Text Structure Mentor Text Picture Books Upper Elementary

Teaching our students to differentiate between different text structures helps them better understand the nonfiction passages and materials they read, identify any bias in the texts they read, and determine the author's purpose.

One simple way to bring a variety of text structures into your classroom to kick off a text structure unit or to accompany your unit is to read and use picture books as text structure mentor texts. I love using picture books as text structure mentor texts because they provide the perfect visual for students for each text structure, and they are easy to refer back to throughout the unit...and all year long!

Just getting started with text structure?

Text structure refers to how the content of a nonfiction reading passage or book is organized. Understanding the different text structures helps our students focus on important ideas, find the main idea, infer, and monitor comprehension. 

Five nonfiction text structures to practice with students...

• cause and effect
• sequence
• description
• compare and contrast
• problem and solution

I have compiled my favorite picture books to use when teaching text structure to upper elementary students. Check this list out, add them to your text structure lesson plans, and watch your students' understanding skyrocket!

👉Don't miss out on the FREE text structure starter kit at the bottom of this post!

Cause and Effect Text Structure Mentor Text Read Alouds

These texts show the cause-and-effect relationship between events. The cause is why something happened. The effect is what happened as a result.

• Oil by Jonah and Jeanette Winter
• Shark Lady by Jess Keating
• The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry
• Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine
• The Case of the Vanishing Little Brown Bat by Sandra Markle

Sequence Text Structure Mentor Text Read Alouds

These texts show how important the sequence of events can be to an overall event. Sequence order describes the order of events or lists of steps on how to do something or how something is made. 

• It Starts with a Bee by Jennie Weber
• One Tiny Turtle by Nicola Davies
• How to Write a Story by Kate Messner
• Dinosaur Lady by Linda Skeers
• Who Was/Is...Series

Description Text Structure Mentor Text Read Alouds

These texts describe or explain a topic with specific details, characteristics, and examples. Description text structure books cover many different topics.

• Here is the Tropical Rain Forest by Madeline Dunphy
• You Are Home: Ode to National Parks by Evan Turk
• Moon! Earth's Best Friend by Stacy McAnulty
• Sea Turtles by Laura Marsh
• National Parks of the USA by Kate Siber

Compare and Contrast Text Structure Mentor Text Read Alouds

These texts compare and contrast two different topics. Compare and contrast texts highlight similarities and differences between two or more things.

• The Best Book of Whales and Dolphins by Christiane Gunzi
• Wolves and Coyotes by Jane P. Resnick (no link available; check your library for this series)
• Insect or Spider? by Melissa Stewart
• The Difference Between Turtle and Tortoise by Trisha Shaskan
• Cats and Dogs {National Geographic} by Elizabeth Carney

Problem and Solution Text Structure Mentor Text Read Alouds

These texts describe a problem first and then tell or explain how it was solved. Sometimes, this text structure can overlap with cause and effect. These books all follow different problems.

• Recycle by Gail Gibbons
• Coral Reefs Matter by Julie Murphy
• Marjory Saves the Everglades by Sandra Neil Wallace
• Ada's Violin by Sally Wern Comport
• Wangari's Trees of Peace by Jeannette Winter

Grab one of these books and start sharing different text structures with your students! Be sure to scoop up the FREE text structure starter kit right here:

Remember that research shows that understanding text structure helps strengthen reading comprehension and guides students in understanding how the information is laid out. When we teach our students to differentiate between text structures, we give them the tools to comprehend, analyze, and effectively communicate the information they learn as they read. It also helps them identify bias as they read more complex nonfiction texts.

💡TEACHER TIP: Sometimes texts are written with more than one structure, or the text structures overlap, especially regarding problem, solution, and cause and effect. Open up your discussions to allow dialogue from your students for more than one type of text structure within one book. This is a great way to get them ready to read on their own when faced with various text structures.

These nonfiction picture books are perfect for any text structure lesson you teach! Grab these Text Structure Foldables to put a variety of text structures right in the hands of your students. These will help them read a variety of topics and text structures as they develop and strengthen their nonfiction reading skills!

Which one of these books will you get started to teach nonfiction text structure? 

You will also love to read:

Visualizing as Readers

Teaching Students Summarize

Quick Tip to Differentiate Summarizing Instruction 

Must Try Inferencing Lesson for Upper Elementary

Check out these Text Structure activities HERE. 

Like these Text Structure Foldables perfect for your daily routine!

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*affiliate links: “Think Grow Giggle is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.” (source: Section 5)