Help your child recognize how authors organize information
Text structure is the way an author organizes information in a text. Understanding text structure helps readers identify main ideas, see how information connects, and remember what they read more effectively. Sixth graders need to recognize five main structures: compare/contrast, cause/effect, problem/solution, chronological/sequence, and description.
On Florida's FAST assessment, students must identify text structures and analyze how the chosen structure impacts meaning.
Read news articles together and identify their text structure:
Ask: "How did the author organize this? Why do you think they chose that structure?"
Watch TV commercials together and identify the structure:
This shows how text structure appears everywhere, not just in school readings!
While reading any text (books, articles, instructions), look for signal words:
Recipes are perfect examples of chronological/sequence structure:
| Structure | Signal Words to Look For |
|---|---|
| Compare/Contrast | however, similarly, on the other hand, both, unlike, whereas, in contrast, also, too |
| Cause/Effect | because, therefore, as a result, consequently, since, due to, leads to, so, thus |
| Problem/Solution | the problem is, one solution, solved by, resolved, the answer is, one approach |
| Chronological | first, next, then, finally, before, after, during, meanwhile, subsequently, later |
| Description | for example, such as, including, consists of, features, is characterized by |
Help your child understand that authors choose structures purposefully:
Want to explain why something happened? Use cause/effect
Want to show how two things are alike/different? Use compare/contrast
Want to explain how to do something? Use sequence
Want to address an issue? Use problem/solution
Understanding this connection helps students not only identify structures but also predict what kind of information they'll find in a text.
Que es la estructura del texto? La estructura del texto es la forma en que un autor organiza la informacion. Comprender la estructura ayuda a los lectores a encontrar ideas principales y recordar lo que leen.
Las cinco estructuras principales:
Actividades en casa:
Consejo: Las palabras clave como "porque," "sin embargo," "primero," y "el problema es" ayudan a identificar la estructura del texto.