Teaching Text Structure

Teaching Text Structure
Overview
What is text structure?

What are the common text
structures?
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
structures?
Its 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
structures?
Chronological order
Also known as time
order, sequence, or
temporal order
This structure is
organized from one
point in time to
another
structures?
Chronological order
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
structures?
Chronological order
This is one of the
easiest text structures
for students to
understand, since it
matches the way that
they experience the
world
The life and death of a star begins somewhere in
space. Astronomers claim that a star begins as a
cloud of hydrogen and helium. As the cloud
moves about it collects bits of dust and more
floating gases. Then the cloud begins to warm as
more dust and gases are pulled into it. After a
long period of time as the cloud becomes denser,
heat and friction cause the atoms to explode. That
is how a star is born. The star will burn for about
ten billion years as it radiates heat and energy.
When the hydrogen begins to burn out the star
becomes even larger. At this stage, it gives off
a lot of light but not much energy. The star
may continue to burn brightly but dies when it
runs out of hydrogen. This is the life cycle of
a star.
structures?
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
structures?
Cause and effect

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
structures?
Cause and effect

Another complication
is that many texts do
not include just one
cause leading to one
effectinstead, there
may be several causes
and several effects
In recent decades, cities have grown so
large that now about 50% of the Earth's
population lives in urban areas. There are
several reasons for this occurrence. First,
the increasing industrialization of the
nineteenth century resulted in the creation
of many factory jobs, which tended to be
located in cities. These jobs, with their
promise of a better material life, attracted
many people from rural areas.
Second, there were many schools established
to educate the children of the new factory
laborers. The promise of a better education
persuaded many families to leave farming
communities and move to the cities. Finally,
as the cities grew, people established places
of leisure, entertainment, and culture, such as
sports stadiums, theaters, and museums. For
many people, these facilities made city life
appear more interesting than life on the farm,
and therefore drew them away from rural
communities.
structures?
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
structures?

