1. TEXT STRUCTURES
The way we organize what we say!
Chronological – Sequential – Cause/Effect – Problem/Solution – Compare/Contrast – Proposition/Support

2. Chronological – Time oriented. This speech
or text would be organized in the order that
events happened using time, date, etc…
• The graphic organizer for events in chronological order is a time line.
For example:

3. Sequential – Step by step oriented. This
speech or text would be organized in the
order that things must or do occur in process.
• The graphic organizer for events in sequential order can be literal
steps or a line-arrow graphic. For example:

4. Cause and Effect – Action and reaction
oriented. This speech or text would be
organized by pointing out an event (cause)
and its consequences (effect).
The effect can be
positive, negative, or neutral.
CAUSE
• The graphic organizer for a Cause and Effect speech or text could be:
EFFECT
EFFECT
EFFECT
(This graphic could be adapted for many causes and one effect or multiple
causes and multiple effects accordingly.)

5. Problem and Solution – Result oriented.
This speech or text would be organized by
presenting an issue and proposing a fix.
• The graphic organizer for a Problem and Solution speech or text is
straightforward and adaptable to multiple solutions.
PROBLEM (s)
SOLUTION (s)

6. Compare and Contrast – Similarities and
Differences organization. This speech or text
would be organized by pointing out what is alike
and what is different about a given
topic, subject, or event.
• The go-to graphic organizer for the compare and contrast speech or
text is the good old Venn Diagram!
THING 1
THING
2
THING
3
Thing
1
Thing
2

7. Proposition and Support – the pitch and the
proof. This speech or text is organized by
proposing or pitching an idea or premise
(proposition) then providing reasoning or proof
(support) for it.
Example graphic for Proposition and Support:
PROPOSITION
Support
Support
Support

8. STEPS to FIND TEXT STRUCTURE as
a listener/reader
• Think about the information presented – analyze or close read it –
BREAK IT DOWN
• Decide what structure best applies to the speech or text
• Mentally or literally place the speech or text on the appropriate
graphic – BREAK IT DOWN AGAIN
• Categorize for impact and effectiveness – ANALYZE IT

9. STEPS to CREATE TEXT STRUCTURE
as a speaker/writer
• Think about the information you want to present – what are you
trying to say & who is your audience– BREAK IT DOWN
• Decide what structure best applies to the speech or text based on
your purpose and evidence or support
• Mentally or literally place the speech or text on the appropriate
graphic – BREAK IT DOWN AGAIN
• Categorize for impact and effectiveness – ANALYZE IT