A. Literacy Connections and Applications / C. Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts · Understanding and Responding to TextsText Patterns and Features: Problem and Solution, Subheadings and Menus
C1.3 A2.4About 40 minutes
Learning goals- I can identify a problem-solution pattern in a report and explain how it helps me understand the text.
- I can compare problem-solution with other patterns: cause and effect, compare and contrast, sequence and description.
- I can explain how text features such as subheadings, sidebars, captions and diagrams help me find and understand information.
- I can explain how digital text features such as pull-down menus, hyperlinks and search bars help me navigate a website.
Words to know
text pattern
The way information in a text is organized, such as problem-solution or cause and effect.
problem-solution
A pattern that describes a problem, often its causes, and then one or more solutions.
subheading
A small heading inside a text that tells what the next section is about.
sidebar
A box beside the main text with extra information.
pull-down menu
A list on a website or app that drops down when you click or tap a word, showing more choices.
hyperlink
Clickable text or a picture that takes you to another page.
signal words
Words that hint at the text pattern, such as because, however or one solution is.
Remember from Grade 5
In Grade 5 you followed cause-and-effect chains in persuasive texts, and used prefaces, glossaries and indexes. You also learned that patterns organize ideas and features help you find them.
In Grade 6 you will focus on the problem-solution pattern in reports, and on features of digital texts like pull-down menus.
Hook: Where are the monarchs?
Imagine a garden in July full of orange and black monarch butterflies. Now imagine the same garden with only one or two. Scientists have found that monarch numbers in eastern North America have dropped over the years. A report about this would need to explain a problem and then share solutions. Read the report below, written for this website.
Helping Monarchs in Ontario (a report)
The Problem
Monarch butterflies are in trouble. Their numbers have gone down in the past few decades. Ontario's species at risk list names monarchs as a species of special concern, which means they could become threatened if nothing changes. (In 2023, Canada's national species at risk list moved them up to endangered.)
What Is Causing It?
Monarch caterpillars eat only one kind of plant: milkweed. When fields are paved, mowed or sprayed with weed killers, milkweed disappears. Without milkweed, monarchs have nowhere to lay their eggs. Monarchs also face problems on their long migration, including loss of habitat and extreme weather.
Solutions
One solution is to plant native milkweed in gardens, schoolyards and parks. Another solution is to plant native flowers that give adult monarchs nectar for energy. Communities can also mow roadsides less often in summer. Finally, people can join citizen science projects to count monarchs and help scientists track them.
Sidebar: Did you know? Eastern monarchs fly thousands of kilometres to spend the winter in the mountains of Mexico.
The problem-solution pattern
A problem-solution text usually has three parts:
- The problem: what is wrong, and why it matters.
- The causes: why the problem happens. (Notice that a cause-and-effect pattern is often inside a problem-solution text!)
- The solutions: one or more ways to fix or improve the problem, sometimes with an evaluation of which works best.
Signal words: the problem is, because, as a result, one solution is, another solution, to fix this, if... then, finally.
Knowing the pattern helps you predict what is coming next and check that each solution matches a cause.
Worked exampleLet's find the pattern and match solutions to causes
In Helping Monarchs in Ontario, find the problem, the main cause and the solutions. Does each solution match a cause?
- Problem (under the subheading The Problem): monarch numbers have gone down; they are a species of special concern.
- Main cause (under What Is Causing It?): milkweed, the only plant monarch caterpillars eat, is disappearing because of paving, mowing and weed killers.
- Solutions: plant native milkweed; plant native nectar flowers; mow roadsides less in summer; join citizen science.
- Check the match: planting milkweed and mowing less fix the milkweed cause. Nectar flowers help adults get energy. Citizen science doesn't fix a cause directly, but it helps scientists understand the problem.
- Signal words helped: One solution is... Another solution... Finally...
