1. Text Structure ( Text Organization)

2. Chronological Order (Time Order, Sequential Order)
Characteristics
Used in fiction, history, biography, autobiography, and news stories
Tells “what happened when”
May include “flashbacks” to tell about past events, or “flash-forwards” to show the results of present events in the future
Key Words
During
Eventually
First/Last
Later
Meanwhile

3. Spatial Order (refers to space)
Characteristics
Used for descriptive writing
Writer states details as they are seen
May move from left-to-right, top-to-bottom, front-to-back, or inner-to-outer
Key Words
Around
Center
In front/back of
Below
To the left/right

4. Cause and Effect (one event or condition leads to another)
Characteristics
Used in persuasive speeches and essays
A cause is an event that makes another event occur
An effect is the result
shows how one thing leads to another (example: Because of the drought, the risk of a forest fire is very high.)
Key Words
As a result So
Thus
For this reason
Consequently

5. Comparison and Contrast (draws attention to similarities and differences)
Characteristics
Used for explaining, defining, and directing
A comparison shows how things are alike
A contrast shows how things are different
Example: a writer could explain Mars by comparing and contrasting it to Earth
Key Words
Compare Contrast
Also ● Instead
Either ... Or ● Nevertheless
By comparison ●On the contrary
The same as ● Unlike

6. Practice
What structure would the following texts most likely be written in?
A biography about Martin Luther King Jr.
An essay about the different cultures in Asia
A description of the setting in a novel
A written explanation of what you did this morning
An editorial about what happens to the environment when you mine for diamonds in the Sierra Leone
An explanation of a character’s physical appearance
A letter to Santa explaining what gifts you want for Christmas and why