Comparing Text Structure
Aligned to RI.5.5 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
Authors organize information in patterns: chronology, cause/effect, compare/contrast, or problem/solution. Recognizing the structure helps you locate and remember information.
Worked example
An article on a flood told in time order (first the rain, then the river rose, then evacuation) uses chronological structure; one explaining why it happened uses cause/effect.
Practice questions
- Identify the structure of a nonfiction article and a clue word that signals it.
- Rewrite a chronological paragraph as cause/effect.
- Which structure best fits 'two kinds of volcanoes'?
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Comparar la Estructura de los Textos
Los autores organizan la información en patrones: cronología, causa/efecto, comparación/contraste o problema/solución. Reconocer la estructura te ayuda a localizar y recordar la información.
Ejemplo: Un artículo sobre una inundación narrado en orden cronológico (primero la lluvia, luego el río creció, después la evacuación) usa estructura cronológica; uno que explica por qué ocurrió usa causa/efecto.
More Reading: Informational lessons
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