Problem: fewer monarchs. Cause: loss of milkweed (and migration dangers). Solutions: plant milkweed and nectar flowers, mow less, and count monarchs. Most solutions directly match the main cause, which makes the report convincing.
| Pattern | Question it answers | Signal words |
|---|
| Problem-solution | What's wrong, and how can we fix it? | the problem is, one solution, to solve this |
| Cause and effect | Why did it happen? What happened because of it? | because, so, as a result, therefore |
| Compare and contrast | How are these alike and different? | both, however, unlike, similarly |
| Sequence (time order) | In what order did it happen? | first, next, then, finally, in 1999 |
| Description | What is it like? | for example, has, looks like, such as |
Text features in print and on screens
Print features:
- Title and subheadings tell you what each section is about, so you can skim and jump to what you need. In the monarch report, the subheadings even follow the pattern: The Problem, What Is Causing It?, Solutions.
- Sidebars add interesting extras without interrupting the main ideas.
- Captions explain photos and diagrams.
- Bold words show key vocabulary.
- Diagrams, maps and charts show information that is hard to explain in words.
Digital features:
- Pull-down (drop-down) menus group pages under main topics. Hover or tap Butterflies, and a list drops down: Monarchs, Swallowtails, How to Help.
- Hyperlinks take you to related pages or sources.
- Search bars let you type a keyword to find a page.
- Navigation bars and breadcrumbs (like Home > Butterflies > Monarchs) show where you are in the site.
- Expandable sections (Read more) hide details until you need them.
Worked exampleLet's use digital features to find information fast
Lucas wants to know which kind of milkweed to plant in his Ontario garden. He is on a nature website with a navigation bar with four headings: Home, Butterflies ▾, Plants ▾ and Get Involved ▾. How should he use the features?
- He thinks about which menu fits: his question is about plants, so he opens the Plants ▾ pull-down menu.
- The menu shows: Native Plants for Pollinators, Invasive Plants, Garden Planner. He chooses Native Plants for Pollinators.
- On that page he skims the subheadings and finds Milkweeds for Ontario Gardens.
- He notices a hyperlink: Where to buy native seeds. He follows it only after checking with a grown-up, because links can lead to shopping sites.
- If the menu had not helped, he could type milkweed Ontario into the search bar.
He used a pull-down menu, then subheadings, then a hyperlink, with the search bar as a backup. Digital features work like a table of contents you can click.
Funny but trueMonarch caterpillars eat only milkweed. Imagine a cafeteria with exactly one thing on the menu, every day, forever. That's why planting milkweed is such a big deal!
Why patterns and features help
Patterns help you predict and organize: once you see the problem is, you expect causes and solutions. Features help you find information and see how ideas connect. When you take notes, you can use the same pattern as a graphic organizer.
Hands-on activityBuild a problem-solution mini-report with a menu
You need: paper, coloured pencils, scissors (with a grown-up's help), tape.
- Choose a problem at home or school (for example, Our boot tray is always a mess in winter or Our recycling bin overflows).
- Write a mini-report with three subheadings: The Problem, Causes, Solutions. Give at least two solutions that match causes.
- Add one sidebar with a fun fact and one diagram with a caption.
- Make a paper pull-down menu: fold a strip of paper so it hangs down from a title like Solutions ▾ and lists your solutions. Tape it to the top of your page.
- Ask a family member to find a solution using only your menu. Did your features work?
Your turn
1What is the problem in Helping Monarchs in Ontario?
Monarch numbers have gone down, and they are listed as a species of special concern in Ontario.
2What is the main cause of the problem, according to the report?
Loss of milkweed, the only plant monarch caterpillars eat, because of paving, mowing and weed killers. (Migration dangers are also mentioned.)
3Name two solutions in the report.
Any two: plant native milkweed; plant native nectar flowers; mow roadsides less in summer; join citizen science to count monarchs.
4Which signal words in the report show the problem-solution pattern?
One solution is, Another solution is, Finally. (Also The Problem and What Is Causing It? subheadings.)
5Why is the fact about Mexico in a sidebar instead of the main text?
It's interesting extra information, but it isn't one of the main ideas (problem, causes, solutions), so a sidebar keeps the main text focused.
