Text Structure

Last week we installed a kitty door so our cat could come and go as she pleases. Unfortunately, we ran into a problem. Our cat was having a hard time with the kitty door. We tried pushing her through, but that caused even more trouble. The first step in solving the problem was we taped the kitty door open. After a couple days she was confidently coming and going through the open door. It only took five days of doing this to make her unafraid of using the kitty door. All it took was a little creativity to find a solution!

Tells about a problem and gives one or more solutions KEY WORDS: solved, finished, problem, hard, solution, trouble, difficult Problem & Solution Structure

 I do well in school. People think I am just smart. That is not true. In fact, three years ago I struggled in school. Two years ago I decided to make some changes. I decided I would be interested in what was being taught regardless of what anyone else thought. And I decided to make school my first priority over friends and fun. Soon I became an active participant in the classroom discussions. Then my test scores started to rise. It seems to me that being smart is simply working hard and being interested.

Shows events(cause) that are making other events (effects) happen KEY WORDS: because, since, so, makes, causes, effects of, for this reason, as a result, leads to, due to, if…then Cause & Effect Structure

Here is the perfect system for cleaning your room. First, move all the stuff that does not have a place to the center of the room. Get rid of at least five things that you have not used in the last year. Next, take out all the trash and put all dirty dishes in the kitchen sink. Now find a place for all the items you put in the center of the room. Finally, for any remaining items, see if you can squeeze them in under your bed or stuff them in the back of your closet. See, that was easy!

May also be called a How- To or Process structure.

Shows events in the order that they happen KEY WORDS: first, then, after, begin, second, next, finally, before, during, immediately following, in the end Sequence Structure

Stories are in sequence order too! AKA Chronological order.

Oceans and lakes have a lot in common, but they are also quite different. They are both bodies of water. A main difference is that an ocean is very large and is salt water, while a lake is usually much smaller and is fresh water. Lakes are usually surrounded by land while oceans are what surround continents. Both have plants and animals that live in them. The ocean is home to the largest animals on the planet, but lakes contain much smaller animals. When it is time for a vacation, both will make a great place to visit and have fun.

Shows how 2 or more things are alike and different KEY WORDS: different from, similar to, but, more, both, in common, however, similarly, compared with, in contrast, while Compare & Contrast Structure

Sunset is the time of day where our sky becomes a beautiful painting. There are blue, pink, and purple swirls, spinning and twisting; they look like a cloud of balloons caught in a blender. The sun moves slowly beyond the horizon, while the moon races to take its place at the top of the night sky. People slow to a crawl, entranced, fully forgetting the deeds that still must get done. There is a coolness… a calmness… whenever the sun sets.

Describes and gives information about a topic KEY WORDS: (Imagery, similes, metaphors) next to, beside, above, looks like, for example, such as, behind, in front of, between, outside, at the top of… Description Structure

Last week we installed a kitty door so our cat could come and go as she pleases. Unfortunately, we ran into a problem. Our cat was having a hard time with the kitty door. We tried pushing her through, but that caused even more trouble. The door was dark and she couldn’t see what was on the other side. The first step in solving the problem was we taped the kitty door open. After a couple days she was confidently coming and going through the open door. However, when we removed the tape and closed the door, once again, she would not go through. They say you catch more bees with honey, so we decided to use food as bait. We would sit next to the kitty door with a can of wet food while we clicked the top of the can. When she came through the closed door we would open the can and feed her. It only took five days of doing this to make her unafraid of using the kitty door. All it took was a little creativity to find a solution!

 I do well in school. People think I am smart. That is not true. In fact, three years ago I struggled in school. Two years ago I decided to make five changes. I decided I would be interested in what was being taught regardless of what anyone else thought. I decided I would work hard every day and never give up on any assignment. I decided to never fall behind. And I decided to make school my first priority over friends and fun. Soon I became an active participant in the classroom discussions. Then my test scores started to rise. I still remember the first time that someone made fun of me because “I was smart.” It seems to me that being smart is simply working hard and being interested. After all, learning a new video game is hard work even if you are interested; it just doesn’t help you out in school. What change took place? (What was the effect?) Why did the change take place? (What was the cause?)