Celebrate Nonfiction

Exploring the Joy of Nonfiction Reading and Writing

Behind the Books: Thinking About Text Structure

A few weeks ago, I
wrote a post about “gamification” as a nonfiction text structure and included
this visual of text structures specifically mentioned in the Common Core ELA
standards.











Grade 4

Grade 5

Describe
the overall structure (chronology, comparison, cause/effect,
problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or info in a text or part of a
text

Compare
and contrast the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison,
cause/effect, problem/ solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or info in two
or more texts

Following that post, I received lots of questions about books that were good matches for each of the four structures
specifically mentioned in the CCSS. So here are some lists for you:

 

Chronology

Picture
book biographies are a great place to find this structure in books that can
easily be read aloud.

Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

The Boy Who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth by
Kathleen Krull

The Day-Glo Brothers by
Chris Barton (illus. Tony Persiani)

The
Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins by Barbara Kerley (illus Brian
Selznick)

The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau by Dan Yaccarino

Mama Miti by Donna Jo Napoli (illus Kadir Nelson)

Marvelous Mattie by Emily
Arnold McCully

Planting
the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai by
Claire A. Nivola

Pop:
The Invention of Bubble Gum by Megan McCarthy

Rocks
in His Head by Carol Otis Hurst

The Secret World of Walter
Anderson by Hester Bass (E.B. Lewis)

What to Do About Alice? by Barbara
Kerley (illus. Edwin Fotheringham)

 

Comparison

Neo Leo by Gene Barretta

Now & Ben by Gene Barretta

Timeless Thomas by Gene Baretta

Those Rebels, Tom & John by
Barbara Kerley

Move! by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page

What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? by
Steve Jenkins & Robin Page

How Many Ways Can You Catch a Fly? by
Steve Jenkins & Robin Page

Alligator or Crocodile? How Do You Know by
Melissa Stewart

Butterfly or Moth? How Do You Know? by
Melissa Stewart

Frog or Toad? How Do You Know? by
Melissa Stewart

Insect of Spider? How Do You Know? by
Melissa Stewart

Salamander or Lizard? How Do You Know? by
Melissa Stewart

Shark or Fish? How Do You Know? by Melissa
Stewart

Cause/Effect

Frog in a Bog by John Himmelman

A Place for Butterflies by Melissa Stewart (illus
Higgins Bond)

A Place for Fish by Melissa Stewart (illus
Higgins Bond)

A Place for Frogs by Melissa Stewart (illus
Higgins Bond

A Place for Birds by Melissa Stewart (illus
Higgins Bond)

A Place for Bats by Melissa Stewart (illus
Higgins Bond)

A Place for Turtles by Melissa Stewart (illus
Higgins Bond)


Problem/Solution

All fiction books adhere
this structure, so they may be the best way to teach it. Some
people also put nonfiction Q & A books in this category.

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