Text Structure

April went to bed Saturday night with the intention of getting up early to go grocery shopping. She liked shopping early on Sunday because the grocery store was practically empty and the shelves were stocked with all the foods she liked. April woke up on Sunday morning exhausted. She was in no mood to go to the grocery store so she went back to sleep for another 3 hours. When she finally was ready to go to the store, it was mid-afternoon. The parking lot was packed with cars and April had to park her car in the last row. When she went inside the store and began shopping, she noticed that the store was sold out of the usual foods that she bought. “If only I had gotten here earlier…” April reminded herself to never let this happen again, no matter how tired she was! How is the text organized?

• Alphabetic Order

• Cause/Effect

• Compare and Contrast

• Sequence of events

Elephants are large mammals that are mostly found in Africa and Asia. They can reach heights of up to 13 feet tall and can weigh up to 7,000 pounds! Elephants are usually a gray-brown color and have long trunks which are used for grasping objects. They have big ears which they can use to fan themselves by blowing their ears back and forth. On the side of an elephant’s trunk, are its ivory colored tusks. These are used for moving objects, digging, and also for fighting. Elephants are herbivores, which means they only eat plants. In addition, elephants can live for up to 70 years. How is the text organized?

• Description

• Cause and Effect

• Compare and Contrast

• Sequence of Events

Gabby Douglas was born in Virginia in 1995. At the age of 2 she began participating in gymnastics. Then, when she was 8 years old, she won the a State Championship. A few years later she injured her wrist and was unable to compete in several championships. In 2010, Gabby moved to Iowa to train under a different coach so she could have a chance at becoming a better gymnast. After winning several world championships, Gabby earned a spot on the U.S Olympic gymnastics team. Finally, in 2012, at the Summer Olympics, Gabby and her team won a gold medal for the United States. How is the text organized?

• Description

• Problem and Solution

• Compare and Contrast

• Sequence of Events

As soon as Kyle woke up on Sunday morning, he was ready to go outside and play with his friends. “Not so fast!” Kyle’s mom said. “You have some chores to do.” His mom gave him a list of chores which Kyle began to do immediately. First, he made his bed and picked up his clothes. Then, he took his laundry basket down to the laundry room. After that, he emptied the garbage can and took the garbage into the garage and put it in the garbage bin. Once he was back in the house he cleaned all his Legos up off of the floor and put them away in their bin. He was finally finished with his chores and now he could go play. How is the text organized?

• Description

• Cause and Effect

• Compare and Contrast

• Sequence of Events

Have you ever wondered what the difference was between an alligator and a crocodile? Both reptiles look similar and live near water. Alligators tend to live near freshwater swamps and lakes while crocodiles live near saltwater habitats. You can usually tell the difference between the two by looking at the shape of their snout, or the area around their nose and mouth. Alligators have an upper jaw that is bigger than their lower jaw. When they close their mouth all their teeth are hidden. Crocodiles, on the other hand, have a tooth on each side of their bottom jaw that sticks out over their upper lip. Alligators also have a wide snout while a crocodile’s snout is more pointed. How is the text organized?

• ABC Order

• Cause and Effect

• Compare and Contrast

• Sequence

Cheetahs and leopards come from the cat family. They can be found in Africa and Asia. Cheetahs have sharp teeth and leopards do too. These animals have light golden fur and are covered with black spots on their body. How is the text organized?

• ABC Order

• Cause and Effect

• Compare 2 things

• Contrast 2 things

Jackie went to the dentist for her 6 month teeth cleaning. She remembered that the last time she went to the dentist, he told her that she needed to brush her teeth and floss every single day. Jackie brushed her teeth everyday but she didn’t like to floss. As she was sitting in the dental chair, the dentist told her that she had 4 cavities. “But I brush my teeth every day!” remarked Jackie. The dentist told her that little pieces of food had gotten stuck between her teeth. Her tooth brush could not reach into these little tiny cracks and gaps between her teeth. Therefore, the food was sitting in her teeth rotting and causing cavities. From that point on, Jackie promised herself she would floss every day! How is the text organized?

• ABC Order

• Cause and Effect

• Compare and Contrast

• Sequence of Events

When making a grilled cheese sandwich, there are some ingredients you need to make sure that you have. These ingredients are: 2 slices of bread, cheese, and butter. You must first butter the bread before putting it in the pan to grill it; otherwise you will end up with a piece of bread stuck to the pan. After buttering the bread, put the buttered side face down on the pan. Next, add 1 or 2 slices of cheese on top of the bread. Last, put the second slice of bread with the buttered side up, on top of the cheese. Be sure to keep an eye on the bottom slice of bread to make sure it is not grilled too much. Once the bread is a golden brown color, you can flip the sandwich and grill the other side. Finally, you will have a delicious and warm sandwich to eat! How is the text organized?

• Problem and Solution

• Cause and Effect

• Compare and Contrast

• Sequence of Events

In December a rainstorm came through northeastern New York. Overnight, the temperatures dropped below freezing very quickly which resulted in the rain turning to ice. When this happened, the rain on the power lines froze. The wet raindrops on the power lines turned to ice and many power lines fell down because of the weight. This left many people without heat and power in the freezing temperatures for many days. Luckily, icy roads were able to be cleared and utility trucks were on the way to help people get their power and heat back. How is the text organized?

• Description

• cause and effect

• compare 2 things

• contrast 2 things

Owen grabbed his jacket and gloves and went outside to play in the snow. His gloves were very thin so as soon as he started touching the snow, his hands got wet. As he continued to play, Owen’s hands started to burn and they turned very red. His hands were freezing! He came inside and ran his hands under some warm water. He sat inside with his hands under a blanket. When his hands felt better, he searched for his waterproof gloves. Once he found them, he put them on and went back outside to play. His hands stayed dry and warm in these gloves and he played for the rest of the day How is the text organized?

• compare and contrast

• description

• problem and solution

• cause and effect