Focus on Genre: Organization of Ideas
• By Problem and Solution
Writers organize their ideas in many different ways. The organization of a text is called the text structure. Understanding the text structure will help you follow the writer’s ideas and remember details.
How It Works
Before you read, preview the text to figure out the topic and see what type of writing it is. This will often give you a clue about the text structure. One type of text structure is problem and solution. It is often used in nonfiction when a writer wants to explain how a problem is solved.
Read this passage and look for a problem and its solutions.
The Unionville Youth Group
Congratulations to the Unionville Youth Group! They were recently selected to compete in the National Problem Solvers Contest. However, the contest is in Boston, MA, and the club needs to raise money to pay for airfare. They have two months to raise $2,000.
Problem
So, on Saturday, members of the club will do yard work. For a small fee, they will rake leaves, mow the lawn, and pull weeds. They also have a bake sale and car wash planned for later this month. The club hopes that these three events will help fund the trip to Boston.