English Language Arts and Reading.3.9.D.iii

The student is expected to

recognize characteristics and structures of informational text, including:

 

organizational patterns such as cause and effect and problem and solution;

multiple genres TEKS talk image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Multiple genres: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--genres. The student recognizes and analyzes genre-specific characteristics, structures, and purposes within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts.

During a read aloud, create an anchor chart to illustrate the organizational pattern of the text. Identify the organizational pattern for the class. As you read the text, stop and ask students to share the information that establishes the organizational pattern. For example, with a text that is written with cause and effect, stop after reading each cause and effect to elicit student responses about the cause or effect.

Cause Effect
   
   
   
   

 

Further Explanation

This assessment example requires students to understand that informational texts are written with specific organizational patterns that help the reader comprehend the information in a logical way. With the organizational pattern identified for students, they are able to examine the text through the lens of the organizational pattern. It is important for students to develop this knowledge with a variety of organizational patterns in text. As such, this activity can be completed with different organizational patterns. Depending on the organizational pattern, a different graphic organizer on the anchor chart may be necessary.

a text that presents information to explain, clarify, and/or educate
the pattern or structure an author uses to construct and organize his or her ideas for the audience (e.g., cause and effect, problem and solution, description, order of importance); also referred to as organizational structure
Informational text is often presented in common organizational patterns. For example, an author may choose to organize an article about pollution by using a cause-and-effect structure. The author could explain the factors that cause pollution and then discuss how pollution affects people, plants, and animals. Identifying the organizational pattern(s) in informational text will help students make sense of what they read.
Students are expected to have a clear idea of the specific attributes of informational text. For example, students should be able to identify the unique characteristics of informational text, such as a central idea, and graphic features, such as tables and timelines. Students should recognize the way an informational text is structured or organized. For example, an author may choose to organize an article using a cause-and-effect approach to describe a particular topic.

Research

Meyer, B. J., & Ray, M. N. (2011). Structure strategy interventions: increasing reading comprehension of expository text. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education,4(1), 127–152. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?q=expository+text&pr=on&ft=on&id=EJ1070453

Summary: In this literature review, researchers examine empirical studies designed to teach the structure strategy to increase reading comprehension of expository texts. Strategy interventions employ modeling, practice, and feedback to teach students how to use text structure strategically and eventually automatically. The analysis suggests that direct instruction, modeling, scaffolding, elaborated feedback, and adaptation of instruction to student performance are keys in teaching students to strategically use knowledge about text structure.