Summary
Informational texts are a type of nonfiction, intended to inform the reader about a topic. As a reader, identifying the structure can make it easier to understand, and help you retain the info. There are five types: Description texts use details to describe the characteristics of a topic; they appear on products or signs, and in encyclopedia articles. Problem and solution texts lay out an issue, then offer a fix; they’re found in ads, editorials, and advice columns. Cause and effect structures lay out how one event leads to another, to explain why something happens; they’re in news articles and in history and science texts. Compare and contrast structures lay out the similarities and differences between two or more things; you can find them in commercials or product reviews. Sequence texts order steps in a process, or events in time; directions, recipes, and other sets of instructions all qualify. Press “play” to see how identifying text structures can be useful in reading, writing, and surviving shark attacks!
Viewer safety
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
A few questions to talk through after watching Text Structures:
- What is one new thing you learned about text structures?
- Can you explain it to a partner in your own words?
- Where might you see this in the real world?
- What is one question you still have?
Quick work-a-long
Try it:
- Write one sentence explaining text structures.
- Draw or give one example of your own.