1. Nonfiction Organizational Patterns
Text Structure
Nonfiction Organizational Patterns

2. Text Structure How text is organized.
Stories are usually chronological.
Nonfiction has lots of text structures.
Each paragraph may be different.
We’ll learn 5 types.

3. Types of Text Structure
Sequence
Chronological
Directions/List of Steps
Cause and Effect
Problem/Solution
Comparison/Contrast
Description/Spatial

4. Sequence / Chronological
In order of time
Chrono = time
Stories are told chronologically
Moved
Away
Met Girl
Fell in
Love
Born
in 1882
Married
in 1906
Died
in 1948

5. Sequence / Directions / List of Steps in a Procedure
Steps described in the order they occur.
Get bread
Tighten
Laces
Open jars
Tie Loops
Together
Spread peanut butter
Make Two
Loops
Spread jelly
Combine slices
Put on
Shoe
Enjoy.
Does not take place at any specific point in time.

6. Sequence Transition Words
First, second, always, then, next, later, soon, before, finally, earlier, afterwards, meanwhile, eventually, next week, tomorrow, after, during, immediately, preceding, third, initially, not long after, now, today, as soon as, before, until, following, on (date), when

7. Explains reasons why something happened.
Cause and Effect
Explains reasons why something happened.
Or explains the effects of something.
Text is not telling
the story of a dog.
Not feeding it.
Many Karate
Schools Opened.
Not petting it.
Why Dog
Ran Away
Lots of Karate Movies in 60’s
Nunchuck sales
Increased 400%
Not loving it.
Hospital cases
went up.

8. Cause and Effect Transition Words
Since, because, thus, therefore, so, due to, as a consequence, accordingly, for this reason, if…then, as a result, in order to, next, effects of, how to, is caused by, so that, when…then, finally, how, leads/led to, steps involved, begins with, first

9. Problem and Solution Author states a problem and solution(s).
Similar to cause and effect.
Missing
Books
Eagles were
endangered.
Make laws to
protect them.
Putting in
the Closet
Basically
Cause & Effect
With an Opinion. And an answer.
Getting
Lockers

10. Problem and Solution Transition Words
The effect, one idea, the result, another, is resolved, question

11. Shows what’s in common and what’s different.
Compare and Contrast
Compare = find similarities Contrast = find differences
Shows what’s in common and what’s different.
Apples &
Oranges
Fruits
Have Seeds
Healthy
Colors
Tastes
Locations

12. Compare and Contrast Transition Words
Similarly, likewise, in addition, like, than, as, neither…nor, either, or, by comparison, as well as, both, in common, similar to
However, by contrast, yet, but, unlike, instead, nevertheless, as opposed to, on the other hand, although, compared with, different from, either…or, even though, instead of, still, yet, on the other hand, otherwise

13. Description / Spatial
In this pattern, items are arranged according to their physical position or relationships.
For example, in describing a shelf or desk, I might describe items on the left first, then move gradually toward the right.

14. Description / Spatial Transition Words
In front, behind, next to, nearest, lowest, above, below, outside, underneath, on the left/right, in the middle, above, as in, between, looks like, outside, across, behind, down, over, along, in back of, in front of, on top of, such as, appears to be, beside

15. Starts easy but gets hard
Practice
Starts easy but gets hard
Read the paragraph
Identify the text structure
Write it down.

16. 1
Deviled Eggs
Pop out (remove) the egg yolks to a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add mayonnaise, mustard powder, vinegar, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Fill the empty egg white shells with the mixture and sprinkle lightly with paprika. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to one day before serving.

17. 2
Sports at Ericson
There are two popular sports played at Ericson, basketball and volleyball. Both take place inside of the gym at Ericson. Also, each sport has two teams of people. In basketball, however, the ball can be played off of the floor, and in volleyball, the ball cannot touch the floor or it is out of play. Basketball and volleyball are popular sports at Ericson.

