Identifying a text’s structure(s) plays a powerful role in comprehension. Knowing the five types of structures is not enough, though. We have to facilitate a thoughtful journey for our students. The goal of this journey is for students to understand how looking through the lens of a text’s structure(s) can open up learning for them.

What does this look like? Over several lessons, over time we have to continually weave in discussions about the what (the structures), the why (e.g., How did identifying this text’s structure help you as a reader?) and the how (notice, connect, synthesize).

In support of this endeavor, I’ve crafted a two-page module to support this endeavor which includes the following:

1. Simple language for introducing the what, why, and how of identifying a text’s structures.
2. An anchor chart with three steps for identifying a text’s structures.
3. A student-friendly resource that describes the common text structures.
4. An explanation of how to prepare for a lesson, how to teach a close reading Phase 2 lesson (after a Phase 1 lesson in which students get a chance to just read and discuss the source). (Link with more info on the three-phase lesson structure and blank template.)

Big Suggestion

My biggest suggestion is DO NOT TRY to teach students to find clues that suggest a particular structure using an ENTIRE article. Instead closely read (during Phase 2 of a lesson) a section where the text reveals strong clues as to the structure. I TEACH SENTENCE BY SENTENCE, asking “What did you just learn?” and “How might this be a clue as to the text’s structure?” How to identify a section of a text & prepare is described in the module.

A Reminder about Macro- & Micro- Structures

REMEMBER, too, that texts have a macro-structure and then sections may have a micro-structure that is different from the macro. For example, an article may be describing the problem of climate change’s impact on coral reefs and how conservationists are seeking solutions to solve the problem. Within that text, though, there might be a section on the cause (climate change) as well as the multiple effects climate change has on coral reefs (and the organisms which rely on coral reefs). There might be another section describing coral reefs. And so forth.

In my next blog entry, I share an analogy I use to help students begin to understand why our brains thrive when we recognize a text’s structure.

Hope this helps.

S