Text Structure Signal Words: High School Sort
Sort twenty high school signal words into sequence, compare and contrast, cause and effect, problem and solution, and description.
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0/20 sorted
How to run it
Before the student drags a word, have them say it in a sentence about a topic from one of their classes. Then sort it. Model one per category first. After sorting, give a short paragraph from a real textbook and ask the student to find a signal word and say which structure it signals.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentPresent the item and wait 5 seconds of quiet before helping.Log as correct
- Signal wordPoint to the signal word and ask what job it does in the text.Log as cued
- Two choicesOffer two structures, the right one not always second, and ask which fits.Log as cued
- ModelThink aloud about how the word links the ideas, then the student names the structure and says why.Log as cued
Adjust it
Use two or three structures at a time, starting with sequence and cause and effect.
Ask the student to write a sentence of their own that uses the same structure.
Matching IEP goal
Given grade-level expository text, Student will identify the text structure a signal word predicts and explain why in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than an indirect cue.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Twenty signal words from high school textbooks and articles, sorted into the five common text structures: sequence, compare and contrast, cause and effect, problem and solution, and description. The words are a step up from the basics, such as subsequently, eventually, likewise, in contrast, consequently, thus, the dilemma is, and features include. Knowing what a signal word predicts helps a reader guess how the next sentence connects to the last one.
What to listen for
Watch the confusable pairs: thus and consequently both signal cause and effect, while likewise and similarly signal comparison. Eventually is sometimes put in cause and effect because it often comes before a result. Notice whether the student can explain a choice using the word's meaning, or is matching by guesswork.
Carrying it home
Pick a news article together and hunt for two signal words such as consequently or in contrast. Ask what the word tells you about the next part. Short, real texts on topics your teen cares about carry over better than worksheets.
What's in this activity
- Sequence
- Compare and contrast
- Cause and effect
- Problem and solution
- Description
Questions
- Who is this for?
- Students in grades 9 through 12 working on expository text comprehension, text structure and academic vocabulary.
- Can a signal word fit more than one structure?
- Sometimes, which is why the context sentence matters. On this board each word is placed by its most common use.
- Is it free?
- Yes. It plays free in the browser with no login. An account adds session data, goal scoring and assignment to a student.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.