18. 3
The Lazy Student
When Tim woke up, he didn’t want to go to school. His mom took him anyway. So, he went to school, but he didn’t do any work. The days passed, and Tim still didn’t do any work. Mr. Morton called Tim’s house, but Tim still wouldn’t do any work. Finally the report cards came out, and Tim failed his classes. Tim was sad.

19. 4
Failing Classes
Lots of students fail classes. Some students fail because the work is too hard for them. Other times they may fail because they are lazy, and don’t do any work. Another reason why students may fail is if they don’t go to school. If you’re not in class you may miss a lot. Many students fail classes every quarter.

20. 5
Passing Classes
A lot of students have been failing classes. These students wouldn’t be failing classes if they studied more, asked questions, tried harder, and came in for extra help. Even though a lot of students fail classes, they have many options if they want to pass.

21. 6
Gail Devers
Devers experienced the highlight of any sprinter’s career, as she stood on the huge platform in the giant stadium and received an Olympic gold medal. Eighteen months earlier she wasn’t thinking about running. She was hoping that she would be able to walk again.
Just four years earlier, in the summer of 1988, as Devers was training for the Olympic Games, to be held in Seoul, South Korea, she began to feel very tired all the time and failed to make the Olympic finals.

22. Three Types of Circus Clowns7
Three Types of Circus Clowns
Generally, there are three categories of circus clowns—whiteface, august and character. Each has a specific makeup style and costume. Each has a typical act as well.
The neat whiteface is usually a strict, in-charge character who sets up the punch line for the joke with a partner His facial features are neatly detailed in red or black. Circus legend has it that the august clown got his name from a German nickname for someone who is clumsy. The august wears light-colored makeup, but white is used around the mouth and eyes, and there’s a big red nose. This clown performs a great deal of slapstick humor. Character clowns perform as different personalities—cowboys, scarecrows, grandmothers or symphony conductors. The most famous character clown, however, is the tramp. Tramps wear different styles of makeup and costumes that are torn or shabby. Some tramp clowns are happy-go-lucky. Others are extremely sad. Still others act like gentlemen who just happen to be out of money.

23. 8
HOW TO USE THE MICROSCOPE 1. Plug in the lamp. 2. Place a sample of what you wish to observe on a slide. 3. Adjust the mirror so it reflects light from the room up into the objective lens. 4. Place your slide with the specimen directly over the center of the glass circle on the stage. 5. With the LOW POWER objective lens placed over the slide, use the coarse focus knob. 6. Look through the eyepiece with one eye while closing the other eye. 7. Use the fine focus knob to fine

24. 9
Fewer Toads
Though toads are still around, they no longer are as common in some areas as they were a few decades ago. The growing use of insecticides has reduced their numbers. The chemical sprays usually do not harm toads, but cut down the animals’ food supply. Thereby, the toads do not have enough food to survive. There are fewer toads in many areas populated by humans.

25. 10
Restoring the Toad
Dr. Knapp doesn’t want people to sit back and let the toad vanish. He believes that everyone is responsible for restoring the toad species. Dr. Knapp thinks we could help restore the toad population if we stop mowing parts of our lawns and let the grass grow wild to reserve space for the toad. He also believes we need to stop using pesticides and fertilizers. The chemicals kill the insects that toads eat. If we preserve some spaces in our lawns and stop using fertilizers, Dr. Knapp believes we can save the toads.

26. 11
The Pantry
After opening the door to the pantry, which measures five feet by five feet, there are three shelves spaced evenly apart, one above the other. On the lowest shelf, heavier items have been placed. The sugar is to the left, and the flour is situated to the right of it. On the next shelf up there are many canned goods which cover that entire shelf. On the shelf above the canned goods are boxes of pasta and jars of pasta sauce pushed to the left of the shelf. On that same shelf are foods like muffins and other treats. There are also some larger bottles of water sitting on the floor under the lowest shelf.

27. Answers Sequence (Directions) Compare and Contrast
Sequence (Chronological)
Cause and Effect
Problem and Solution
Description/Spatial