Text Structures #1

Understanding
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.

What is a text structure?

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.

What is a text structure?

Each text structure
communicates ideas
in a different way

Multiple Choice

What is text structure in literature?

• How a piece of text is built, or how the write decides to communicate their ideas

• a skyscraper

• something to build

• a building

Chronological order

Authors use
chronological order
to explain how
things happen in
order

Chronological order is
also called sequence or
time order

Why might an author use
chronological order to
write about this frog?

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

Chronological order

You will often see chronological order in
directions:
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!

Chronological order

Notice the transition words that connect the
events in these directions.
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!

Chronological order

Which paragraph is in

chronological order?

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.

Drag and Drop

Which paragraph is in chronological order? ​

Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

white paragraph

green paragraph

Which paragraph is in

chronological 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?

Which paragraph is in

chronological 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?

Think about it!

•What is a structure?
•What does chronological order

mean?

•What are some clue words that

show chronological order?

Another text structure

• But what if an

author doesn’t
want to show how
something
happened in
sequence?

• The author would

need to use another
text structure!

Compare and contrast

Suppose an author wanted to
explain how these two birds are
similar and different.

Chronological order
wouldn’t work---there
is no order of events.
The author would
need to use compare
and contrast.

The cardinal and the goldfinch

are two common birds. Both are
brightly colored. Both are common
at birdfeeders. But the birds have
some differences. The male
cardinal is a bright red, while the
male goldfinch is yellow. Cardinals
like shrubs and trees, while
goldfinches prefer open meadows.

Compare and contrast

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?

Compare and contrast clue words

Can you find the clue words?

The cardinal and the goldfinch

are two common birds. Both are
brightly colored. Both are common
at birdfeeders. But the birds have
some differences. The male
cardinal is a bright red, while the
male goldfinch is yellow. Cardinals
like shrubs and trees, while
goldfinches prefer open meadows.

Here they are!

The cardinal and the goldfinch

are two common birds. Both are
brightly colored. Both are common
at birdfeeders. But the birds have
some differences. The male
cardinal is a bright red, while the
male goldfinch is yellow. Cardinals
like shrubs and trees, while
goldfinches prefer open meadows.

Graphic Organizers

Details from a text

written as compare and
contrast can be organized
as a Venn diagram.

Goldfinch
Cardinal

Both

Graphic Organizers

We can also use a chart to
show the details.

Goldfinch

Cardinal

Colors

Habitat

• Can you explain the difference

between chronological order and
compare and contrast?

• How can clue words help you as a

reader?

Graphic Organizers

Another text structure

Sometimes, a writer wants to explain how
one event leads to another.

This kind of
text structure is
called cause
and effect.

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

Cause and Effect

Can you find the clue words?

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!

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!

Can you find the clue words?

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!

More with cause and effect

Can you find
the causes and
effects in this
paragraph?

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.

More with cause and effect

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.

More with cause and effect

Review

Which text structure tells about how things
are similar and different?

Compare and contrast

How does the text
structure of
compare and
contrast relate to
these pictures of a
frog and a toad?

Review

Which text structure explains how things
happen in time order?

Chronological Order

How do these
pictures relate to
chronological
order?

Problem and Solution Text Structure

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.

An example of problem and solution

Heavy rains can cause flooding

in small streams. For weather
forecasters and local authorities,
this flooding can be difficult to
predict. Fortunately, the United
States Geological Survey (USGS)
has more than 7,000 streamgages
that measure water flow. These
streamgages help scientists to
monitor water levels in good and
bad weather.

What is the problem
in this paragraph?

An example of problem and solution

Heavy rains can cause flooding

in small streams. For weather
forecasters and local authorities,
this flooding can be difficult to
predict. Fortunately, the United
States Geological Survey (USGS)
has more than 7,000 streamgages
that measure water flow. These
streamgages help scientists to
monitor water levels in good and
bad weather.

An example of problem and solution

Heavy rains can cause flooding

in small streams. For weather
forecasters and local authorities,
this flooding can be difficult to
predict. Fortunately, the United
States Geological Survey (USGS)
has more than 7,000 streamgages
that measure water flow. These
streamgages help scientists to
monitor water levels in good and
bad weather.

What is the solution
in this paragraph?

An example of problem and solution

Heavy rains can cause flooding

in small streams. For weather
forecasters and local authorities,
this flooding can be difficult to
predict. Fortunately, the United
States Geological Survey (USGS)
has more than 7,000 streamgages
that measure water flow. These
streamgages help scientists to
monitor water levels in good and
bad weather.

Problem and Solution

Often, authors will
signal problem and
solution structure with
clue words like
problem and solution.

