Exploring Informational Text Structures

5 Text Structures

1. Description

2. Time Sequence

3. Comparison/Contras

4. Cause and Effect

5. Problem/Solution

Definition: Description

Explains a topic, idea, person, place, or thing by giving details about its features, characteristics, or examples.

Key Words: Description

Look for words like on, over, beyond, within, and descriptive adjectives.

Signal Questions: Description

o What is being talked about?
o What does it look like, work like, or do?
o What are the key details to remember?

Definition: Time Sequence

Ideas or events are shared in the order they occur.

Key Words: Time Sequence

Words indicating order such as first, second, before, after, finally, then, next, earlier, later, last, following, soon.

Signal Questions: Time Sequence

o What events or steps are mentioned?

o Do they need to be in this order?

o Is this the order they always happen?

Definition: Comparison/Contrast

Discusses how ideas, events, or things are alike and how they are different.

Key Words: Comparison/Contrast

Words such as while, yet, but, either, like, unlike, same, opposed to, likewise, although, similarly.

Signal Questions: Comparison/Contrast

o What is being compared or contrasted?

o In what ways are they similar or different?

Definition: Cause and Effect

Explains
why something happened (the cause)
and
what happened as a result (the effect).

Key Words: Cause and Effect

Phrases like because, since, thus, so that, if...then, therefore, due to, led to, as a result, for this reason.

Signal Questions: Cause and Effect

o What event or situation happened?

o Why did it happen?

o What was the result?

Definition: Problem/Solution

Identifies a problem and suggests one or more solutions.

Key Words: Problem/Solution

Words such as propose, solution, problem, shows, evidence, reason for, to solve, answer.

Signal Questions: Problem/Solution

o What is the problem being discussed?

o Why is it a problem?

o How might it be solved?