IXL | Identify and analyze text structures

Read the text.

Women's swimsuits have changed over time. In the 1870s, women swam in loose dresses with baggy pants. They were expected to keep their legs covered. Early swimsuits were often made of wool. They were heavy and didn't dry quickly. In 1907, Annette Kellerman, a great swimmer from Australia, took a chance. She wore a tight one-piece swimsuit on a beach in Boston. She had designed it herself. She was arrested for wearing it. By the 1930s, women were no longer keeping their legs covered. Today's bathing suits come in different styles, from tanks to two-piece suits.

Which text structure does the text use?

sequential

descriptive

cause-effect

ref_doc_title.

Learn with an example

question

Read the text.

Khodr Farhat is a Michigan man on a mission. When he eats out at a restaurant, he faces an issue that most people don't. Khodr can't see well enough to read the menu. He usually has friends read menus aloud to him. However, this strategy doesn't let him take his time with the menu or dine independently. So, he has worked with restaurants to create menus in braille. Braille is a system of writing that uses raised dots. Braille menus allow many customers who are blind to read their own menus.

Which text structure does the text use?

compare-contrast

descriptive

problem-solution

key idea

Writers can organize their ideas in different ways. These ways of organizing writing are called text

structures.

Different text structures are good for different kinds of tasks. When you can tell how a text is organized, it can help you understand the author's purpose for writing it.

Text structure	Where you might find it	Words and phrases to look for
A descriptive structure tells you a list of details about an object, scene, or topic.	a paragraph about what Tyrannosaurus Rex looked like	large, small, old, new, rough, smooth, near, far, many, few
A sequential structure tells you about events that happen in a certain order.	a recipe for how to make a blueberry pie	first, second, next, before, during, until, after, then, finally
A cause-effect structure shows the causes and the effects, or results, of an event.	an essay about how recycling helps the environment	because, since, due to, reason, led to, as a result, so
A problem-solution structure explains a problem and offers possible solutions.	an article about ways to get more people to vote	issue, question, puzzle, answer, suggest, solve, fix
A compare-contrast structure shows how two (or more) things are the same or different.	a chapter about the differences between whales and sharks	like, too, both, same, common, as well as, unlike, on the other hand, while, instead, different, however

solution

This text uses a problem-solution structure.

In the text, certain words and phrases help to organize ideas in a problem-solution structure. Notice the words

issue,

strategy,

and

allow:

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Work it out

Not feeling ready yet? These can help:

F.1Determine the order of events in informational texts

F.2Compare and contrast in informational texts

F.3Match causes and effects in informational texts

F.4Match problems with their solutions

F.5Identify and analyze text structures

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