Historically, research has shown that a reader's recall of ideas from text is enhanced when the reader uses relations among concepts to organize information. Text structure is a term used to describe the various patterns of how concepts within text are related. Knowledge of text structures assists a reader to comprehend text by allowing the reader to anticipate information and by helping the reader infer information that may have been omitted by the author. Research shows that it is important to teach text structure because knowledge of text organization patterns has been shown to facilitate comprehension. Text structure may be considered a blueprint to help a reader build meaning from text. As research has indicated, teaching students to utilize organizational patterns in text facilitates their comprehension of text. Computer programs are available to assist in creating visual representations of text by providing a framework for teachers and students to arrange concepts and show how ideas are related. (Contains 19 references.) (MES)