Expository Text Structure Mini Lesson Day #4

Connection and Teaching Point Authors arrange a text using various structures in order to present information in an organized way. By determining the structure of a text, readers are able to comprehend and summarize a text more accurately. Today we will read an expository text and identify the text structure used to organize the information to determine what the author wants the reader to learn.

Teaching Before we begin reading today, let’s review the different types of text structure. Chronological, cause/effect, problem/solution, comparison, and description. In social studies , we discussed background information for the causes of the Revolutionary War. Today we are going to continue reading (finish) the article titled Background by Walter Hazen to learn more about why the colonists wanted to govern themselves.

Teaching As I read, think about what type of text structure the author used to organize the ideas presented. It may be helpful to use the questions on the Text Structure Organizer Chart as a guide for thinking about what type of information the text provides. What structure did Walter Hazen use to organize the information in this text? How did you determine this? What do you think the author wants us to learn? We can use the structure of a text as a means to help us identify themes and lessons in texts.

Link As you read expository texts, think about the structure of the text. How did the author organize the information? What was the author’s purpose for doing so? What did he/she want me to learn or understand?