Which Text Structure? Sort the Sentences
Sort ten short sentences by the text structure they use, from sequence and description to cause and effect.
Drop here
Drop here
Drop here
Drop here
Drop here
0/10 sorted
How to run it
Read each sentence aloud before sorting. Ask the student to underline or name the word that gave it away, such as because, so, but, both, first or next. For problem and solution sentences, ask what the problem was and what fixed it, and point to clue words like fix and solve. Model one sentence per structure first.
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 of a sentence or short paragraph and name the clue 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
Ten short sentences about science, nature and everyday life, two for each text structure, sorted by the structure each one uses. It rained so the river flooded is cause and effect; frogs are smooth but toads are bumpy is compare and contrast; to solve the heat we planted trees is problem and solution. Working at the sentence level lets a middle school student practise spotting structure before tackling whole paragraphs.
What to listen for
Problem and solution and cause and effect are the two most often confused, because a solution is also a kind of effect. Listen to how the student explains the difference: a problem and solution sentence names something that was wrong and something someone did about it. Notice whether description sentences are recognised by what is missing, no time order and no cause.
Carrying it home
When your child reads a short article or a section of a textbook, ask one question: is this telling me steps, comparing things, explaining why something happened, solving a problem, or describing something? Two minutes on a real text is plenty.
What's in this activity
- Sequence
- Compare and contrast
- Cause and effect
- Problem and solution
- Description
Questions
- Who is this for?
- Students in grades 6 through 8 working on reading comprehension, text structure and expository language.
- Why do the problem and solution cards use fix and solve?
- Problem and solution names something wrong and what was done about it. Words like fix and solve are the clue that both parts are there.
- 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.