Text Structures Review

Text Structures

Review for your Test!

What is a text structure?

• A "structure" is a building or framework.

• "Text Structure" refers to how a piece of text is built.

• Just like builders use different materials to build things; writers use different text structures to communicate their ideas.

Chronological Order/Sequence

Authors use chronological order or sequence to explain how things happen in order.

Chronological Order/Sequence

You know you are reading a text in chronological order when you see words like first, next, after, then, finally.

Compare & 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.

Cause & Effect

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

• This kind of text structure is called cause and effect.

Cause & Effect

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

Problem & Solution

• 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.

Problem & Solution Clue Words

• Problem: difficulty, struggle, uncertainty, worry, threat, and trouble

• Solution: possibility, hope, bright side, answer, and future

Description

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

• The author always uses lots of adjectives.

• The author creates a visual picture in our head.

Clue Words for Description

• One reason

• For example

• also

• looks like

• appears to be

Multiple Choice

What's the text structure?

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.

• Chronological Order

• Compare and Contrast

• Cause and Effect

• Problem and Solution

• Description

Multiple Choice

Which text structure is the paragraph?

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

• Chronological Order

• Description

Multiple Choice

What text structure is used?

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.

• Chronological Order

• Compare and Contrast

• Cause and Effect

• Problem and Solution

• Description

Multiple Choice

What text structure is used?

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.

• Chronological order

• Compare and Contrast

• Cause and Effect

• Problem and Solution

• Description

Multiple Choice

What text structure is used?

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

Multiple Choice

Which text structure tells about events in time order?

• Descriptive

• Compare and Contrast

• Chronological Order/Sequence

• Cause and Effect

• Problem and Solution

Multiple Choice

Which text structure tells what happened and explains why it happened?

• Descriptive

• Compare and Contrast

• Chronological Order/ Sequence

• Cause and Effect

• Problem and Solution

Multiple Choice

Which text structure explains an issue and gives us ways to fix it?

• Descriptive

• Compare and Contrast

• Chronological Order/Sequence

• Cause and Effect

• Problem and Solution

Multiple Choice

Which text structure tells how things are alike and different?

• Descriptive

• Compare and Contrast

• Chronological Ordere/Sequence

• Cause and Effect

• Problem and Solution

Multiple Choice

Choose the clue words that indicate that a text is written in chronological order.

• first, next, finally, after

• cause, effect, as a result of, because

• problem, solution, promise, struggle

• compare, contrast, similar, different

Multiple Choice

Choose the clue words that indicate cause and effect.

• next, then, later, after, last

• struggle, promise, problem, solution

• consequently, as a result of, so therefore

• similar, common, compare, contrast

Multiple Choice

Choose the clue words that indicate problem and solution.

• first, last, next, after

• cause, as a result of, consequently

• compare, similar, both, alike

• threat, difficulty, possibility, hope, issue, resolve

Multiple Choice

Which of the following are signal words for the description text structure?

• for example, such as, details, adjectives

• dates, first, next, finally

• both, like, while, but

• question, problem, solution, solve