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
Astronauts face many problems in space caused by
weightlessness. One of these problems is floating around the
cabin. To solve this problem, astronauts wear shoes that are
coated with a special adhesive. This adhesive sticks to the
floor of the cabin. Serving food is another problem. It won't
stay put on the table! Experts solved this problem by putting
food and drinks in pouches and tubes. It only needs to be
mixed with water. Weightlessness also causes problems
when an astronaut tries to work. The simple task of turning a
wrench or a doorknob can be difficult. Since there is no
gravity to keep him down, when he exerts a force in one
direction, the opposite force may flip him over completely.
To solve this problem, he must be very careful about how
much force he uses to do these simple tasks. Here on earth,
life is much simpler, thanks to gravity.
structures?
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
structures?
Transition words may
include like, similar,
unlike, on the other hand,
also, and too
paragraphs are often
embedded in other text
structures as an author
needs to explain a
similarity or difference
Differences between the potential of girls and
boys could be observed since their childhood.
Female infants speak sooner, have larger
vocabularies, and rarely demonstrate speech
defects. (Stuttering, for instance, occurs almost
exclusively among boys.) Girls exceed boys in
language abilities, and this early linguistic bias
often prevails throughout life. Girls read sooner,
learn foreign languages more easily, and, as a
result, are more likely to enter occupations
involving language mastery.
Boys, in contrast, show an early visual
superiority. They are also clumsier,
performing poorly at something like arranging
a row of beads, but excel at other activities
calling on total body coordination. Their
attentional mechanisms are also different. A
boy will react to an inanimate object as
quickly as he will to a person. A male baby
will often ignore the mother and babble to a
blinking light, fixate on a geometric figure,
and at a later point, manipulate it and attempt
to take it apart.
structures?
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
Mary is as beautiful as a Hollywood star. Her thick, wavy,
long black hair gracefully falls down to her shoulders and
encircles her diamond-shaped face. A golden suntan usually
brings out her smooth, clear complexion and high cheek
bones. Her slightly arched chestnut brown eyebrows
highlight her emotions by moving up and down as she
reacts to her world around her. Her large deep blue eyes,
remind me of a lake on a stormy day. Her curved nose gives
her a little girl look that makes me want to smile when she
talks. And her mouth is a small mouth outlined by puffy
lips that she often accentuates with glossy pink lipstick.
When she smiles, which is often, her well formed and even,
white teeth brighten up her whole face. Mary is such a
beautiful girl.
Where things get tricky
Some texts will
categorize typical
main idea and detail
paragraphs as
description
I find its 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
Main idea and detail
Transition words
include for example,
also, one reason, and
another reason
This is the typical
paragraph structure
thats often taught in
elementary school
How does text structure
help readers?
Why bother with
text structure?
As it turns out, a
knowledge of text
structure can be
very helpful for
readers
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
help readers?
Research shows that
efficient searchers
use the structure of
the text to help them
find specific
information
help readers?
The structure of a text
can help readers find
answers to questions, as
well
For example, knowing
that causes come before
effects can help students
to narrow their search
as theyre trying to find
the answer to a
question
help readers?
Text structure is also
an important
component to
summarizing
When readers
summarize, they
need to reflect the
text structure in the
summary
Suggestions for teaching
text structure
First, dont be
discouraged if your
students dont
understand at first
Text structure is a
big concept
Be prepared to
spend serious time
working with this
idea
text structure
If you are working with
students in grades 3-5,
be certain that they
understand the word
structure
Without knowing this
word, the metaphor of
text structure will be
meaningless
text structure
The picture book
Word Builder by Ann
Whitford Paul is a
great resource to
reinforce the concept
that authors build
with words
text structure
Its also important to
make sure that students
understand the
thinking behind the
structures, especially
cause and effect and
compare and contrast
It can help to work with
this kind of thinking
using clear, concrete
examples from
students lives
text structure
For example, students
understand cause and
effect very well when
we connect it to student
behavior!
Comparing and
contrasting two rooms
in the school can also be
easy for students to
understand
text structure
Once you are sure
that students
understand
structure, you can
begin with an
overview of the text
structures
text structure
I have my students
create a foldable flip
book with all of the
text structures listed
Each day, we refer
back to our books
and add new
information about
new text structures
text structure
Plan to teach each text
structure in depth
At minimum, plan to
spend one day introducing
the structure and an
accompanying graphic
organizer, one day reading
a text together, and one
day for independent
practice
text structure
To lend some continuity
to your instruction, you
may want to use texts
that are centered on a
given topic
Its interesting to see
how the same topic can
be discussed in
different text structures
text structure
Its also helpful to give
students copies of texts that
have the transition words
highlighted
This will help them to match
transition words to text
structures
Remember, though: Its not
just about finding the text
structure. The main point is
to use the text structure to
build meaning
text structure
Students also benefit
from learning
questions to ask of
each text structure
This helps them to
use text structure to
build their
comprehension
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?
text structure
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?
text structure
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?
text structure
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?
text structure
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?
Finding Texts
Finding the texts to teach text
structure is challenging!
I usually use a picture book to
introduce the text structure, and
then follow up with a short article
for students to read
The books come from combing the
shelves at the local library
Finding Texts
The Scholastic book Teaching Students to Read
Nonfiction includes high interest articles with
different text structures
Toolkit Texts (from Heinemann) include texts
with different structures, sometimes organized
around a particular theme
Magazines like Click and Ask, available from
Carus, have articles that show a variety of text
structures
Finding Texts
Chronological Order
Picture books about the life cycle of an
animal are high interest and show this
structure quite well
A short biography is also a good choice
Because directions are also organized in
chronological order, its a good idea to also
have students work with directions or a
recipe
Finding Texts
Chronological Order
A House Spiders Life by John Himmelman
is a nice introduction to this text structure
I usually go a level or two down for
teaching text structure, so students do not
have to cope with difficult text and the new
concept of text structure
Finding Texts
Cause and effect
Natural disaster books and articles often
show this text structure
Some paragraphs within biographies also
use this text structure, often to explain why
someone chose a particular path in life
Finding Texts
A River Ran Wild by Lynne Cherry is a
good example of a problem and solution
text
This text also has a strong chronological
order component, which leads to
interesting discussions
Sparrow Jack, by Mordecai Gerstein, also
shows a problem and a solution
Finding Texts
This text structure is often found
embedded in longer texts
However, the Backyard Books series by
Judy Allen (Are You a Grasshopper?) contain
strong elements of compare and contrast
Finding Texts
If you are in need of some short texts, you
may also write to me at [email protected]
and Ill send you some that I created for my
classroom
Resources
A chapter about text structure can be found in
my first book, Summarizing, Paraphrasing,
and Retelling (Emily Kissner)
Information about how students can use
transition words to find details can be found in
my second book, The Forest AND the Trees:
Helping Readers Identify Important Details
Resources
Toolkit Texts:
Heinemann
Firsthand. Available
at
www.comprehensiontoolkit.com
Resources
A free Powerpoint
for teaching text
structure to students
is available at
TeacherspayTeachers
or Slideshare.net
Understanding Text
Structures explicitly
teaches the different
structures
Resources
Teaching Students to
Read Nonfiction, by
Alice Boynton and
Wiley Blevins, is an
excellent resource
with short texts for
students
Available from
Scholastic
Resources
Nonfiction Passages
with Graphic
Organizers, also
available from
Scholastic, is another
good resource
Workshops by Emily Kissner
Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and

Retelling: Nonfiction Focus
Making Inferences and Visualizing
in Text
Reading Strategies in the
Intermediate Grades
Summarizing in Every Class
References
Cataldo, Maria and Jane Oakhill. 2000. Why Are Poor Comprehenders Inefficient
Searchers? An Investigation into the Effects of Text Representation and Spatial Memory
on the Ability to Locate Information in Text. Journal of Educational Psychology 92 (4)
791-799.
Meyer, B.J.F. 1985. Prose Analysis: Purpose, Procedures, and Problems. In
Understanding Expository Text, edited by B.K. Britton, and J.B. Black. Hillsdale, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
by Emily Kissner

Teaching Text Structure

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Teaching Text Structure

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Teaching Text Structure

What is text structure?

Cause and effect

Cause and effect

Cause and effect

Problem and solution

Problem and solution

Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and

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