Complex Thinking
about
structure
Lesson 4
Look at all the
Connection different text features!
Reading involves building a
coherent meaning out of
all these pieces of
text.
Connection
• Even when pages look
monolithic - all print -
they may actually be
structured in a mosaic of
pieces
• Break text into chunks to
decode and construct
meaning from each
section
Teaching Point
• As texts get more complex, readers must
study and consider the structure of those
texts, noticing the overall structure and how
chunks of texts are built.
Struct is a root word that means to build.
Structure is about building.
It’s about how texts are built.
Chunk: First Paragraph
Structure
Chronological
Problem/Solution
Cause and Effect
Compare/Contrast
Ways Complex Fiction Gets Tough:
1. The heading and subheading
don’t help or are misleading.
2. There are several main ideas.
3. The central ideas and main
ideas are implicit (hidden)
4. There are many
complex/hybrid
structures
Nonfiction Text Structures
Structure Transition words
Chronological (chron) first, then, next, after that, finally, before, after
Problem/Solution (p/s) a problem is, a solution is, if…then…, so that
Cause and Effect (c/e) because, since, reasons, then, therefore, so, in order
Compare/Contrast (c/c) different, same, alike, similar, although, but, yet, or
Chunk: First Paragraph
Structure Transition words
Chronological (chron) first, then, next, after that, finally, before, after
Problem/Solution (p/s) a problem is, a solution is, if…then…, so that
Cause and Effect (c/e) because, since, reasons, then, therefore, so, in order
Compare/Contrast (c/c) different, same, alike, similar, although, but, yet, or
Nonfiction Text Structures
Structure Transition words
Chronological (chron) first, then, next, after that, finally, before, after
Problem/Solution (p/s) a problem is, a solution is, if…then…, so that
Cause and Effect (c/e) because, since, reasons, then, therefore, so, in order
Compare/Contrast (c/c) different, same, alike, similar, although, but, yet, or
• Read pg. 42/43 from When Lunch Fights Back.
• Mark it up with a pencil/highlighter
• Be alert to changing structures!
• Look for signal words in the text and circle them.
Active Engagement!
• Now, fifth graders, you are going to go off to:
• READ your Nonfiction book.
• Notice changing text structures.
• TAKE notes of the text structures you notice as you read and
mark them in your reading binder.
Structure Transition words
Chronological (chron) first, then, next, after that, finally, before, after
Problem/Solution (p/s) a problem is, a solution is, if…then…, so that
Cause and Effect (c/e) because, since, reasons, then, therefore, so, in order
Compare/Contrast (c/c) different, same, alike, similar, although, but, yet, or
Complex Structures
SENTENCE LEVEL
1. The octopus can be found in every ocean in the
world!
2. There are over 300 types of octopus, and they
can be found in every ocean in the world.
1. I went to the park.
2. Late in the morning, after the rain stopped, I went
quickly down the road and to the park, the one at
the far end of my street where there is a giant
baseball field.
Ways Complex Nonfiction Gets Tough:
1. The heading and subheading
don’t help or are misleading.
2. There are several main ideas.
3. The central ideas and main
ideas are implicit (hidden)
4. There are many complex/
hybrid structures
5. Sentences are longer
and deliver more
information
