Nonfiction Text Structures
Learning Objective
I can identify different text structures in nonfiction texts.
Key Concepts
Stories or narrative texts follow a predictable pattern, while informational text can use one of five different text patterns.
If an author wants to teach the reader how something works, they use a procedural text structure; if they want to explain a concept, they use a descriptive text structure.
Authors use a compare and contrast text structure to study two things, a cause and effect structure to show the relationship between two things, and a problem and solution structure to reveal a bad situation that is now better.
Practice Questions
This lesson includes 3 practice questions to reinforce learning.
View questions preview
1. What is the main difference between the structure of narrative texts and informational texts, as explained in the video?
2. An author wants to explain the different parts of a cell. Which text structure would be most suitable for this purpose?
3. Describe how analyzing the introduction, body paragraphs, and transitions can help you identify the text structure of a nonfiction text.
Educational Video
Teaching Text Structures Easy | K-12
Smekens Education