Informational Text Structures

Building a Campfire

Sitting around a campfire is a classic summer camping tradition. Before you can tell scary stories, though, you will need to build your fire. Begin by gathering firewood from around your camp. In addition to wood, you will need other tinder like pine needles, bark, or dead plants to help ignite the fire. Then, dig a small pit for your fire and build a ring of stone around it for maximum safety. Place your wood and tinder into the pit and start the fire using an ignition source such as a match. Once ignited, slightly blow on your flame to build heat. When you have a flame, use large pieces of firewood to build a teepee. Now sit back and relax in front of your roaring campfire!

Identify the text structure used.

• Sequence

• Description

• Cause and Effect

• Problem and Solution

• Compare and Contrast

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.5

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.2.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

Building a Campfire

Sitting around a campfire is a classic summer camping tradition. Before you can tell scary stories, though, you will need to build your fire. Begin by gathering fire wood from around your camp. In addition to wood, you will need other tinder like pine needles, bark, or dead plants to help ignite the fire. Then, dig a small pit for your fire and build a ring of stone around it for maximum safety. Place your wood and tinder into the pit and start the fire using an ignition source such as a match. Once ignited, slightly blow on your flame to build heat. When you have a flame, use large pieces of firewood to build a teepee. Now sit back and relax in front of your roaring campfire!

Click on three words that give you a clue about the type of text structure used.

• begin

• then

• firewood

• when

• used

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.5

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.3.3

CCSS.RI.4.3

Lodging Options for All Are you the type of camper who enjoys the outdoors and wants to snooze under the stars with only the cover of a fabric tent? Or are you an indoor camper, who prefers the safety of a cabin and a roof over your head? You are sure to have a blast with both choices. If you choose to camp in a tent, be prepared to spend an hour or two setting up your temporary lodge. On the other hand, cabin-goers just need to open their front door and plop down their belongings. Think about where you keep your food—a cabin often has a hinge and latching door, whereas a tent will need to be zipped shut. Hungry animals can usually find their way into both if they try hard enough. If you are sleeping in a tent while camping, bundle up under your sleeping bag. The cabin residents, however, can cozy up on their cots with sheets and blankets. Which lodging option is right for you? Identify the text structure used.

• Description

• Cause and Effect

• Compare and Contrast

• Problem and Solution

• Sequence/Process

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.5

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.2.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

Lodging Options for All

Are you the type of camper who enjoys the outdoors and wants to snooze under the stars with only the cover of a fabric tent? Or are you an indoor camper, who prefers the safety of a cabin and a roof over your head? You are sure to have a blast with both choices. If you choose to camp in a tent, be prepared to spend an hour or two setting up your temporary lodge. On the other hand, cabin-goers just need to open their front door and plop down their belongings. Think about where you keep your food—a cabin often has a hinge and latching door, whereas a tent will need to be zipped shut. Hungry animals can usually find their way into both if they try hard enough. If you are sleeping in a tent while camping, bundle up under your sleeping bag. The cabin residents, however, can cozy up on their cots with sheets and blankets. Which lodging option is right for you?

Write two phrases or words that helped you identify the text structure.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.1

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.1.3

Read the passage: "Being Prepared while Camping" Before you head out the door for a camping trip, gather the appropriate supplies. If you are prepared for accidents, your camping trip will go off without a hitch. However, if you don't have the right gear, your camping trip may end more quickly than you hoped. Sometimes weather moves in rapidly. Rain can dampen your plans, your clothes, and your sleeping bag if you didn't pack a waterproof tarp to cover it with. If your gear is soaked, you'll likely need to pack up and head home. A scraped knee is usually no problem, but a bloody knee with no band aids might cause you to trek to a gas station in search of a bandage. Consider everything that might happen, and plan well so that minor bumps in the road don't affect your entire camping experience! Identify the text structure used.

