Connect with Nonfiction Information – Your SSSTeaching How to Teach Text Structure guide

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Text Structure had me shaking in my boots when I first learned it was part of our 4th grade standards.

If I wasn’t sure what it was…how I was supposed to teach my students?! Yes – a real thought when I switched grades.

Luckily it was easy to make sense of and research and with text structure mentor text actually became a favorite to teach.

I’m here to share all of what I found and know to help you!

What are Nonfiction Text Structures?

Text structure is how the author organizes information or the text. (This actually clicked because this makes it much easier for the ACT…or it did when I took it)

There are 5 common types of text structures of nonfiction and these help students recognize how information is organized in order to better comprehend or know where to look because of how the book is set up.

Description Text Structure: describing a subject (ie LOTS of information). Clues are adjectives and examples.
Cause and Effect Text Structure: something that happened and its effect on something else. These can be good or bad and include more than one cause and effect. Clues: Because, result, if/then, due to.
Order/Sequence Text Structure: written in order or time of events. Clues are history, instructions, steps, signal words.
Problem and Solution Text Structure: introduction of a problem and how it is fixed or could be fixed. Clues are problem, solution, solve, dilemma.
Compare and Contrast Text Structure: Similarities and differences between persons, places or things. Clues are same/different, both/neither, contrast, or on the other hand.

It is not always easy to tell especially at first, so practicing is important with nonfiction text structure worksheets.

What are the best mentor texts for nonfiction text structure?

What books would be best to practice nonfiction text structures? Here’s a couple for each type that would be great introductions or to model with students.

Description Text Structure Books

Fantastic Elastic Brain is a great description text structure mentor text all about something we all have!

Packed with facts it is always a book that can be used to introduce text structure.

Students love learning about weather and Wild Weather is no exception!

Weather phenomena described and explained make this an intriguing book.

Cause and Effect Text Structure Books

Wow! Awesome story about animals being introduced in not their natural habitat and what happens. PERFECT cause and effect mentor text – Aliens from Earth.

Another animal cause and effect text structure – Animals That Changed The World. How they shape the foundations of society we know today. Great for students to connect with!

Order Text Structure Books

Following a perilous journey, Trapped by the Ice recounts an extreme adventure sparked by nature and the men who set actions in motion. Follow along sequentially (hehe) with their efforts to get to safety.

Talk about a ringer?! Tricky Vic is an AWESOME sequential order mentor text as it tracks the life of a “con” artist and some of his famous schemes.

Easily tracked with dates and keywords for order and sequence text structure.

Problem & Solution Text Structure Books

A Place for Birds recounts bird saving efforts and opens students minds to environmental causes.

Miracle Mud is an EXCELLENT book that recounts a solution not much thought about in baseball. Students will be engaged in this incredible story and easily identify text structure keywords.

Compare and Contrast Text Structure Books

Look close and see differences in turtles and tortoises in this compare contrast text structure book example.

Shark or Dolphin? Great to compare and contrast animals and very relatable for students.

Nonfiction Text Structure Lesson Ideas

I always taught nonfiction and text structure of nonfiction early in the year usually in September.

Starting with text structure anchor charts. I searched and loved the ones set up as tables where we could fill in as we learned about each and could easily compare and contrast the text structures.

Next we would move into videos, sorts and practices first together in groups and then on our own to show mastery.

Text Structures is important to learn not only for testing but can help leverage all nonfiction texts that students read or in science or social studies as well.

If you want all the FREE ideas….linked ready to go (these were my “master” plans to pull out whenever we were working that skill.

Another great part was we could pair with any text so when it says “insert your text here” in the Google Slide it really means the book you are working on this week if you are using a basal or a read aloud! And the plans work for any book as lots of practice is included:

Note: These are my plans but the links are what I used in my classroom but did not created. This was the organization I used for my Reading Skills so if we changed curriculums it was easy to switch and keep everything organized from year to year.