A House Spider’s Life by John Himmelman etc.
Chronology Key Words: First, Next, Then, After, Before, Sequential dates, Events, Order

Example:

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.
Example:

When the Anglo-Saxons conquered the British Isles they introduced their language which was composed
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of common everyday words like boat and tree.

Later, the Normans added French words like café.

B. Cause and effect- This text structure shows how one or more causes led to one or more effects. This text
structure also has a strong time component, since causes come before effects.
• Transition words such as cause, effect, as a result, consequently, and because are used
• Time order transitions are also used, which can lead to some confusion for students
• Another complication is that many texts do not include just one cause leading to one effect—instead, there
may be several causes and several effects.
Example: natural disaster books, articles, some paragraphs within biographies showing why someone
chose a particular path in life, etc.
Cause and Effect Key Words: If/then, Reasons, Why, Because, As a result, This led to, Consequently,
Due to Cause Effect

Example:

Cause: During the experiment, Henry poured the liquid bromine into the saline solution.
Effect: His hypothesis was proved correct when the solution changed colors.
Example:

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.

C. Problem and solution- This text structure presents a problem, and shows how it can be (or has been)
solved. This text structure can be confused with cause and effect.
• The key difference is that problem and solution always has a solution, while cause and effect does not •
Transitions may include problem, solution, solve, effect, hopeful, and so forth.
Example: A River Ran Wild by Lynne Cherry, Sparrow Jack by Mordecai Gerstein
Problem/Solution Key Words: problem is, dilemma is, if-then, because Problem Steps Solution, so that,
question-answer, problem is solved, reason why

Example:

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.
Example:

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.

D. Compare and Contrast- This text structure shows how two or more ideas or items are similar or different.
This text structure is also fairly easy for students to understand.
• The text may use a clustered approach, with details about one topic followed by details about the other;
• The text may also show an alternating approach, with the author going back between the two topics;
• Transition words may include like, similar, unlike, on the other hand, also, and too;
• Compare and contrast paragraphs are often embedded in other text structures as an author needs to
explain a similarity or difference.
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Example: Are You a Grasshopper by Judy Allen

Compare/Contrast Key Words: Differ, Same, Alike, Compare, But, Both, Similar, On the other hand

Example:

 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.
Example:

 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.

E. Description- This text structure shows what an item or place is like. Transitions in this structure might
include spatial words, such as next to, on top of, beside, and so forth.
Key Words: for example, specifically, characteristics include, next, another kind, in addition, and
spatial words like near, beyond, over etc.

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.
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.

Where things get tricky

• Some texts will categorize typical main idea and detail paragraphs as description

• I find it’s easier to call them main idea and detail with my students

 Main idea and detail

• Some texts will also refer to these paragraphs as statement and support

• This kind of text makes a statement, and then uses details to support it

• Transition words include for example, also, one reason, and another reason

• This is the typical paragraph structure that’s often taught in elementary school

How does text structure help readers?

• When readers do not have a strong knowledge of the topic of a text, they depend more on the structure (Cataldo
and Oakhill)

• A well-written text guides the reader through the content

• Research shows that efficient searchers use the structure of the text to help them find specific information

• The structure of a text can help readers find answers to questions, as well
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• For example, knowing that causes come before effects can help students to narrow their search as they’re trying to
find the answer to a question

• Text structure is also an important component to summarizing

• When readers summarize, they need to reflect the text structure in the summary

Helpful tips in using Text Structure

• Chronological order:

 How are the steps organized?

 What is the time span from the first event to the last?
 How does the author signal the change from one event to the next?
 What do all of the events explain?

• Cause and effect:

 What is the cause?

 What are the effects?
 Were there several causes and several effects?
 How did the cause lead to the effects?
 How did people react?

• Problem and solution:

 What is the problem?

 What are the solutions?
 Who worked to solve the problem?
 Has the problem been solved yet, or will it be solved in the future?
 What caused the problem?

• Compare and contrast:

 What is being compared?

 What are the similarities?
 What are the differences?
 Which similarities and differences are the most significant?
 Are the details alternating or clustered?

• Description:

 What is being described?

 How does the author organize the description?
 Which detail is the most important?
 How do all of the details fit together?

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