Nonfiction Reading Strategies and Text Structures: A Complete Guide

This comprehensive guide supports teachers, reading specialists, literacy coaches, and parents in effectively teaching strategies for nonfiction reading comprehension and informational text structures. With the increased emphasis on informational text in today’s standards-based classrooms, this resource provides research-based strategies, classroom-ready activities, and practical instructional guidance.

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Nonfiction Reading Instruction
2. Recommended Nonfiction Reading Resources
3. Informational Text and the Common Core State Standards
4. Why Content-Area Reading Is Challenging
5. Research-Based Nonfiction Text Structures
6. Nonfiction Text Structures in Instructional Order with Mentor Texts
   • Description
   • Sequence
   • Problem–Solution
   • Cause and Effect
   • Compare and Contrast
7. Best Practices for Teaching Nonfiction Text Structures
8. Before Reading Strategies for Informational Text
9. During Reading Strategies for Nonfiction Comprehension
10. After Reading Strategies for Deep Understanding
11. Characteristics of Strong Nonfiction Readers
12. Nonfiction Writing and Speaking Prompts

1. Introduction to Nonfiction Reading Instruction

Nonfiction and informational texts play a critical role in developing students’ academic vocabulary, background knowledge, and comprehension skills. Explicit instruction in nonfiction reading strategies enables students to navigate complex texts across various content areas, including science, social studies, and health.

2. Recommended Nonfiction Reading Resources

Teaching Videos for Kids: A wonderful option for teaching students about nonfiction text features and structures is through online videos. Short instructional videos provide multimodal instruction, combining visual modeling and auditory explanation to support comprehension, engagement, and retention. Students can pause, replay, and process information at their own pace, making complex strategies more accessible.

Collection of Resources and Graphic Organizers This packet, uploaded by Literacy Leaders, has graphic organizers for each text structure.

Sample Nonfiction Paragraphs Smeken Education uploaded an example of each nonfiction text structure in a paragraph.

One-Page Nonfiction Readings by Grade Level (Center for Urban Education). These passages are leveled using the Fry Readability Formula:

Grades 2-3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Grade 6

Grade 7

Grades 8-10

Useful Bulletin Board Idea

I own these Carson Dellosa 14-Piece Nonfiction Text Posters. They come as a set on Amazon for $9.99. It helps to show examples of various nonfiction text features.

3. Informational Text and the Common Core State Standards

The Common Core State Standards significantly increased the emphasis on informational text:

• Grade 4: 50% literary / 50% informational
• Grade 8: 45% literary / 55% informational
• Grade 12: 30% literary / 70% informational

These shifts highlight the importance of content-area literacy and students’ ability to comprehend complex nonfiction texts.

4. Why Content-Area Reading Is Challenging

Reading and writing in content areas is demanding, requiring:

• Knowledge of specialized academic vocabulary
• Strong background knowledge
• Study and memory skills
• Understanding multiple nonfiction text structures
• Perseverance through varying readability levels
• Monitoring for meaning
• Identifying important information
• Evaluating source reliability
• Sustaining engagement and interest

5. Research-Based Nonfiction Text Structures

Research indicates that nearly all expository texts fall into two broad categories: descriptive texts and texts affected by time (Calfee & Patrick, 1995).

Descriptive Text Structures

These focus on attributes and characteristics:

• List: Simple listing of features or facts
• Web: Categorized attributes connected to one main idea
• Matrix: Compares and contrasts two or more topics

Sequential Text Structures

These present events or steps over time:

• String (Sequence): Events or steps in order
• Cause and Effect: One event leads to another
• Problem–Solution: A problem is presented and resolved

Source: Dymock & Nicholson (2010), The Reading Teacher.

6. Nonfiction Text Structures in Instructional Order

The recommended order for instruction is:

1. Description
2. Sequence
3. Problem–Solution
4. Cause and Effect
5. Compare and Contrast

Teachers should explicitly model how authors use text structures to organize information and signal relationships among ideas.

Description (Teach First)

Describes a topic by listing features, characteristics, or examples.

The image below lists descriptive signal words.

The image below lists mentor texts that are designed to teach descriptive writing.

Sequence (Teach Second)

Explains events or steps in order. Common signal words include first, next, for example, also, and most important.

