Text structure signal words: chart, template and strategies

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

Text structure signal words show how ideas connect. Sequence uses first, next and finally. Compare and contrast uses both, however and unlike. Cause and effect uses because, so and as a result. Problem and solution uses the problem is and one answer is. Description uses for example and such as. Teach students to spot them, name the structure and take notes on the matching organizer.

Signal words are the small words and phrases authors use to show how one idea connects to the next. They are the fastest clue to a passage's structure. A student who sees "as a result" twice and "because" three times can guess the passage is cause and effect before finishing it, and can set up notes to match.

Below are a signal word chart, a fill-in structure notes template, a completed example, notes on what reviewers and parents look for, and a short routine for teaching structure. For goals, see IEP goals for text features and text structure. The pillar on reading comprehension strategies places structure among the other strategies.

Signal words chart

Structure	What the author does	Signal words	Organizer
Description	Tells about a topic with features or examples	for example, such as, including, also, in addition, characteristics	Web: topic in the center, features around it
Sequence	Gives steps or events in order	first, next, then, after, before, finally, during, by the time, dates	Numbered boxes or a timeline
Compare and contrast	Shows likenesses and differences	both, also, similarly, like, however, unlike, but, whereas, on the other hand	Venn diagram or a two-column chart
Cause and effect	Shows why something happened and what followed	because, so, since, as a result, due to, therefore, led to, if... then	Arrows from cause boxes to effect boxes
Problem and solution	Names a problem and one or more fixes	the problem is, a challenge, one answer is, to solve this, fixed, the result was	Problem box, then solution boxes, then outcome

The What Works Clearinghouse guide for kindergarten through grade 3 recommends teaching students to recognize text structures and use them to understand what they read.^[1]

Fill-in structure notes template

Copy this onto a half sheet for each passage. The student fills it during or after reading.

Line	Fill in
Title and page
Signal words I found (write 3 or more)
Structure (circle one): description, sequence, compare and contrast, cause and effect, problem and solution
How I know (one sentence)
Organizer (draw the matching shape and fill it)
One-sentence summary using 2 signal words
Probe score (teacher): structure correct? organizer correct?	/2

The last line turns the sheet into a data point. One point for the right structure, one for an organizer that matches it and is accurate.

Completed example

Ruby is a fictional 6th grader. She reads an unpracticed 250-word science passage. In short: towns near a river flooded every spring. Because the riverbanks were bare, rain ran straight into the river. As a result, the water rose quickly. To solve this, the town planted trees along the banks. The roots held the soil, so less water rushed in, and the floods became smaller.

Line	Ruby's notes
Title and page	"Trees and Floods," page 42
Signal words I found	because, as a result, to solve this, so
Structure	Problem and solution (she also notes cause and effect inside it)
How I know	"It says the town had floods and then says what they did to fix it."
Organizer	Problem: spring floods. Cause: bare banks, fast water. Solution: plant trees. Outcome: smaller floods.
One-sentence summary	"The town had floods because the banks were bare, so they planted trees, and as a result the floods got smaller."
Probe score	2/2

The passage mixes two structures, which real texts often do. Teach students to name the main one and note the other. Give full credit for either when both fit, and write that rule on the data sheet.

What reviewers and parents look for

Signal words found. Reviewers look for at least 3 words written by the student. Parents can quiz this at home with any newspaper article.

The structure line. This is the skill the goal measures. Reviewers check that the choice matches the passage, not the signal word list alone. A passage can say "first" once and still be compare and contrast.

How I know. This line shows reasoning. A student who writes "because it said because" is matching words. A student who writes "it explains why the floods happened" understands the structure.

The organizer. Parents often find this the most useful part. It shows whether the student can pull the main ideas out of the passage and arrange them.

The summary. It shows whether the structure helped the student hold the ideas together. It also links to teaching summarizing.

The probe score. Reviewers want the score with its denominator and the passage level noted somewhere on the sheet.

Text structure strategies: a teaching routine

Use this order over several weeks. Teach one structure at a time, then mix them.

Start with sequence. It is the most familiar structure. Use recipes and how-to texts. Have students circle the signal words and number the steps.
Add one structure every week or two. Teach compare and contrast next, then cause and effect, problem and solution and description. Use one short passage per structure, then a second to practice.
Sort passages. Give 5 short passages, one per structure. Students sort them and name the signal words that helped.
Notes on the matching organizer. Students read a new passage, choose the structure, draw the organizer and fill it.
Retell or summarize by structure. Students use the organizer to retell aloud or write a summary that uses the structure's signal words.

Spoken practice matters for students with language needs. Retelling with signal words builds the same skill aloud, and goals for it sit with the SLP, such as signal how ideas connect in an informational retell. In middle and high school, listening for signal words in lectures helps with note taking; see spot signal words that mark key lecture points.

Common mistakes with signal words

Treating the list as a rule. "Because" appears in many passages that are not cause and effect. Teach students to check the main idea against the structure.
Teaching all five structures at once. Students mix them up. One at a time, then sort.
Using only made-up passages. Move to real textbook sections within the first few weeks.
Skipping the organizer. Naming the structure is half the skill. Using it to take notes is the other half.

Goal templates and data

The goal template for explaining what a signal word tells the reader and the one for naming a passage's structure and organizing it fit this sheet directly. Track probe scores on the accuracy data sheet. For goals on two common structures, see IEP goals for cause and effect and IEP goals for compare and contrast. The comprehension goals page and the reading comprehension strategies hub list the full set.

Frequently asked questions

What are text structure signal words?

Words and phrases that show how ideas connect, such as first and next for sequence, however and unlike for compare and contrast, because and as a result for cause and effect, and the problem is for problem and solution.

Which text structure should I teach first?

Sequence is usually easiest, because students know it from recipes, directions and stories. Compare and contrast often comes next. Teach one structure at a time and then have students sort passages.

What if a passage uses more than one structure?

Many real texts do. Teach students to name the main structure and note the other. When both fit the passage, give credit for either and write that rule on the data sheet.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade, What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.