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

Can you find the problems and solutions?

Brown marmorated stinkbugs have caused
many problems since they were
accidentally introduced to North America.
They damage fruit, bother people, and
harm crops. Scientists are trying to find a
solution. One promising possibility is a
species of wasp that originally comes from
Asia. This wasp is a predator of stinkbugs.
Scientists hope that this wasp could solve
the stinkbug problem.

What is the
problem?

Can you find the problems and solutions?

Brown marmorated stinkbugs have caused
many problems since they were
accidentally introduced to North America.
They damage fruit, bother people, and
harm crops. Scientists are trying to find a
solution. One promising possibility is a
species of wasp that originally comes from
Asia. This wasp is a predator of stinkbugs.
Scientists hope that this wasp could solve
the stinkbug problem.

Can you find the problems and solutions?

Brown marmorated stinkbugs have caused
many problems since they were
accidentally introduced to North America.
They damage fruit, bother people, and
harm crops. Scientists are trying to find a
solution. One promising possibility is a
species of wasp that originally comes from
Asia. This wasp is a predator of stinkbugs.
Scientists hope that this wasp could solve
the stinkbug problem.

What is the
solution?

Can you find the problems and solutions?

Brown marmorated stinkbugs have caused
many problems since they were
accidentally introduced to North America.
They damage fruit, bother people, and
harm crops. Scientists are trying to find a
solution. One promising possibility is a
species of wasp that originally comes from
Asia. This wasp is a predator of stinkbugs.
Scientists hope that this wasp could solve
the stinkbug problem.

Text structures we’ve

learned so far

• Chronological order
• Compare and contrast
• Cause and effect
• Problem and solution

Match the clue words!

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

Can you figure out the text structure that these clue

words point to?

Compare and
contrast

Match the clue words!

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

Can you figure out the text structure that these clue

words point to?

Cause and effect

Match the clue words!

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

Can you figure out the text structure that these clue

words point to?

Problem and
solution

Description

This text structure is
used to describe a
location, idea, or
event.

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.

Description

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

Description

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
support the main idea
and describe the pond.

Description

Clue words in these
paragraphs may
include:

One reason, another
reason, and for
example

Description

These paragraphs may
also include spatial
order words to show
how details relate to
each other:

next to, by, along, in,
above, and so forth

Description

Now it’s your turn!

On the next few slides,
you will read some
paragraphs about the
Great Chicago Fire.

Your task is to identify
the text structure for
each one.

What’s the text structure?

• Chronological

order

• Compare and

contrast

• Cause and

effect

• Problem and

solution

• Description

Daniel Sullivan was the first to notice

the flames coming from the O’Leary
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.

What’s the text structure?

• Chronological

order

• Compare and

contrast

• Problem and

solution

Daniel Sullivan was the first to notice

the flames coming from the O’Leary
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.

What’s the text structure?

• Chronological

order

Daniel Sullivan was the first to notice

the flames coming from the O’Leary
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.

What’s the text structure?

• Chronological

order

Daniel Sullivan was the first to notice

the flames coming from the O’Leary
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.

What’s the text structure?

• Chronological

order

• Notice how

the paragraph
shows how
events happen
in time order

Daniel Sullivan was the first to notice

the flames coming from the O’Leary
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.

What’s the text structure?

Understanding
that this text is
written in
chronological
order can help
you to
understand
how the Great
Fire started.

Daniel Sullivan was the first to notice

the flames coming from the O’Leary
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.

Try another!

• Chronological

order

• Compare and

contrast

• Cause and

effect

• Problem and

solution

• Description

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.

Try another!

• 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.

Try another!

• 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.

Try another!

• 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.

What text structure is here?

•Chronological
order

•Compare and
contrast

•Cause and effect

•Problem and
solution

•Description

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.

What text structure is here?

•Chronological
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.

What text structure is here?

•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.

What text structure is here?

•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.

What text structure is here?

•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.

Can you find the text structure?

•Chronological
order

•Compare and
contrast

•Cause and
effect

•Problem and
solution

•Description

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.

Can you find the text structure?

•Compare and
contrast

•Cause and
effect

•Description

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.

Can you find the text structure?

•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.

Can you find the text structure?

•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.

Can you find the text structure?

•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.

One more paragraph!

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

•Description

One more paragraph!

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

•Description

One more paragraph!

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.

•Description

One more paragraph!

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.

•Description

• Notice the

main idea that
drives the
description.

Reflect on what you have learned

Which text structure
do you find most
interesting to read?
Why?

Reflect on what you have learned

Usually, authors use
many different text
structures in one text.
Can you explain an
example of how two
text structures could
work together?