Understanding Text Structure Using Pizza

Khan Academy

This educational video uses a relatable and delicious analogy—pizza—to demystify the abstract concept of text structure. The video begins by comparing writing to architecture, explaining that just as buildings need skeletons and supports to stay upright, informational texts require specific organizational structures to effectively convey meaning. The narrator then guides viewers through the five most common organizational patterns found in nonfiction writing. The video explores five distinct text structures: Chronology, Compare and Contrast, Cause and Effect, Problem and Solution, and Description. For each structure, the narrator provides a clear definition, identifies specific "signal words" (such as "first/next" for chronology or "because/so" for cause and effect), and offers a concrete example using pizza. For instance, a recipe illustrates chronology, while a debate between deep-dish and thin-crust demonstrates compare and contrast. For educators, this video is an excellent tool for making a dry reading standard engaging and accessible. The constant recurrence of the pizza theme helps lower the cognitive load for students, allowing them to focus on the structural differences rather than decoding complex content. The video concludes with a practical strategy called "subtract the specifics," teaching students how to substitute the content of any difficult text with a simple topic like pizza to reveal its underlying skeleton, a technique that directly aids in reading comprehension and analysis.