Nonfiction Structure and Organization
Nonfiction Text Structure and Organization (RN.2.3)
- A nonfiction (factual) text's subject is its main idea.
- You can find a text's subject by asking yourself the question, "what is this text mostly about?"
- A text's structure is its organizational pattern.
- Check out this example:
One more: Spatial Organization - arranges items according to their relationships or physical position
As you complete the following activity, you will answer the following questions for each excerpt:
- Determine the subject (main idea) of a nonfiction text.
- Determine the structure/organizational pattern of a nonfiction text.
- Explain HOW you knew which structure/organizational pattern each text utilized.
- Why was this structure/organizational pattern the best choice for the subject?
main_idea_and_text_structure.docx |
Nonfiction Paragraph Structure and Organization (RN.2.3)
- A paragraph's structure or organizational pattern is different from the text's overall structure or organizational pattern.
- The most common paragraph structure uses a topic sentence, several supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence.
- The first part is the topic sentence, which states the main idea of the paragraph.
- The second part is the supporting sentences, which support the topic sentence with details.
- The last part is the concluding sentence, which restates the topic of the paragraph.
- The first part is the topic sentence, which states the main idea of the paragraph.
As you read this paragraph, identify the topic sentence, supporting sentences, and concluding sentence:
- My hometown is famous for several amazing natural features. First, it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful. On either side of this river, which is 175 feet wide, are many willow trees which have long branches that can move gracefully in the wind. In autumn the leaves of these trees fall and cover the riverbanks like golden snow. Also, on the other side of the town is Wheaton Hill, which is unusual because it is very steep. Even though it is steep, climbing this hill is not dangerous, because there are some firm rocks along the sides that can be used as stairs. There are no trees around this hill, so it stands clearly against the sky and can be seen from many miles away. The third amazing feature is the Big Old Tree. This tree stands two hundred feet tall and is probably about six hundred years old. These three landmarks are truly amazing and make my hometown a famous place.
Now, keep in mind that different text structures will probably use different organizational patterns within paragraphs. Download the following document and follow the directions.
paragraph_structures.docx |