6What is a pull-down menu, and how does it help a reader?
A list that drops down when you click or tap a heading. It groups pages by topic, so you can find the right page quickly.
7What does the breadcrumb Home > Plants > Milkweeds tell you?
Where you are in the website: on the Milkweeds page, inside the Plants section. You can click Plants to go back.
More practice: warm-up
1What pattern answers What's wrong and how can we fix it?
Tell what each section is about.
A box beside the main text with extra information.
4Which feature lets you type a word to find a page?
5What do monarch caterpillars eat?
More practice: on your own
1Name the pattern: Both robins and blue jays live in Ontario year-round in many places. However, robins eat mostly worms and berries, while blue jays love acorns.
Compare and contrast: signal words both, however, while.
2Name the pattern: Because the drain was blocked with leaves, rainwater flooded the street.
Cause and effect: signal word because; blocked drain (cause) → flooded street (effect).
3Why is a cause-and-effect section often found inside a problem-solution text?
To solve a problem you need to know why it happens. The causes help the writer choose solutions that fix the real reason.
4A website's About ▾ menu lists Our Team, Our Funders, Contact Us. Why might a careful reader open it?
To find out who made the site and who pays for it, which helps judge whether it is credible or might be biased.
5A reader wants just one fact quickly. Should they read every word or use features? Explain.
Use features: subheadings, menus, search bars and bold words help them skim to the right section quickly.
Challenge
1Write a short problem-solution paragraph (4 to 5 sentences) about snow piling up on your school's sidewalk. Use at least two signal words.
Example: The problem is that snow piles up on the sidewalk by the front door, and students slip. This happens because the plow pushes snow there every morning. One solution is to ask the plow driver to push the snow to the side of the parking lot. Another solution is for student volunteers to spread sand. Finally, the school could put up a sign warning people. (Look for a problem, a cause, solutions that match and signal words.)
2A report about monarchs has these subheadings: Life Cycle, Migration, Monarchs in Art, How to Help. Which subheading does not fit a report about saving monarchs? Why?
Monarchs in Art: it is interesting, but it does not explain the problem or the solutions, so it is less relevant to the report's purpose. It could be moved to a sidebar.
3Explain how a pull-down menu is like a table of contents, and one way it is different.
Alike: both list the topics and help you jump to the part you need. Different: a pull-down menu hides its list until you click, saving screen space, and you can click to go directly to a page instead of turning to a page number.
Quiz
1. A text explains why there is too much litter in a park and then suggests more garbage bins and a clean-up day. Its pattern is...
2. Which signal words most often show a problem-solution pattern?
3. What is a pull-down menu?
4. Why do report writers use subheadings?
5. In Helping Monarchs in Ontario, why do monarchs need milkweed?
6. What does a breadcrumb trail like Home > Plants > Milkweeds show?
What this lesson teaches: Grade 6 students analyze text patterns such as problem-solution in a report, and text features such as subheadings and pull-down menus, explaining how they help readers understand (C1.3). Digital features connect to understanding the conventions of digital texts (A2.4).
How to help at home:
- When you read a news article or report together, ask: "Is this a problem-solution text? What's the problem? Do the solutions match the causes?"
- On a website you trust, let your child navigate with the menus to find a specific fact (for example, your library's hours or a recipe).
- Point out signal words in everyday texts (however, as a result, one solution).
Common difficulties:
- Mixing up cause-effect and problem-solution. Explain that causes often live inside a problem-solution text.
- Clicking around randomly online. Encourage your child to predict which menu holds the answer before clicking.
Facts used: Monarch caterpillars feed only on milkweed plants. Monarchs are listed as a species of special concern on Ontario's species at risk list, and in 2023 they were listed as endangered under Canada's federal Species at Risk Act (statuses are reviewed from time to time, so check the current lists). Eastern monarchs migrate to overwinter in the mountains of central Mexico. Planting native milkweed and nectar plants and joining monarch counts are widely recommended ways to help.