Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Understanding Text Structures - Coggle Diagram
Understanding Text Structures
“The structure of a thing is the way it is put together. Anything that has structure, then, must have parts, properties, or aspects which are somehow related to each other”
Looking at text structure
how text parts function to create a whole.
is a key concept when analyzing texts.
FOR READERS
Text Structures as Idea Chunking
authors often use headings to help readers recognize different content chunks.
content text chunk might contain multiple paragraphs—even pages—devoted to the same related topic.
the writer of a text might begin by presenting several paragraphs of historical background for an existing situation, then summarize a number of earlier interpretations and judgments of that background and finally present his or her own claim and the evidence supporting that claim.
“Say, Mean, Matter” (see Assignment Template Appendix C) and “Says and Does” (see Considering the Structure of the Text in “Rhetoric of the Op Ed Page”) are useful analytic tools to help students unpack idea clusters and discover additional ways of structuring the presentation of their ideas.
Descriptive Outlining, first presented in “The Rhetoric of the Op-Ed Page,” not only asks students to identify the content chunks in the Rifkin article, but has them identify the rhetorical functions of different segments.
Text Structures as Organizational Patterns
help students recognize three main organizational patterns they will encounter in their reading.
these same patterns are found in many different genres.
commonly, writers use multiple organizational patterns in an extended text as they lay out a series of ideas for readers.
providing students with the academic language to label text structures enables them to;
differentiate blocks of texts within an extended work.
readily follow the unfolding of an author’s argument.
organization;
Chronological Organization
organizational structure of narration.
stories—even brief anecdotes—use time, presenting the beginning, middle, and end of an event.
be alert to the possibilities of flash back and flash forward.
Spatial Organization
structural strategy of description.
help students to think of the ways in which a movie camera records a scene: near to far, far to near, right to left, left to right, top to bottom, bottom to top as they work to transfer a verbal description to a visual mental image.
Logical Organization
uses the structures of analysis: process, enumeration, classification, part- to-whole, problem and solution, comparison and contrast, cause and effect, and definition.
each analytic structure is shaped differently, and each is most effectively used in response to a particular content and/or purpose.
Text Structure as Architectural Shape
begin a consideration of structure; look at the physical shape of a text.
help students think about the implications of the physical structure.
a productive time to discuss paragraphing and its function as a form of punctuation that signals both a coherent unit of content.
a place for readers to pause slightly longer than they do with a period at the end of a sentence.
good readers learn to attend to how these shifts work and what they suggest about both content and emphasis.
Logical Organization
Process structures
are used to explain how to do something.
key terms such as first, then, next, and finally can help readers recognize process structures.
Enumeration
listing.
typically the items in the list are all at the same level of importance.
bullet points or numbers often signal the list structure.
Classification
a structure that groups similar items based on specific features.
a text might classify items within a large group in order to focus on a more limited selection.
the levels of classification used in a text depend on the level of detail needed to present information or make a point.
Part-to-whole structures
used to present an analysis of a complex entity by examining
each of its salient parts in turn and considering how they work together.
often neglected aspect of part-to-whole analysis is a final discussion of how significant the various parts are in the context of the whole.
Problem and solution structures
typical of many policy arguments and much academic writing (such as theses or dissertations) where the writer begins with an analysis of a problem, recommends a solution.
and then sets out the arguments and evidence in favor of the recommended solution over other possibilities.
Compare and contrast structures
present two items or ideas in a way that allows readers to make logical judgments about each and perhaps choose one over the other.
Venn diagrams provide useful organizers for students analyzing texts that compare or contrast one item or idea to another.
can help them fill in missing components as they assess the validity of the choice recommended by the writer.
Cause and effect structures
rarely present a single cause leading to a single effect or event.
following diagrams can help students recognize some of the ways in which a causal chain might be organized.
test the differences between proximity and causality is important.
causal relationships can occur between events that are geographically or chronologically quite separate.
Definition requires two separate but linked logical structures
classification followed by differentiation.
first, the items, events, or ideas under consideration must be classified into a group of similar items, events, or ideas.
next, the particular item, event, or idea must be presented in a way that differentiates it from all similar items, events, or ideas.
useful when
thinking about how a piece of writing works.
why a writer organized material in a particular way.
student
recognize text structures.
helps students anticipate the content they encounter and understand its function in the piece as a whole.
use the appropriate academic language to describe them.
become better readers of sophisticated texts.
FOR WRITERS
the most effective ways to have students develop a ready recognition of different text structures and their functions is to provide them with opportunities to apply those structures in their own writing.
certain organizational structures lend themselves to particular rhetorical purposes.
familiarizing students with a broad range of possible structural options empowers them to present their material in a clear and logical fashion.
shows them how to present complex ideas in ways that are difficult or impossible if the only structural tool available is the commonly relied upon five-paragraph essay.
Text Structure as Architectural Shape
most useful instruction for high school students preparing for post-secondary work is to teach a thoughtful use of architectural shape.
organizational structures; will help readers follow the logical unfolding of their ideas.
punctuation—as well as paragraphing (as with the one-sentence paragraphs noted above)—purposefully.
can provide readers with additional information
about the sequence and importance of specific ideas.
an overarching way to describe text structure is to think of beginning, middle, and end.
beginning of a text—its title and its opening paragraph(s)—interests readers and situates them effectively to read the content that will follow.
middle; presents the content and the discussion.
mid-section; often requires a number of different internal structures in order to help readers track the presentation of material coherently.
an effective ending does more than simply summarize what has gone before.
effective endings provide a sense of closure and satisfaction for readers, helping them understand the importance of the discussion presented and perhaps giving them a sense of what might, or should, come next.
Text Structures as Organizational Patterns
helps students develop necessary logical skills such as sequencing, grouping, and examining components.
often these structures can be embedded in overall course activities, providing opportunities for formative assessment, ways to connect reading and writing, or structures for writing prompts.
help students see how they might present some content using one organizational structure, but then turn to another structure to develop their discussion further.
might begin a discussion of an environmental pollution problem in their town with a physical description of the site using spatial organization.
use chronological organization to present the story of previous efforts to eliminate the sources of the pollution.
which uses a logical organization structure—problem and solution—to persuade readers that action is needed and suggest possible ways the community might proceed to clean up the problem.
their conclusion might begin with a description (spatial organization again) of what the town might look like once the pollution has been eliminated.
Text Structures as Idea Chunking
another way to think about text structure is to think about “chunks” of related content.
thinking in terms of content chunks is particularly useful in on-demand writing situations when writers have limited time.
Quick lists jotted during a minute or two of planning time is all that writers need to stay on track and to remember the points they intend to make.