How Structure Organizes a Text
Aligned to RI.7.5 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
Authors organize texts by cause-effect, compare-contrast, problem-solution, or sequence. Analyze how the major sections fit together and build the main ideas.
Worked examples
Example 1
An article on floods first describes the problem, then explains causes, then offers solutions. That problem-cause-solution order helps readers move from worry to action — structure guides understanding.
Example 2
An article that opens with one family's story and only then gives the statistics has decided you should care before you count.
Example 3
Chronological order suits a process; compare-and-contrast suits a decision. Using the wrong one makes a clear argument feel confusing.
Practice questions
- In an article, identify the organizing pattern (sequence, cause-effect, compare, problem-solution).
- Explain how one section prepares you for the next.
- Describe how the ending section pulls the ideas together.
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
Cómo la estructura organiza un texto
Los autores organizan textos por causa-efecto, comparación, problema-solución o secuencia. Analiza cómo encajan las secciones y construyen las ideas principales.
Ejemplo 1: Un artículo sobre inundaciones describe el problema, luego las causas, luego soluciones. Ese orden problema-causa-solución lleva al lector de la preocupación a la acción.
Ejemplo 2: Un artículo que abre con la historia de una familia y solo después da las estadísticas decidió que te importara antes de que contaras.
Ejemplo 3: El orden cronológico sirve para un proceso; la comparación sirve para una decisión. Usar el equivocado hace que un argumento claro se sienta confuso.
More Reading: Informational lessons
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