The image and bulleted list below list sequential signal words.

• to begin with
• most important
• also
• for instance
• in fact
• for example
• another
• not long after

The image below lists mentor texts that are designed to teach sequential writing.

Problem–Solution (Teach Third)

Presents a problem followed by one or more solutions. Signal words include problem, solution, and difficulty.

The image and bulleted list below list problem-solution signal words.

• solution is
• difficulty is

The image below lists mentor texts that are designed to teach problem-solution writing.

Cause and Effect (Teach Fourth)

Explains why something happened and the result. Signal words include because, therefore, and accordingly.

The image and bulleted list below lists cause-effect signal words.

•  accordingly

This link lists mentor texts that are designed to teach cause-and-effect writing.

Cause and Effect Mentor Texts

Compare and Contrast (Teach Fifth)

Shows similarities and differences using signal words such as however, both, and not only…but also.

The image and the bulleted list below list compare-contrast signal words.

• not only…but also
• unless
• vs.

The image below lists mentor texts that are designed to teach compare-contrast writing.

7. Best Practices for Teaching Nonfiction Text Structures

Effective nonfiction instruction requires explicit, systematic teaching of text structures paired with strong modeling and guided practice. Teachers should first identify the text structure(s) in advance and intentionally select or design graphic organizers that align with how the information is organized.

Instruction should begin with teacher modeling. Teachers demonstrate how to determine the text structure, attend to signal words, and record information on a corresponding graphic organizer. Using a think-aloud, the teacher reads aloud a short section, pauses strategically, and verbalizes their thinking (e.g., “I notice the author is explaining a problem and then offering a solution. The signal word solution helps me confirm the structure.”).

After modeling, instruction should move to shared and guided practice. During shared reading, teachers prompt students to discuss clues that signal text structure and guide them in completing organizers together. Teachers should ask focused questions that target structure, such as identifying relationships among ideas or explaining how signal words connect concepts. Visual supports—such as drawing pictures to represent sequence—can further strengthen understanding.

Teachers should then provide scaffolded practice, gradually releasing responsibility. Students practice identifying text structures and taking notes with teacher support before applying the skills independently. Providing teacher-made guides and organizers that mirror the structure of the original text helps students focus on essential elements.

Reading and writing instruction must be explicitly connected. Teachers should model writing paragraphs using specific text structures while describing their decision-making. Students then write their own paragraphs using paragraph frames or templates. Additional activities include rewriting passages using a different text structure and comparing versions to analyze why an author chose a particular organizational pattern.

The ultimate goal is not merely identifying patterns but helping students internalize text structures so they can independently comprehend complex nonfiction texts and organize their own expository writing effectively.

8. Before Reading Strategies for Informational Text

Before reading, instruction should focus on figuring out what students already know and what they need to know, as well as making sure they know why they are reading.

• Activate Prior Knowledge: Elicit what students already know about the topic. Strategies such as K-W-L charts (What I Know, Want to Know, Learned) help students activate background knowledge, generate questions, and synthesize new learning.
• Skimming and Scanning: Teach students to quickly preview nonfiction text features such as titles, headings, glossaries, maps, charts, captions, and boldfaced words. Reading the first and last paragraphs helps students anticipate key ideas.
• Anticipation Guides: Use agree/disagree or yes/no statements to activate background knowledge and spark discussion. Students revisit these statements after reading to confirm or revise their thinking.
• Predict-O-Grams: Highlight academic language by providing key words from the text and having students predict how they will be used, what might happen, and what questions the text may answer.
• Admit Slips: Provide students with illustrations, headings, or subtitles and have them write questions or predictions about what they expect to learn, creating a strong purpose for reading.
• Teach Vocabulary Before Reading: Introduce essential academic vocabulary using context, visuals, and connections to prior knowledge. Explicit vocabulary instruction significantly improves comprehension.
• Advance Organizers: Use graphic organizers to provide students a conceptual framework before reading.
• Address Misconceptions: Clarify misunderstandings with discussion, visuals, and examples before students encounter the text.

9. During Reading Strategies for Nonfiction Comprehension

During reading, instruction should support comprehension and encourage active monitoring of meaning.

