Non Fiction Text Structure

Over the past few weeks my 5th grade language students have been trying to tackle Nonfiction text structure in their language arts classes. It has been a little daunting, but anything is doable with the right strategy. We started out going over all of the common text structures, I modeled how to use key words, reviewed task cards, and then used some texts that were below grade level to identify the kinds. My students were able to use a chart as a strategy and seemed to be making some connections when able to use the chart as a reference. The problem with this is that during state testing they have to be independent. Enter a great idea! What if we practiced drawing the text structure chart, my students then could draw out a visual cue to help recall the name when they need it. 

Here are the visuals and key words we came up with:

Students were helped with the visual but asked to come up with their own "Keywords"

Sequence:

Description:

Compare/Contrast:

Problem/Solution:

My hope is that when asked about the writing style of the author, they will be able to think of the answer very independently. Hope you can also use this strategy too!