1. Nonfiction has lots of text structures.
How text is organized.
Nonfiction has lots of text structures.
Focus on 3 main patterns of organization.
Nonfiction Organizational Patterns

2. Cause and Effect
Explains reasons why something happened. Or explains the results of something.
Not feeding it.
Many Karate
Schools Opened.
Dog
Ran Away
Nunchuck sales
Increased 400%
Not petting it.
Lots of Karate Movies in 60’s
Not loving it.
Hospital cases
went up.

3. Problem and Solution
Author states a problem and solution(s). Similar, but do not confuse with cause and effect.
Problem & Solution 1. presents a problem.
2. Explores possible options/solutions.
3. Identifies a solutions
Missing
Books
Putting in
the Closet
Eagles were
endangered.
Make laws to
protect them.
Getting
Lockers

4. Compare and Contrast Shows what’s in common and what’s different.
Compare = find similarities
Contrast = find differences
Shows what’s in common and what’s different.

5. 1
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.
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. 2

6. 3 4 Failing Classes Passing 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.
Passing Classes
A lot of students have been failing classes. These students wouldn’t be failing classes if they studied more, asked questions, and reviewed nightly. In addition, the school offers morning mentoring three days a week. Many teachers also put extra support on their blogs. Even though a lot of students fail classes, they have many options if they want to pass.

7. 5
The lion is often thought of as the king of the jungle, but the African wild dog may be a better hunter. Both lions and African wild dogs are pack animals and have females lead their hunts, but they have different hunting styles. Although lions are very fast, they do not have much stamina. They attack in short, ferocious bursts because they get tired quickly. On the other hand, African wild dogs are not very fast, but they have incredible stamina. They can run for hours and often chase their prey to exhaustion. Dr. George Schaller studied African wild dogs in the Serengeti and found that 9 out of 10 of their hunts ended in kills, while lions are only successful in 3 out of 10 hunts. So you see, it’s not always good to be king.

8. 6
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, chemicals used to repel and kill a variety of insects, has reduced their numbers. The chemical sprays usually do not harm toads, however, the use of insecticides cut down the animals’ food supply. Thereby, the toads do not have enough food to survive. As a results, there are fewer toads in many areas populated by humans.