Text Structure Trains

Each slide has a paragraph about trains. The paragraphs are all different text structures. After reading the paragraph, talk to your shoulder partner to decide the text structure that best fits the paragraph.

Review the key terms of each text structure.

Text Structures Compare/Contrast Description Cause and Effect Problem and Solution Sequence

In 1804, the steam locomotive was invented. This made it possible for a locomotive to pull cars along a train track. By 1831, there was steam-powered train service in the United States.

Sequence

There are many kind of railroad cars, and they have different purposes. A Pullman car is one with sleeping compartments in which passengers can sleep overnight. A hopper car hauls freight. A tank car carries oil and other liquids. A stock car hold cattle.

Description

Some early trains carried large sums of money. Companies would send payrolls and other kinds of payments in cash by rail. As a result, the trains were often the targets of robbery.

Cause and Effect

At one time, Americans couldn’t get from coast to coast by train. The train tracks did not go all the way across the United States. Then in early 1860’s, the railroad companies decided to begin building a transcontinental railroad.

Problem and Solution

Trains can carry heavier cargo than airplanes. One locomotive engine can pull many cars of freight. Planes, on the other hand, can carry only one cargo load of freight at a time. Planes travel faster than trains, though, which can mean that the cargo gets to its destination faster than it would by train.

Compare and Contrast