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Northwestern University: Basic Education Department

This document defines text structures and provides examples of different types including chronological order, compare and contrast, cause and effect, problem and solution, and description. It explains that writers use various text structures to organize their ideas and that each structure communicates information differently. The goals of the lesson are for students to be able to define text structure, explain different types, and demonstrate understanding of analyzing structures.

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48 views4 pages

Northwestern University: Basic Education Department

This document defines text structures and provides examples of different types including chronological order, compare and contrast, cause and effect, problem and solution, and description. It explains that writers use various text structures to organize their ideas and that each structure communicates information differently. The goals of the lesson are for students to be able to define text structure, explain different types, and demonstrate understanding of analyzing structures.

Uploaded by

Zsazsa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

Basic Education Department


000000

LESSON 2: Text Structures

At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:


a. Define Text Structure
b. Explain different types of text structures
c. Demonstrate understanding of analyzing text structures

What is a text structure?

A “structure” is a building or framework


Text structure refers to how a piece of text is built
Writers use different structures to build their ideas
Each text structure communicates ideas in a different way

TYPES OF TEXT STRUCTURES

I. CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
 Authors use chronological order to explain how things happen in order.
 Chronological order is also called sequence or time order.
 You will now 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:

Example:

Have you ever made macaroni and cheese? It’s 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, it’s time to eat!

ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES Page 5


NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
Basic Education Department
000000

II. COMPARE AND CONTRAST


 Show how two or more ideas or items are similar or different.
 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, difference, both, unlike, on the
other hand, also, while and too.
 To organize details from a paragraph in compare and contrast, use a
Venn diagram

Similarities
Example:

Differences Differences

1. Can you find the clue words from the paragraph?


Write the clue words inside the box.

ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES Page 6


NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
Basic Education Department
000000

III. CAUSE AND EFFECT


 Authors will want to explain how one event leads to another.
 This text structure also has a strong time component, since causes
come before effects.
 Many texts do not include just one cause leading to one effect-
instead, there may be several causes and several effects.
 Transition words such as cause, effect, as a result, consequently,
because, and so are used.

Example:

The night’s 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!

IV. 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.

 Often, authors will signal problem and solution structure with clue
words like problem and solution.
 Synonyms for problem include difficulty, struggle, uncertainty,
worry, threat, and trouble.
 Synonyms for solution include possibility, hope, bright spot,
answer, and future.

Example: 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 solution. They bought another set of slides
that everyone could enjoy.
Solution

ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES Page 7


NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
Basic Education Department
000000

V. DESCRIPTION
 This 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.
 Other transition words include for example, also, one reason, and
another reason.
 This is the typical paragraph structure that’s often taught in
school.
 Some texts will categorize typical main idea and detail as
description.
 In this, the author offers a main idea statement, and then
supports that statement with several details.

ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES Page 8

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