This chapter discusses different types of textbook study guide structures that can help increase student learning and understanding. It describes study guides as providing explicit tools to help comprehend textbooks. Several structures are discussed including main idea, list, order, compare and contrast, cause and effect, problem solution, and analogy. Each structure is meant to target different reading skills, content acquisition abilities, or fall between the two. Specific examples are provided for most structures. The chapter conveys that study guides can help improve test scores and allow English language learners to meet requirements when used effectively.

1. Chapter
Nine:Textbook Guides
and Increased
Learning
Chase Kurtz
EDSC 310
Dr. Blander

2. An Overview and Understanding of Textbook Guides
- Study Guide: Abstracts of important information from longer readings; also
known as “an adaptation of the textbook” (114).
- Cognitive Framework: Helps students transfer, retain, and organize
information by combining parts and information given from the text.
- This chapter discusses the benefits of textbook study guides along with
their particular functions and structures. There are several structures:
- MAIN IDEA
- LIST TEXT
- ORDER TEXT
- COMPARE AND CONTRAST
- CAUSE AND EFFECT
- PROBLEM SOLUTION
- ANALOGY
- The chapter also conveys that study guides are solutions for understanding
textbooks because they provide “explicit and structured tools” (113).

3. Main Idea Text Structure
- Focuses on a single idea from a given
passage; it may include principles, laws,
and definitions.
- Can be effective whether they are
teacher-directed or student-directed.
- This structure is so effective that it
allows students to be SOCIALLY
SIGNIFICANT, or allows failing scores to
improve, thus allowing ELN students to
pass their requirements.

4. List Text Structure
- Focuses on a general topic that is followed
by a list of characteristics that describe the
topic.
- Will contain cue words: “Because”; “In
addition”
- The MOST DIFFICULT of structure types.
- Involves Expository text that allows for the
understanding of the text and makes the
text easier to understand.
- Two Types:
1.) Problem Solution
2.) List
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
CHARACTERISTIC CHARACTERISTIC
CHARACTERISTIC CHARACTERISTIC
CHARACTERISTIC CHARACTERISTIC

5. Order Text Structure
-Helps students improve their reading skills by
teaching them to identify text structure
- The Order Text Structure helps determine three
study guide categories:
1.) Those targeted at improving reading skills
2.) Those targeted at the acquisition of
content.
3.) Those that fall somewhere in between.
- They aid ELN students in learning important content.
INTRODUCTION
FIRST
SECOND
THIRD

6. Compare & Contrast Structure
- An inclusion strategy that assists students in their
navigation of textbook selections in which
comparing and contrasting is the main function.
- When deciding to use this study guide, the concepts
that are to be identified should be dissimilar.
- Important cue words:
- Compared to…
- In contrast…
- As opposed to…
- Similarly...
CONCEPT 2
CONCEPT 1

7. Cause & Effect
- These are difficult structures that are
dominant features of SOCIAL STUDIES
texts.
- Understandable with reader inferences, and
background knowledge allows for better
reasoning.
- Include SUSPENDED CAUSALITY RULES:
“Propositions that specify the types of events
that often cause other events, are the basis
for inference” (Gore, 126).
- C&E Study Guides work great with Graphic
Organizers.
EFFECT
1
CAUSE
EFFECT
2
CAUSE EFFECT

8. Problem Solution
- This Study Guide focuses of
MACROSTRUCTURE: Text that is
organized and represented in a
coherent whole.
- Beneficial for ELL and ELN students
because it increases metacognitive
awareness.
- Allows students to transfer learning
to new tasks.
- Similar to List structures,
Problem-Solution study guides also
help clarify expository text.

9. Analogy
- Assists students to understand complex or
unfamiliar material; allows them to connect
the foreign material to concepts that are
well-known and comfortable to them.
- Engages in higher-order thinking because of
lecture and referent comparisons.
- Note: These guides should ONLY be used to
think about the critical concepts. Eliminate
unnecessary chapter information to prevent
confusion.
- These study guides help retain information
longer.

10. Fieldwork, Subject Matter, and Student-Strategy Relations
Examples From Fieldwork
- Direct Approaches are
extremely beneficial for
students because they rely
on guided practices.
- The Oyster Model which
involves two teachers
relates to these strategies
because they can both help
native and secondary
speakers create study
guides.
- In Goldenberg’s article,
Visual Representations are
representations of study
guides because they help
overcome disabilities and
language barriers.
Relation to the English Discipline
- This chapter relates to English
because novels and other
complex readings can be
difficult to understand, so text
guides simplify longer forms of
literature.
- Some guides are valuable for
language proficiency, so
structures like Order or
Compare and Contrast can help
students with “low reading
levels” (122).
Student-Strategy Relations
- Conceptual: Students can
use Compare & Contrast
structures to identify key
terms and critical
information.
- Metacognitive: students
can use background
knowledge and find new
information meaningful.
- Procedural: Graphic
Organizers and guides are
great step-by-step
methods