How information texts are organized

English · Reading Comprehension · ages 9-10

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Read this text: 'Frogs have smooth, damp skin. Toads, in contrast, have dry, bumpy skin. Both frogs and toads begin life as tadpoles in water.' What structure does this text use?
- Cause and effect
- Chronological order
- Compare and contrast
Read this text: 'First, a mother sea turtle digs a hole in the sand. Then she lays her eggs and covers them up. Finally, the baby turtles hatch and crawl to the sea.' Which words tell you how this text is organized?
- sand, eggs, sea
- first, then, finally
- digs, lays, hatch
A text describes a volcano eruption using the words 'first, then, finally.' What structure does this text use?
- Chronological order
- Compare and contrast
- Cause and effect
The words 'because' and 'as a result' are signal words for a cause-and-effect structure.
Circle one: True False
A text says: 'Litter piled up on the beach. The solution was a weekly clean-up crew.' What structure is this?
- Problem and solution
- Chronological order
- Compare and contrast
Read this text: 'A hummingbird is one of the smallest birds in the world. Its wings are short and beat very fast. Its long, thin beak reaches deep inside flowers to drink nectar.' What structure does this text use?
- Chronological order
- Cause and effect
- Description
Two information texts about the same subject must use the same structure.
Circle one: True False
A description text tells you what something is like, without putting its details in time order.
Circle one: True False
Read this text: 'First the badger leaves its sett at dusk. Then it hunts for worms in the damp grass. Finally it heads home before sunrise.' Sam says the structure is description, because the text is about an animal. What is wrong with Sam's reasoning?
- Sam is right, because texts about animals are always descriptions
- The words first, then, and finally put the events in time order, so it is chronological
- Nothing is wrong, because the text never names a problem
Two texts are about honey. Text A: 'Bees gather nectar from flowers. Back in the hive they turn it into honey. Later a beekeeper takes some of it.' Text B: 'Honey is thick and golden. It tastes sweet and it never goes bad.' What structure does Text B use?
- Chronological order
- Compare and contrast
- Description

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

How information texts are organized W1-mt_oVwNnjYPUY-s1

Compare and contrast · The text keeps frogs and toads side by side to show one difference and one likeness, which is what compare and contrast does.
first, then, finally · First, then, and finally are signal words. They show that the three events are told in the order they happened.
Chronological order · First, then, and finally are time-order signal words, so this text is organized chronologically.
True · Those words connect a reason, the cause, to what happened next, the effect.
Problem and solution · The text names a problem, litter, and then explains how it was solved, with a clean-up crew.
Description · The text only tells you what a hummingbird is like: its size, its wings, its beak. That is description.
False · The subject never picks the structure. One writer can tell a story in time order while another explains a cause, both about the same subject.
True · Description gives details such as size, parts, and colour. Details that had to come in time order would make the text chronological instead.
The words first, then, and finally put the events in time order, so it is chronological · What a text is about never picks its structure. Here the signal words first, then, and finally show time order.
Description · Text B only tells what honey is like: thick, golden, sweet, and long lasting. Text A is the one told in time order, not Text B.