• Description

• Sequence of steps

• Compare and contrast

• Cause and Effect

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.5

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.2.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

"Being Prepared while Camping"

Before you head out the door for a camping trip, gather the appropriate supplies. If you are prepared for accidents, your camping trip will go off without a hitch. However, if you don't have the right gear, your camping trip may end more quickly than you hoped. Sometimes weather moves in rapidly. Rain can dampen your plans, your clothes, and your sleeping bag if you didn't pack a waterproof tarp to cover it with. If your gear is soaked, you'll likely need to pack up and head home. A scraped knee is usually no problem, but a bloody knee with no band aids might cause you to trek to a gas station in search of a bandage. Consider everything that might happen, and plan well so that minor bumps in the road don't affect your entire camping experience!

What three words that give you a clue about the type of text structure used.

• same; different; alike

• first; next; finally

• if; however; cause

• above; below; beside

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.5

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.2.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

Read the passage: "Picture Perfect Camping" If you have never been camping before, imagine a peaceful location surrounded by trees, a running brook, and the crunch of pine needles beneath your feet. Most camps have a fire pit, perfect for building a crackling fire and roasting marshmallows to layer with chocolate and graham crackers. Foldable camp chairs surround the fire, a comfortable place for families and friends to gather. A tent filled with sleeping bags is often set up, ready and waiting for sleepy campers to rest their heads. You may even see a bag of food hanging from a tree above a picnic table, safe from the reach of nosy bears and other wild animals. Identify the text structure used.

• Description

• Sequence

• Problem and solution

• Cause and effect

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.5

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.2.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

Read the passage: "Picture Perfect Camping"

If you have never been camping before, imagine a peaceful location surrounded by trees, a running brook, and the crunch of pine needles beneath your feet. Most camps have a fire pit, perfect for building a crackling fire and roasting marshmallows to layer with chocolate and graham crackers. Foldable camp chairs surround the fire, a comfortable place for families and friends to gather. A tent filled with sleeping bags is often set up, ready and waiting for sleepy campers to rest their heads. You may even see a bag of food hanging from a tree above a picnic table, safe from the reach of nosy bears and other wild animals.

Explain how you know which text structure was used to write the article.

• The passage tells events in the order they happened with dates.

• The passage explains how two campsites are alike and different.

• The passage gives a problem and then a way to solve it.

• The passage lists things at a campsite and sensory details about a campsite.

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.5

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.2.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

Read the passage titled "Fire Ban in Effect":

During severe droughts, when fire danger is high due to an unusual lack of rain, many places will order a fire ban. A fire ban prohibits anyone from lighting fires, especially campfires, because the danger of them igniting an entire forest or grassland is large. While it may seem pointless to go camping with no campfire, there are a few things you can do instead. Be sure everyone in your group has a headlamp so they can see where they are going at night. Bring ready-to-eat meals that only require water—and not heat—to prepare. Prepare yourself for more mosquitos than usual, and bring plenty of bug spray. Pack layers of clothing so that you don't get too cold without the warmth of the fire. Instead of telling stories by the campfire, enjoy an evening of star-gazing. When it gets dark enough, turn off your head lamp, sit silently in the dark, and listen to all the sounds that nature has to offer. Camping without a campfire can still be enjoyable!

Identify the text structure used.

• Cause and effect

• Problem and solution

• Sequence

• Description

• Compare and contrast

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.5

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.2.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

Read the passage titled "Fire Ban in Effect":

During severe droughts, when fire danger is high due to an unusual lack of rain, many places will order a fire ban. A fire ban prohibits anyone from lighting fires, especially campfires, because the danger of them igniting an entire forest or grassland is large. While it may seem pointless to go camping with no campfire, there are a few things you can do instead. Be sure everyone in your group has a headlamp so they can see where they are going at night. Bring ready-to-eat meals that only require water—and not heat—to prepare. Prepare yourself for more mosquitos than usual, and bring plenty of bug spray. Pack layers of clothing so that you don't get too cold without the warmth of the fire. Instead of telling stories by the campfire, enjoy an evening of star-gazing. When it gets dark enough, turn off your head lamp, sit silently in the dark, and listen to all the sounds that nature has to offer. Camping without a campfire can still be enjoyable!

Which word from the passage means "extremely bad."

• severe

• unusual

• prohibits

• igniting

• enjoyable

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.4

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RL.3.4

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.5.1