Standard 3: Critical Reading and Writing

Students will apply critical thinking skills to reading and writing.

12.3.R.6 Students will comparatively analyze the structures of texts (e.g., compare/contrast, problem/solution, cause/effect, claims/counterclaims/evidence) and content by inferring connections among multiple texts and providing textual evidence to support their inferences.

Student Actions 

Teacher Actions 

• Students will continue to read multiple texts on the same topic written in a variety of text structures.
• Students will continue to identify the structure used in each text.
• Students will continue to make inferences based on the structure and content of multiple works.
• Students will continue to support claims of the relationships between texts with textual evidence.

• Teachers choose multiple texts about the same topic with different structures.
• Teachers allow time for students to read these texts.
• Teachers provide guidance as students identify the structure of each text.
• Teachers provide opportunities for students to receive feedback about their identification of structures.
• Teachers demonstrate how to connect the structure of a text to its content and meaning.
• Teachers provide opportunities for students to find similarities and differences between texts of the same topic and/or theme.
• Teachers provide opportunities for students to receive feedback about the connections they have established.
• Teachers remind students to provide evidence from the texts to support their inferences between texts.
• Teachers provide opportunities for students to support their claims.
• Teachers provide opportunities for students to receive feedback about how textual evidence supports claims.

Supporting Resource

Teacher Insights

• Smekens Education Solution (webpage)
• Adolescent Literacy Text Structures (webpage)
• Graphic organizers (PDF) 

• Different nonfiction text structures include:

• compare/contrast = authors use comparisons to describe ideas; similarities and differences are shared

• problem/solution = the text introduces and describes a problem and presents one or more solutions

• cause/effect = describes events and identifies reasons (causes) for why that event happened

• claims/counterclaims/evidence = Rogerian argument or Toulmin model argumentation styles

• Comparatively analyzing text structure involves students looking at multiple compositions and identifying the structural elements and content in each.

• Example: After reading multiple texts about the same subject/topic, but that are organized with different structures, students are to make inferences (logical conclusions) between those texts--what are similarities and differences?

Activity

• Discussion Web

• Students will read two texts on the same issue.

• In the middle box, students will identify the general issue.

• At the top of each column students will identify the position and text structure in each piece.

• Below, list evidence each author uses to support their claim.

• Finally, students will express which claim was more effective based on the organization/presentation.

Due to recursive nature of the standards, it is essential that teachers are aware of how all objectives within and between strands work together for optimal instruction.