Developed By Margaret Bartley

A knowledge of nonfiction text structures improves comprehension.  We live in an age of information, and reading informational texts critically and analytically is something every student must learn to do to succeed at school, in life, and eventually in the workplace.   

In middle school and high school, few students are taught to navigate the variety of text structures that they must read and comprehend in order to be successful in content area classes.  Students are required to read nonfiction text and acquire new information from it in the content areas of such classes as science, social studies, math, and health.  The need for teachers to set aside time to familiarize students with textbook  and nonfiction trade book structures is crucial to the success of our students. Yes, the students may be able to read the text, but do they have the tools to comprehend what they read? Teacher modeling of different text structures can help the students construct meaning from nonfiction text.  When you explicitly teach text structures, you not only assist students with their ability to comprehend the text, you are introducing them to organizational patterns that they can use in their own writing.

Basic structures of nonfiction texts include sequence, compare/contrast, cause/effect, question/answer, problem/solution, and description.  Authors often use a variety of text structures in nonfiction text, so it is important to teach the different structures to our students to enable them to understand and process what they are reading.  Brief strategy lessons will help you raise students’ awareness of how textbook, nonfiction trade books and magazine articles are read for understanding.   

1.  Sequence or Chronological Order:  Details support a main topic and are presented in a specific or time order.

2.  Compare and Contrast:  Presents and describes how two or more topics or ideas are similar or different.

3.  Cause and Effect:  Presents and describes events and actions and gives reasons and/or consequences for these. 

4.  Problem and Solution:  Describes a problem and its causes and offers one or more solutions.

5.  Question and answer:  Poses a question about a topic, event, concept, or an idea, presents causes of the problem, and offers one or more solutions.

6.  Description:  Offers information about a topic, concept, event, idea, person, or object by describing attributes, features, facts, details, traits, and characteristics. 

Teaching Reading in Social Studies, Science, and Math   Laura Robb 2003    Scholastic Professional Books

Developed by Martha Potyrala

Question:  What are effective ways to connect reading to the content areas?

Texts:  Housel, Debra.  (2002).  Nonfiction Strategies.  Teacher Created Materials, Inc.

            Harvey, Stephanie. (1998).  Nonfiction Matters:  Reading, Writing , and Research in Grades 3-8.  Stenhouse Publishers:Portland, Maine.

Background:  (Middle School Focus)  Reading instruction is more important and effective if all teachers on a team participate in instruction of  how to read texts.  Part of the basics in teaching reading involves student involvement and understanding of how a content text is structured for information.  In gaining access to the text, students can then negotiate the language of content and the purpose for reading in differing content areas.

Activity:  Define each of the six text structures for students and include how each text structure uses its information.  These six are: cause/effect, compare/contrast, problem/solution, question/answer, sequence and description.

                        Demonstrate locating each type of text structure in a content area text.

                        Model text structures for each subject area.

                        Discuss purposes for different type of structure.

                        Introduce text structures or cues chart.

                        Together use a focus question to locate information.

                        Students share information and keep track of notes on the chart.Classroom Example:  In a study of mythology, a cross-curricular piece on constellations is introduced.  Each of 5 students is assigned a different content area piece on the same topic so that each student will look for information on constellations in that content area text.  Each student reports back with types of information and where they found it.  All students end up with a breakdown of information and add a cross-curricular take on reading in the content areas.

            For differentiated instruction, access to content areas can have multiple reading levels of similar texts and/or picture books with content as well.  Teachers determine who can handle which texts and assigns them accordingly.

Developed by Sara Palmer

Question : What are effective ways to connect reading to the content areas?

Texts :Atwell, Nancie. (1998). In the Middle: New Understanding About Reading , Writing, and Learning. Heinemann: Portsmouth , New Hampshire .

Harvey, Stephanie. (1998). Nonfiction Matters: Reading , Writing , and Research in Grades 3-8 . Stenhouse Publishers : Portland , Maine .

Background :

Organizing information from a text is a common problem for students; identifying what is important in text can be problematic for teachers. Teacher-created graphic organizers guide students to identify and organize information gleaned from many types of texts.

Activity :