Text Structures
This text structure shows how two things are alike and different.
What is compare and contrast?
“This backpack weighs a ton!” is an example of this type of figurative language.
What is hyperbole?
A story that includes imaginary characters and events belongs to this genre.
What is fiction?
This part of an informational text tells what the passage will be mostly about.
What is the main idea?
A text that explains how to do something step‑by‑step, such as cooking, assembling, or completing a task.
What is a procedural or how‑to text?
A text that lists events in the order they happened uses this structure.
What is sequence/chronological order?
“She ran as fast as a cheetah” is an example of this comparison using like or as.
What is a simile?
This genre tells about real people, places, or events and is fact‑based.
What is nonfiction?
These pieces of information support the main idea by giving facts, examples, or explanations.
What are supporting details?
This type of text presents a topic, gives claims, and supports them with evidence to convince the reader.
What is argumentative or persuasive text?
A text that gives a problem and then explains how it is solved uses this structure.
What is problem and solution?
“The wind whispered through the trees.”
This gives human qualities to something nonhuman.
What is personification?
A story that includes magic, talking animals, or impossible events.
What is fantasy?
Text features like bold print, headings, captions, and diagrams help the reader do this.
What is understand or locate information quickly?
A text that provides explained answers to real-world questions, such as:
“Why do seasons change?” or “How does electricity work?”
What is an explanatory text?
This text structure explains reasons something happened and what happened because of it.
What is cause and effect?
“Her voice was music to his ears.”
This is a direct comparison without using like or as.
What is a metaphor?
A story set in the past that includes real historical details but fictional characters or events.
What is historical fiction?
This is the author’s reason for writing the text, such as to inform, persuade, or explain.
What is the author’s purpose?
A text that closely examines a person’s life, accomplishments, or experiences, written by someone else using facts and research.
What is a biography?
A text that describes the characteristics, features, or details of a topic without giving steps uses this structure.
What is description?
A phrase whose meaning is not literal and must be interpreted, like “break the ice.”
What is an idiom?
A story where the main suspense or problem centers around solving a crime, puzzle, or unexplained event.
What is a mystery?
When an author includes statistics, expert quotes, or research to strengthen their writing, they are using this element of informational text.
What is evidence?
(or text evidence, credible evidence, depending on how you teach it)
This type of reading task asks students to analyze two texts on the same topic and explain how the authors’ ideas, structures, or evidence relate to each other.
What is paired text?