understanding text organization (teacher)

Reading Strategy Reading Strategy Reading Strategy Reading Strategy

Understanding Text OrganizationUnderstanding Text Organization

• Many teachers assume that a student who can read narrative texts well will be able to read expository texts well.

• Many students have problems comprehending expository text because they can’t see the basic structure of text. (Dymock,2005)

Whydo we teach text organization?

do we teach text organization?

• Text comprehension is improved when students can recognize the underlying structure of text (Williams, 2005).

• “Awareness" of text structure helps students understand global ideas, or main theses (Seidenberg, 1989;Weaver & Kintsch, 1991)

• Students are more likely to remember and interpret the ideas they encounter when they read.

Why

to teach ?

• How to identify the important structural elements of different types of expository text:

Physical presentation Text Structure

What

to teach ?What

to teach this strategy?HowTeaching Demonstration – Comparison text structure

Text Structure

Description Signal Words

Comparison Two or more events, concepts, objects or places are compared, showing how they are alike and/or different

• but• however• nevertheless• in contrast• different from• unlike• similarly• the same• like

Comparison – Cold & Flu

Differences Differences

Similarities

Cold Flu

• runny nose & sneezing

• headache• sore

throat• a cough• aching

muscles

• usually last about a week

•a high fever

•a dry cough

•much worse aching

•last for longer – at least two weeks

•can be a deadly disease

• caused by viruses

• a more serious illness

Inside the classroom - Teaching procedures

1. Introduce the idea that expository texts have different organizational patterns.

2. Tell students it is powerful to understand how writers organize their ideas by applying their knowledge in text organization.

3. Introduce text patterns and explain that text structure can sometimes be identified by certain signal words.

Expository Text Structures and their Associated Signal

WordsText

Structure


Sequence

Items or events are listed in numerical or chronological order.

• first • second• later• next• then• finally• dates• after• when


WordsText

StructureDescription Signal

Words

Comparison

Two or more events, concepts, objects or places are compared, showing how they are alike and/or different

• but• however• nevertheless• similarly• in contrast• different from• the same• like• unlike


WordsText


Words

Description

A topic is described by listing characteristics, features, attributes, and examples.

• for example• for instance• such as • is like• in addition • also• including• in particular


WordsText


Words

Cause and Effect

The causes of an event and its resulting effect(s) are presented.

• if/then• as a result• therefore• consequently• since• because• hence• thus• this led to


Words

Text Structure


Problem and Solution

A problem and one or more solutions to the problem are presented.

• problem is• solution is• if/then• to solve the problem…

4. Model ways students can use clues to identify text structures and share an example. (Especially when signal words cannot be found)

5. Introduce graphic organizers for the patterns and help students make order out of the texts

6. Make use of the overhead projector or the computer to involve the class in completing a graphic organizer illustrating the text structure.

Inside the classroom - Teaching procedures

Comparison


Similarities

Appendix 1

DescriptionAppendix 2

Sequence

Event 1 Event 2 Event 3

Event 4 Event 5

Appendix 3

Problem and SolutionAppendix 4

Cause and EffectAppendix 5

Further Practice

• Provide opportunities for students to have guided and independent practice.

• Students can work in pairs or individually to identify examples of the structure in other texts.

• Let more able students model the writing of a paragraph that follows a specific text structure.

• This will reinforce students’ understanding of the text structure.

• Teach for transfer – e.g. Integrated Science

Discussion (5 minutes)• Please refer to the given text (Passage 1, 2,

3 or 4) in your group selected from a textbook. Skim the parts that are framed.

1. What kind of text structure can we locate in the text?

2. What signal words can we ask students to identify?

3. Which graphic organizer(s) (Appendix 1-5) can we introduce to students?

4. What information can we ask students to put in the organizer(s) based on the text?

Comparison


Similarities

Fish Sharks

• live in water

•fish can float

•Fish have skeletons made of hard bones

•Shark can’t float

•Sharks have skeletons made of hard cartilage

•Shark have several rows of teeth

•Some sharks attack humans

Passage 1

Signal words: different from, but

DescriptionPassage 2

Signal words: for example, also, such as

Comparison

Similarities

Halloween in the past

Halloween today

• playing “apple bobbing”

• dressing up in scary costumes

•People made lanterns out of turnips

•People put out food for ghosts

•People walked around the streets nosily

•People played tricked on others

•People make lanterns out of pumpkins and sometimes watermelons

•People give sweets to children

•People play “Trick or Treating”.

Signal words: the same as, still, but

Passage 2

Sequence

1886: Coca-Cola was invented by Dr. John Pemberton

1888: Dr. John Pemberton told the business to Asa Griggs Candler

1903: Asa Candler took out the cocaine from the drink as it was a drug

1898: Asa Griggs Candler licensed the bottling of Coca-Cola.

1965: Coca-Cola was first made in Hong Kong

Passage 3

Cause and EffectPassage 4

No obvious signal word! But the question gives the hint that the resulting effects of the problem will be followed by the question.

Problem and SolutionPassage 1

No obvious signal word! But the question gives the hint that solutions to the problem will be followed by the question

Is it worth spending time doing this?

• Students…• will be more familiar with different text

structures.• will gain a better understanding of how

ideas are organized in different text structures.

• will be able to apply their knowledge to predict what they may read in the text.

• will become more independent readers.

Resources consulted:

http://www.educationoasis.com http://www.itrc.ucf.edu/forpd/about/

An important point to note

•Text connections should lead to text comprehension.

• Intervention is needed to prevent students from being distracted from the text

Resources consulted:

http://www.educationoasis.com http://www.itrc.ucf.edu/forpd/about/

Making Connections Cue Card

better understand and digest what they read

make sense of the text by using their prior knowledge

understanding text organization (teacher)

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