• Close Reading: Students reread text multiple times, gaining deeper meaning with each reading.
• SQ4R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Relate, Review): Supports long-term retention by integrating questioning, note-taking, and reflection.
• Reciprocal Teaching: Students practice predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing with a partner.
• DR-TA (Directed Reading-Thinking Activity): Students activate prior knowledge, make predictions, read with purpose, and confirm or revise predictions.
• TAG (Textbook Activity Guide): Teacher-created prompts guide students to essential information and nonfiction text features.
• Cornell Note-Taking: Students develop questions, take notes, and summarize learning to strengthen understanding and retention.
• Graphic Organizers: Students complete organizers aligned to the text structure as they read.

Other strategies while reading include comparing and contrasting ideas, telling the difference between facts and opinions, finding main ideas and supporting details, making guesses based on information, understanding cause-and-effect relationships, using hints from the text, and changing how fast they read

10. After Reading Strategies for Deep Understanding

After reading strategies help students consolidate their learning, clarify meaning, and deepen comprehension. At this stage, students reflect on what they have read, determine what is most important, and integrate new information with prior knowledge. These strategies are essential for moving students beyond recall toward higher-level thinking.

Summarize, Synthesize, and Retell
Students should regularly practice summarizing and retelling informational texts in their own words. Summarizing focuses on identifying key ideas and essential details, while synthesizing requires students to combine new information with what they already know to form a deeper understanding. Retelling and sequencing events help students organize information logically and demonstrate comprehension of text structure.

Exit Slips
Exit slips are a quick and effective way to assess student learning at the end of a lesson. These brief written responses provide immediate feedback and encourage reflection. Common exit slip prompts include:

• Write about something you learned today.

• What questions do you still have?

• How did today’s learning connect to what you already knew?

Exit slips help teachers identify misconceptions and guide future instruction.

GIST (Generating Interactions Between Schemata and Texts)
GIST is a structured summarization strategy that helps students write concise, organized summaries. The teacher models the process using a short paragraph that describes a concept, event, or sequence.

• Read the first sentence and summarize it in 15 words or fewer.

• Read the second sentence and combine both ideas into one sentence of 15 words or fewer.

• Continue this process until the entire paragraph or section is reduced to a single summary sentence.

Students then practice independently using their own informational texts, strengthening their ability to determine importance.

Conceptual Questions After Reading
After reading, students should answer questions that require them to apply, analyze, and evaluate information rather than simply recall facts. Conceptual questions help students connect ideas, explain relationships, and apply learning to new situations.

Analyze the Author’s Purpose and Viewpoint
Students deepen comprehension by considering the author’s intent. Encourage them to ask:

• Why did the author write this selection?

• What viewpoint or perspective is being presented?

• How does the author support their ideas?

Understanding the author’s purpose strengthens critical thinking and supports the evaluation of informational texts.

11. Characteristics of Strong Nonfiction Readers

Strong nonfiction readers are active, purposeful readers who use a range of strategies to construct meaning and stay engaged with informational texts. They approach reading with clear goals and adjust their strategies as needed to understand complex ideas and unfamiliar information.

Effective nonfiction readers:

• Set clear reading goals and understand the purpose for reading (to learn, research, or answer questions)

• Preview text features such as headings, subheadings, captions, charts, diagrams, maps, and indexes to build a framework for understanding

• Monitor comprehension and notice when meaning breaks down

• Ask questions before, during, and after reading to clarify ideas and deepen understanding

• Make connections (text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world) to integrate new information with prior knowledge

• Adjust reading rate by slowing down for complex sections and skimming familiar or supportive material

• Identify key ideas and important details rather than focusing on isolated facts

• Use fix-up strategies when comprehension breaks down, such as rereading, using context clues, breaking words into parts, or seeking clarification

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12. Nonfiction Writing and Speaking Prompts

Writing and speaking about nonfiction texts help students reflect on learning, organize ideas, and communicate understanding. These prompts encourage students to summarize, analyze, and respond thoughtfully to informational reading.

Examples of effective nonfiction response prompts include:

• I learned…

• I never knew…

• I was surprised that…

• An important fact is…

• This text helped me understand…

• One key idea from the text is…

• I would recommend this book because…

These prompts can be used for oral discussions, journal responses, exit slips, or short written reflections, allowing students to demonstrate comprehension in multiple ways.