Understanding Text Structures in Non-Fiction

Active learning works well for this topic because students need to see, touch, and manipulate text structures to truly understand how they function. Moving beyond reading and discussing allows Year 5 learners to internalize patterns by sorting, rewriting, and teaching them to peers.

• Year 5
• English
• 4 activities
• 25 min–50 min

Learning Objectives

1. Classify non-fiction text excerpts into cause/effect, compare/contrast, or problem/solution structures.
2. Explain how specific text structures, such as compare/contrast, help an author convey information about similarities and differences between two subjects.
3. Analyze how an author's choice of problem/solution structure supports the purpose of informing readers about a specific issue and its remedies.
4. Compare the effectiveness of cause/effect versus problem/solution structures for explaining the impact of deforestation on wildlife.
5. Create a short informational paragraph using a specified text structure (e.g., cause/effect) to describe a historical event.

Jigsaw

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Sorting Stations: Structure Cards

Prepare cards with non-fiction excerpts for each structure. Small groups rotate through stations, sort cards, and note evidence for choices. Conclude with a whole-class share-out of examples.

Prepare & details

How does recognizing a text's structure help predict its content?

Facilitation Tip: During Sorting Stations, circulate and ask students to justify their card placements using language from the excerpts, not guesses.

Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping

Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Jigsaw

⏱ 30 min·Pairs

Pair Rewrite: Switch Structures

Pairs read a short text, identify its structure, then rewrite it using a different one like changing cause/effect to problem/solution. Partners compare original and new versions for clarity.

Prepare & details

Compare and contrast the effectiveness of cause/effect versus problem/solution structures for explaining complex issues.

Facilitation Tip: For Pair Rewrite, set a strict time limit to keep the focus on structure shifts rather than sentence-level editing.

Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping

Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Jigsaw

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

Jigsaw: Teach Structures

Form expert groups for one structure each; they study examples and create posters. Regroup so each shares expertise, then apply to mixed texts.

Prepare & details

Analyze how an author's choice of text structure supports their main purpose.

Facilitation Tip: When students teach structures as Jigsaw Experts, provide a simple checklist to guide their explanations and ensure accuracy.

Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping

Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Jigsaw

⏱ 25 min·Individual

Individual Mapping: Article Analysis

Students select a non-fiction article, highlight structures with colours, and annotate predictions based on patterns. Share maps in a gallery walk.

Prepare & details

How does recognizing a text's structure help predict its content?

Facilitation Tip: During Individual Mapping, require students to label both the structure and the signal words or phrases that identify it.

Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping

Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Teaching This Topic

Experienced teachers approach this topic by modeling how text structures shape meaning from the start. Use think-alouds to point out signal words and repeated patterns in read-alouds. Avoid isolating structures to single paragraphs; instead, show how they unfold across entire texts. Research suggests that students benefit most when they create their own examples, so balance direct instruction with hands-on practice.

What to Expect

By the end of these activities, students will confidently identify text structures in full articles and explain how each one supports the author’s purpose. They will also adjust their own writing to match specific structures when needed.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Sorting Stations, watch for students who assume every informational text follows a timeline.

What to Teach Instead

Hand each pair a mix of timeline and non-timeline excerpts. Ask them to sort first by structure type, then discuss why timeline excerpts might still appear in non-chronological texts.

Common Misconception

During Pair Rewrite, students may think structure only matters in the introduction.

What to Teach Instead

Have pairs highlight every sentence that signals their new structure, then count how many times it appears in the revised version to prove its spread throughout the text.

Common Misconception

During Jigsaw Experts, students may believe authors choose structures randomly.

What to Teach Instead

Ask each expert group to present one example of how their structure’s purpose fits the topic, like problem/solution for persuasive pieces, to show intent behind the choice.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After Sorting Stations, give each student three unlabeled paragraphs and ask them to identify the structure used in each and explain their reasoning for one choice in two sentences.

Quick Check

After Individual Mapping, display a short informational text on the board. Ask students to identify the primary structure, then underline one sentence that clearly demonstrates it and write a brief explanation below.

Peer Assessment

During Jigsaw Experts, partners take turns reading aloud short excerpts. Their partner listens and identifies the structure, then points to one sentence that best shows it. Partners give a thumbs up if they agree or a thumbs down with a brief explanation if they disagree.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge students finishing early to find a real-world article online, identify its structure, and draft a short paragraph explaining how the structure supports the author’s point.
• Scaffolding for struggling students: provide a graphic organizer with prompts like 'First, _____ happened. Then, _____ resulted.' to guide them through cause/effect sentences.
• Deeper exploration: invite students to compare two articles on the same topic written in different structures, then present their findings to the class.

Key Vocabulary

Cause and Effect	This structure explains how one event or action (the cause) makes another event or action happen (the effect). For example, heavy rain (cause) led to widespread flooding (effect).
Compare and Contrast	This structure highlights the similarities (compare) and differences (contrast) between two or more subjects. For instance, it might compare the diets of kangaroos and wallabies.
Problem and Solution	This structure identifies a problem and then offers one or more solutions. An example is discussing plastic pollution in oceans and suggesting recycling initiatives.
Sequence/Chronological	This structure presents information in the order it happened, often using dates or time markers. It's common in historical accounts or step-by-step instructions.
Description	This structure provides details about a person, place, thing, or idea, often using sensory language to create a vivid picture for the reader.