Explicitly teaching nonfiction text structures is extremely beneficial for your 4th & 5th grade students. Teaching them to notice the structure of informational texts helps them improve their comprehension, retain the information they have read, and understand the author’s purpose for writing the text.
So, how can we help build this foundation in our students?
1. Teach the 5 Types of Nonfiction Text Structure
First, students need to know what the 5 Types of Text Structure and why they are used.
You can start off by displaying a figure of a house with 5 parts. Let students know that a house is a structure with a strong foundation. Text structures are the foundation of text. They are the way an author organizes a passage, so the reader can understand it easily.
The same concept applies to a house. You usually walk into a foyer or living room in house. The kitchen and bedrooms are usually a little further back into the house.
Then, I write description and compare & contrast at the top. I tell students that these two structures are like siblings. Description gives details about a topic. Compare and contrast gives details about two subjects and compares & contrasts them to each other.
Next, I write cause & effect and problem & solution on the sides. I tell students that these two structures are also like siblings. Cause and effect usually describes something (many times a negative issue) and the effects it has. Problem and solution mentions a challenge and offers solutions to it.
Because students sometimes confuse cause and effect with problem and solution, I always ask them if they can find a solution to what is being discussed in the text. If they can not, it is most probably cause and effect.
Lastly, I write sequence on the bottom. This text structure does not have a “sibling,” so it stands on its own at the bottom.
Anchor Charts help create a visual for students.
I created the text structure anchor chart above to help my students remember the types of text structures. (You can download it by clicking on the image.)
- Description: describes by presenting details that help the reader visualize it
- Compare and Contrast: focuses on the similarities and differences between two or more people, places, things, or texts
- Problem and Solution: explains a problem and shows how it can be solved
- Cause and Effect: discusses how an event causes something else to happen
- Sequence: tells events in the order in which they happened
(You can check out the complete set of text structure anchor charts.)
Giving students a hands-on manipulative to help them associate, also works. I provide them with an informational text structure house that they can place in their interactive notebooks.
Once you have given students an overview of what the text structures are, you can now break them down further into bite size pieces.
2. Break it Down
Once you’ve given students an overview, breaking it down to one text structure mini lesson a day can be beneficial.
For example, you can discuss and provide examples for “sequence” on Monday. Then, move on to “compare and contrast” on Tuesday.
This will allow you to explicitly teach each text structure with fidelity. It will also help students better understand and master the different types of nonfiction text structures.
You can break down the text structure lesson by:
- Displaying the definition.
- Showing the graphic organizer associated with the text structure and explain how they are used.
- Introduce the clue or signal words.
- Provide an example.
- Provide an opportunity to practice the specific structure you are teaching at that moment.
3. Provide Students with Activities to Practice Independently
Providing students with text structure activities that they can work on independently is important. This will help solidify their learning.
You can provide independent opportunities through:
- Worksheets
- Task Cards
- Mini Classroom Transformation Games
Once students have mastered defining and identifying the types of nonfiction text structures, encourage them to incorporate it during their own independent reading regularly.
The beauty of teaching nonfiction text structures is that there are a variety of activities you can use with your students. Hopefully, you now have a variety of ideas on some effective and engaging ways of teaching text structure to your upper elementary students.
