Comparing Structure in Information Texts
Compare and contrast the overall structure of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more informational texts, identifying patterns such as chronology, comparison, cause/effect, or problem/solution
What a learner can do afterwards
- Identify the organisational structure of two texts on the same topic
- Explain how one text uses cause/effect while another uses problem/solution to present information
- Analyse why an author chose a particular structure for their informational text
1 · Read
To compare two information texts, identify each one's main structure. Chronology follows time. Comparison shows likenesses and differences. Cause and effect explains reasons and results. Problem and solution presents a difficulty and a response. Description groups details about a topic. Then explain how each pattern helps the reader. Sharing a topic does not mean sharing a structure.
Two sample reports discuss a garden path. A says: 'The path is muddy. Adding stones could make it easier to use.' B says: 'Rain soaked the soil, so mud covered the path.' A uses problem and solution to focus on a possible response. B uses cause and effect to explain how the problem arose.
First, next and later can mark chronology. Both, unlike and in contrast can mark comparison. Because, so and as a result can link causes and effects. Check these clues against what the ideas do. One word cannot prove the whole structure. Read both texts before comparing. If you have only an excerpt, a missing solution might appear in an unseen part.
Match each structure to its job. Chronology follows when or what comes next. Comparison shows likenesses and differences. Cause and effect explains why and with what results. Problem and solution considers responses; description groups features. To change structure, reorganize information around a different job. Texts can mix patterns or share a structure despite different details or sentence orders. Cite evidence from both.
Identify each text's main pattern and cite its details. Then explain what each structure helps readers follow, compare or understand. The same topic can be organized in different ways.
Lesson, questions and flashcards written for this dataset.
The five readings about comparing information texts were written for this dataset.
More to read
Two reports about one event
Imagine two reports about a school show. One follows rehearsal, opening night and the final performance. The other explains how a broken microphone caused a delay.
The first report organizes events through time. The second organizes reasons and results. To compare them, name both patterns and cite details from each. Then explain the difference for readers: one follows the event sequence; the other explains the delay.
Start with the reader's question
A reader asking when needs different information from a reader asking why. A timeline can help with when. A cause-and-effect account can help with why. A comparison can help with shared and different features.
When choosing between two texts, check what each actually supplies. The structure can guide your choice, but its name alone does not prove that a passage answers your particular question.
Explaining a problem or responding to it
Two texts can discuss a broken window for different reasons. One might explain how a ball broke it and what the damage caused. Another might compare repair plans before proposing a replacement.
The first focuses on causes and effects. The second includes comparison within a response to a problem. Texts can mix patterns. Describe the main organization while acknowledging useful smaller patterns inside it.
Different details, shared structure
One comparison of two bicycles may begin with wheel size. Another may begin with price. Both can still use comparison as their main structure.
To compare organization, look beyond sentence order. Ask which relationships hold the information together. Different details do not always mean different structures. Equally, matching topics or repeated words do not prove that two texts share a structure.
Explain what the structure changes
A useful comparison does more than name two structures. Say what each helps the reader notice.
For example, a timeline of a club's meetings emphasizes their order. A description of its room emphasizes features of the place. Neither pattern supplies every kind of information.
Support your explanation with details from both texts. Keep claims about the author's purpose tied to those details rather than guessing what the author privately intended.
2 · Watch
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24 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.