Organizational patterns within the actual text

Internal Text Structures

Chronological or Sequential

To begin with EventuallyBefore ThenFirst After

Next FinallyFollowing Last

A series of events that involve time order

Signal Words

Event 1

Event 2

Event 3

Event 4

Event 5

Event 1 Event 2 Event 3 Event 4

It all began with the dog barking. Monty never barks at night, so when I heard his yelps coming from downstairs, I knew something had to be wrong. Terrified that a robber might be waiting for me outside, I ran into the spare bedroom and, as quietly and quickly as I could, grabbed the baseball bat from the cluttered closet. Then, realizing I couldn’t really see anything, stumbled back into my room and grabbed my glasses from my night stand. At this point it was decision time: confront whatever was making the noise on my own or wake up Mr. Weis. The latter option won, and after stirring him from his slumber, he and I crept down the stairs, baseball bat and cell phone (just in case we needed to call 911) in hand. Following Monty’s barks, we inched down the stairs to the living room door.

“Ready?” Mr. Weis asked. I nodded , quickly flipped on the light switch, and bravely spun towards my husband who was standing before the intruder at the back door.

“Back to bed,” he growled as he picked Monty up. “It was just a cat.”

Process

Begins with AfterFirst NextIn order to Once you

have

A series of steps that explain how something is

done or created; Results in a product Signal

Words

It is really easy to make Mrs. Weis happy. First, call up your friendly LCPS snow-delay decider and convince her to delay school for two hours. Then, make sure all of your classmates have completed their homework. After you come into class, make sure you follow all of the directions, including writing down your assignments. Next, when Mrs. Weis asks a question, be sure to raise your hand to offer an answer. Finally, ask really great questions on your own and be sure to tell her how much you love text structures! Once you have done all of this, Mrs. Weis will be happy!

• An explanation of how to change a car tire

• A series of journal entries about your summer trip to Thailand

• A description of your terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

• Google Map directions for getting to a friend’s house

• A children’s book about how to brush your teeth

Chronological or Process?

Jot Thoughts1. Teacher asks a question/names a topic, sets a time

limit, and provides think time.

2. When the teacher says “Go!” and sets the timer, each student takes a slip of paper from the center of the table and writes his or her thought on it. He or she says the thought out loud while writing.

3. Students repeat this process (one thought per slip of paper) until time is up. They attempt to cover the table with their thoughts.

4. Students read each thought and initial those that they agree with or can explain.

Name examples of topics that would be

organized in chronological/sequential

order

Name examples of topics that would be

organized using process

Listing/Enumeration

There are many For instanceFor example In additionFurther more Additionally Also

Series of specific points or examples about a topic

Signal Words

Why English is so great

I love to write!

Reading rocks!

Learning about text structures is informative, thought-provoking, and fun!

Practicing parts of speech is the highlight of my day!

Mrs. Weis is the coolest teacher ever!

There are many great reasons to learn to sew. First, sewing is a skill that you will have throughout your entire life. Additionally, it is a practical skill to have and is one that is applicable to real-world problems. Sewing also is a great way to save money. For example, if you know how to sew, you can alter your own clothes and avoid paying enormous fees just to get your pants fitted to your size. All seventh graders should thank their FACS teacher for sharing such an important skill with them!

Compare & Contrast

Compared to YetSame as Similar toIs different than Compared withEither … or Opposed to Than

Showing similarities and differences between two+ things

Signal Words

We had hot summers in eastern Nebraska where I was born. Often the temperature rose to well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, with high humidity to match. Our clothes would become so damp from a walk or bike ride that we’d have to change twice a day just to keep ourselves from sticking to the furniture. We never could get enough of the pool! Now we live in Arizona where summer temperatures are even hotter, yet we seldom complain. Perhaps that’s because more buildings are air-conditioned, or it may be the lack of humidity. Arizona has a far drier climate than Nebraska, winter or summer.

• An editorial analyzing which of two films should win an award

• A campaign speech sharing reasons why you should vote for a certain candidate

• A travel book with suggestions for what to do in Florida

• A sign with Wegman’s prices and Safeway’s prices

• A document containing SOL scores for Blue Ridge and Harmony Middle Schools

Listing or Compare & Contrast

Practice!Each person will now write a paragraph using one of the four

internal text structures we just learned. Using RoundRobin, each person needs to pick a card from the cup on your desk. The person who lost his or her first tooth earliest goes first.

1 – Chronological / Sequential 2 – Process 3 – Listing 4 – Compare and Contrast

Cause & EffectAs a result of… Since…Due to the fact that … So…Because of… Therefore…

In order to… For this reason…

If … then…

The reason something happens and the results of it happening

Signal Words

cause

effect

Pediatricians across the country are concerned about the rise in neck injuries among middle school boys. Waiting rooms are packed with young boys complaining of severe neck pain. What’s the diagnosis? Whiplash. As a result of “Bieber Fever,” boys have mimicked the haircut that helped launch the pop star into fame. One of the trademarks of the “Bieber do” is a sharp, twitch-like, whipping of the head. Boys do this in order to move the long fringy bangs out of their eyes. This sudden movement causes whiplash, a painful neck injury, often times resulting in months of physical therapy. Because of the dramatic increase in the reports of whiplash, Justin Bieber made a bold move. On Wednesday afternoon, the performer debuted a new short haircut on Ellen. Not only are doctors happy with the news, but mothers are too. Gone are the days of sharing their hair products and blow dryers with their sons!

Concept/Definition

Refers toThus

Is thought to be(Concept) is (Definition)

*Synonyms may also be given

Define a concept by providing appropriate supporting details

Signal Words

=

=

=

Internal text structures refer to methods of

organizing text to ease comprehension. Thus,

internal text structures are writing tools that help

people better understand what they read. They are

also known as “organizational strategies” and

“organizational tools.”

GeneralizationAlwaysIn fact

TypicallyUsually

*Also referred to as “Blanket Statements”

Statements that support one side of an issue

Signal Words

Whenever the economy is in a slump, people

typically tend to cut back on unnecessary spending.

For example, people usually decide not to go on

extravagant vacations, and they always buy fewer

presents for holidays. In fact, when times are tough,

it seems like all you hear about is how sales are

down.

Chronological/ Sequential

Listing Compare and Contrast

Cause and Effect

To begin with There are many Compared to As a result of…

Before For example Same as Due to the fact that…

First Furthermore Is different than Because of…

Next Also Either… or In order to…

Following For instance Yet Since…

Then In addition Similar to So…

After Additionally Compared with Therefore…

Finally Opposed to For this reason…

Last Than If… Then…