Academic Text Structures with Graphic Organizers - English for Academic and Professional Purposes

Main ideas and lessons

• Purpose of academic language and formality (quick review/lead-in)

  • Academic texts use academic language distinct from informal, everyday “dynamic” or social language, with different goals.
  • Learners practice identifying formal vs. informal vocabulary.

• Core topic: academic text structures

  • Text structures are how authors organize information.
  • Recognizing a structure helps students:
    • Focus on key ideas and relationships
    • Predict what comes next
    • Monitor comprehension while reading

• Text structures taught (with organizers, signal words, and guide questions)

  • The lesson covers six or seven major academic text structures, each including:
    • a graphic organizer
    • signal words
    • guide questions for analysis

Methodology / instructional content

Activity / assessment instructions

• Formality practice

  • Task: Match informal vocabulary from a list with more formal options from a box.
  • Instructions: Pause the video and write answers on notebook/scratch paper.

• Text structure identification activity

  • Task: Given statements, identify the text structure used.
  • Instructions: Pause the video and write answers on a separate sheet of paper.

Academic text structures (what to look for)

1) Narrative Text Structure

• What it does: Narrates an event/story.
• Graphic organizer: Frey tag’s pyramid.
• Typical elements: characters, setting, conflict, point of view, plot.
• Descriptive language used: adjectives, adverbs, similes, metaphors.
• Signal words/examples: Not explicitly listed as a set in the subtitles.
• Guide questions:
  • Who is the narrative about?
  • Where is it set?
  • What is the conflict?
  • Who is telling the narrative?
  • What is happening?

2) Chronological Process or Sequence

• What it does: Presents steps/events in the order they happen (a step-by-step procedure).
• Graphic organizer: Visualizes a step-by-step procedure (specific named organizer not clearly provided).
• Signal words:
  • first, second, third
  • later, next, before, then, finally, after
  • when, since, now, previously
  • Also uses dates
• Guide questions:
  • What items/events/steps are listed?
  • Do they always happen in this order?
  • What sequence of events is described?
  • What major incidents occur?
  • How is the structure revealed in the text? (asked generally as part of analysis)

3) Cause and Effect

• What it does: Explains reasons (causes) and the resulting effects.
• Graphic organizer: Shows different causes and their effects.
• Signal words:
  • if/then
  • because
  • reasons why
  • as a result
  • therefore
  • consequently
  • since
  • so that
  • for
  • in due to (as stated)
• Guide questions:
  • What happened?
  • Why did it happen?
  • What caused it to happen?

4) Problem–Solution

• What it does: Identifies a problem and proposes a solution.
• Graphic organizer: Shows problem → solution pairing.
• Key words/markers (as listed):
  • problem
  • dilemma
  • if or then
  • because
  • so that
  • a question and an answer
  • a puzzle (puzzle is being solved)
• Guide questions:
  • What is the problem?
  • Why is this a problem?
  • Is anything being done to solve it?
  • What can be done to solve the problem?

5) Compare and Contrast

• What it does: Discusses two ideas/events/phenomena, highlighting similarities and differences.
• Graphic organizer: Venn diagram
  • similarities in the middle
  • differences on two sides
• Signal words:
  • however, yet, nevertheless
  • on the other hand, but
  • whereas
  • or similar(ly) terms: similarly, although, also, likewise
  • in contrast
  • in comparison
  • different, either or
  • in the same way, just as
  • and also
• Guide questions:
  • What items are being compared?
  • In what ways are they similar?
  • In what ways are they different?
  • What conclusions does the author reach?

6) Definition or Description

• What it does: Defines or describes a topic by listing characteristics and examples.
• Graphic organizer: Used to identify whether the text is definition vs. description (organizer not specifically named).
• Key words (as listed):
  • characteristics
  • for instance
  • such as
  • including
  • to illustrate
• Guide questions:
  • What are the most important characteristics?
  • How is it described / what does it look like?
  • How does it work?
  • What is important to remember about it?

Why studying text structures matters (explicit takeaway)

• Helps readers improve comprehension and retention
• Helps organize information and details mentally while reading
• Helps make connections between details in a text
• Helps summarize the most important details
• Prepares learners for academic/workplace reading by knowing how to process details in different text types

Speakers / sources

• No specific named speakers are mentioned in the subtitles.
• Source: The video itself — “Academic Text Structures with Graphic Organizers - English for Academic and Professional Purposes” (likely a single instructor/host speaking directly to the audience).