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A text structure is the pattern a writer uses to organize ideas or events. Writers commonly use five major patterns of organization: cause-effect, chronological order, comparison-contrast, listing, and problem-solution. Being able to recognize these structures is an important skill that students need to be able to better understand informational text and the main idea of that text.
In order for students to be able to recognize and identify the organizational structure of a text, they must have continuous exposure to these types of texts. They must also know what each type of text is.
Cause and effect structure is divided into two parts: a cause is an event that makes something happen while an effect is what happens. An effect may have more than one cause, and a cause may produce several effects.
Taking care of my new puppy has changed my schedule. Since the puppy has to go out first thing in the morning, I have to get up thirty minutes earlier. Then, I have to rush home from school to walk him.
A new puppy is the cause that makes the following effects happen: getting up early and coming home quickly from school.
Chronological order arranges events according to when they occurred. Texts written as chronologies advance in the same way that we all experience time: with one event or experience following another.
Very similar to chronological order is sequential order. Sequential order shows events as they should, may, or usually occur. It is most often used to give directions or to show steps or events in a process.
Veggie pizza is a tasty, nutritious snak. First, you need to make or buy pizza dough. Then, pre-heat the oven. While the oven heats, put toppings like tomato sauce, mushrooms, onions, and cheese on the dough. Pop it in the oven, and soon you'll have a great snack to share with your friends.
Comparing is identifying similarities. Contrasting is identifying differences. Points of comparison are categories or features common to two or more subjects.
It is easy to confuse frogs with toads. After all, they have a similar body shape are basically the same size, and both are amphibious. There are some observable differences, though, that can help you tell them apart. The first is their skin texture. Frogs have smooth skin, while toads' skin is more bumpy. Their body shapes are slightly different, too. Frogs look leaner and sleeker than toads. Finally, they move differently. Most frogs can leap long distances, while toads will usually take only small hops.
When you list something, you often use the classification order. Classification order is a pattern of organization in which objects, ideas, and/or information are presented in groups, or classes, based on common characteristics. Words and phrases such as category, type, and divided into indicate groups and subgroups.
Want to carry your tunes with you? SoundJamz offers three types of portable music players: Cassette, CD, and MP3. Cassette players are pretty standard; they play tapes. CD players come in two types, CD-only and CD/radio with AM/FM tuners. MP3 players, the third category, have one huge advantage; you don't have to cart around media, CD's, or tapes. The music is stored on the device itself.
There are two types of MP3 player, each with its own advantages. Hard drive-based players store songs on a computer-like hard drive. These can hold an entire music collection, thousands of songs. The second type are flash-based players. These contain flash memory, like that found in digital cameras. These can only hold hundreds of songs, not thousands, but they have plus--they're tiny. Some are smaller than your thumb.
The last type of text structure is problem-solution. To identify and analyze problem-solution order, identify the problem being addressed, look for solutions, identify possible outcomes, and then identify the best outcome offered by the author.
When parents send their children off to school with lunch money, they assume the money will be spent on the school lunch. The problem is that many students spend their lunch money on soft drinks and candy bars. This is a big problem because vending machine food is full of sugar and has little nutrition, leading to hyperactivity and obesity. One solution is to educate teachers and students about nutrition, but education takes time, and many students still prefer junk food. Another solution is to give students lunch debit cards instead of cash. These cards can only be used to buy the nutritious
By teaching text structures and having students identify the text structure in a passage, students will be better able to comprehend and analyze informational text in a more meaningful way.
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