Nonfiction Text Structure Passages - Weather - PDF & Digital

Teaching nonfiction text structure is easy with these interesting text structure reading passages and activities for kids excited about science and weather! Five articles about weather science will keep students engaged while they practice reading and analyzing the five main nonfiction text structures, using a variety of text structure graphic organizers. (A bonus adapted vocabulary page makes it easy to teach this lesson as organizational pattern!)

This resource includes the following digital versions:

• Google Slides (link in PDF)
• Easel Activity (link in My Purchases)

This set of tornado and hurricane reading passages and questions with graphic organizers (as well as text structure lesson ideas) are a great high-interest reading resource for your middle school class. Use the printable articles and activities for your classroom or homeschool, or share the Google Classroom activities with your students online to teach text structure through distance learning.

Each reading passage is written in one of the five main text structures (description, compare and contrast, cause and effect, problem and solution, and sequence/chronological order) and comes with a nonfiction graphic organizer that students can use to map the main ideas. There are also five reading comprehension questions to use with each article.

I've included a text structure vocabulary page with definitions and cue words for each type of text structure (plus a separate "organizational pattern" version for Virginia teachers with SOL terminology instead), as well as two lesson ideas - one group project for a 2-3 day period (great for practicing with text structure) and one that can fill part of a class period each day for a week for a more in-depth look at each text structure.

Here's what's included:

- 5 original articles:

• "Crazy Twisters!" (description)
• "A Tale of Two Hurricanes" (compare and contrast)
• "Tornado Alley" (cause and effect)
• "Tornado Warning!" (problem and solution)
• "A Hurricane's Life" (sequence)

- 5 pages of reading comprehension questions (a page for each passage)

- 5 graphic organizers (bubble map, Venn diagram, sequence chart, and two different flow charts)

- 1 page of lesson ideas

- 1 text structure vocabulary page that can be used for notes or whole-class review

- 1 separate SOL-based vocabulary page for Virginia teachers, using the terms "organizational pattern" and "generalization"

- Digital versions of all student pages in Google Slides

Text structure can be a difficult topic to teach, since you really have to read several full-length texts to get an sense of how each one works. I've simplified the process for you by providing clear-cut examples of each one in engaging, weather-themed articles - all in a simple, easy-to-implement format. I hope your students enjoy learning fun facts about hurricanes and tornadoes while they practice nonfiction reading skills and strategies!

***For a complete nonfiction unit, purchase my Weather Nonfiction Bundle - Text Structure and Text Features!

Answer keys are included for the graphic organizers and reading check questions.

Need more nonfiction fun? Don't miss these resources!

Ocean Life Nonfiction Bundle - Text Structure & Text Features

Thanksgiving Nonfiction Bundle - Text Structure & Text Features

Christmas Nonfiction Bundle - Text Structure & Text Features

Winter Nonfiction Reading Passages