CHAPTERS 5 AND 6

Patterns of Organization

Questions and Understanding

• When we want to understand something, we look for answers to the following questions:– What is it?– Where is it?– What kind is it?

– What are its characteristics?– Why is it? – What caused it? – What are its effects– What process produced it?– How does it differ from others?– How is it similar to others?

When writing answers to these questions, writers organize their answers by using specific patterns.

These patterns are called : Patterns of Organization

In this lesson, we will focus on learning to identify those patterns in paragraphs and essays.

Why is it important to understand Patterns of Organization?

Patterns help us anticipate the kinds of details the author will use, remember and recall what we read, and communicate effectively.

Organizational Pattern #1, page 232

Definition Pattern (also known as definition and example) presents a term, usually in bold print, states the meaning of that term, and then provides additional information such as examples,

causes and effects, its history, etc. See the next slide for an example of a paragraph

organized around this pattern:

• Genetics is the scientific study of heredity, the transmission of characteristics from parents to offspring. Genetics explains why offspring resemble their parents and also why they are not identical to them. Genetics is a subject that has considerable economic, medical, and social significance and is partly the basis for the modern theory of evolution. Because of its importance, genetics has been a topic of central interest in the study of life for centuries. Modern concepts in genetics are fundamentally different, however, from earlier ones.

Organizational Pattern #2

Classification Pattern breaks a large group of items into types, kinds,

categories, classes according to some criteria of division (such as color, weight, age, size, speed, longevity)

Defines each type or kind and then often-- but not always– follows the definition with examples and/or additional explanation.

There are two types of illnesses: acute and chronic. Acute illnesses (like a cold or the flu) are usually over relatively quickly. Chronic illnesses, though, are long-lasting health conditions (the word "chronic" comes from the Greek word chronos, meaning time).

Organizational Pattern #3:

Time Pattern, also called order and sequence, is used to narrate (tell a story about) a sequence of events in

time, and describe a process; that is to present the steps for

making/producing something or leading to some final level/state.

One important feature of the time pattern is that the order of events or steps cannot be changed.

Series of Events or Stages, pages 143-150

• By late March, more than a million refugees were streaming toward Danang, which was itself being bottled up as Communist forces attacked farther south along the litoral at Chulai and Quangngai. On March 25, the day Hue fell, North Vietnamese rockets crashed into downtown Danang, South Vietnam’s second largest city. Within three days, thirty-five thousand communists were poised in its suburbs, while terrified citizens crammed the airport, the docks and the beaches, attempting to flee. Thousands waded into the sea, among them mothers clutching babies; many drowned or were trampled to death as they fought to reach barges and fishing boats; sometime South Vietnamese soldiers shot civilians to make room for themselves. On March 29, Edward Daley, president of World airways, flew a jumbo jet into Danang. Frenzied mobs crowded the runway, and nearly three hundred Vietnamese clambered aboard in ten minutes, virtually all of them men. . . .The next day, East Sunday, the communists marched into Danang. (in Vietnam: A History, pp. 680)

Process: pages 195

• An easy way is to use a “Concentration Monitor” every day for about a week when you study. Use it for the same class over several days to see some progress. Here’s how to monitor your concentration. Step one is to choose an assignment and list the task(s) you want to complete. For example, write “I want to read 10 pages of Psychology.” Step two is to decide how long you will spend on the assignment. Jot down the date, place, beginning time, and projected ending time. The third step is to monitor your concentration: every time your mind wanders even a little, make a check mark ( ). Record any breaks or interruptions in your attention. By the checks, make notes about who or what interrupted you, the length of the interruption, whether the break/interruption was voluntary or involuntary (your thoughts wandered). The last step is to record the time that you actually stop studying. Then divide the length of time you studied by the number of breaks/interruptions in your concentration. The result of this calculation will give you a base-line concentration rate. For example, if you study for 10 minutes and have 10 checks, then your rate of interruption to concentration is one break per minute. Monitoring your concentration will help you reduce the number of interruptions or breaks in your concentration. (retrieved from www.how.to.study.com )

Organizational Pattern #4:

Spatial Pattern describes the physical positions objects in space, and uses lots of prepositions of relating objects in space,

e.g., in, on, at, near, next to, nearby, away.

Example of Spatial Organization

The state of North Carolina is located along the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S. The state is sandwiched in between three states: Georgia and South Carolina to the south and Virginia to the north. On its western border lies Tennessee. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean.

Organizational Pattern #5: Cause and Effect, pages 183-189

Cause and effect pattern expresses a relationship between two or more actions

or events, explains causes, sources, reasons, motives, and

actions, Explains the effect, result, and/or consequences of

action(s) and/or

Example of Cause and Effect Order

• Many people are surprised to hear that they have distinctive, personal ways of using their minds. There are two reasons for their surprise. First, we’ve all been taught to think that our schooling shaped our minds into the one right way to learn and think. That’s what all those lessons on logical thinking study skills, and testing taking strategies were all about. The teachers were supposed to be training us to use our minds correctly, at least as far as traditional education goes. However, the way to learning and thinking that we were taught in school is only one way. And it is not the on that is most congenial for the majority of adults. The second reason why some people are surprised to find that they think in a distinctive way is that other people’s thought processes are not visible to us. The brain is the ultimate black box, which we can’t open. So we are unaware of how different each of us thinks and learns.

Organizational pattern #6:Comparison/Contrast, pages 177-182

Comparison/Contrast Comparison is used to show similarities between two

or more items or people Contrast is used to show differences between two or

more items or people.

Comparison pattern.

• Both animal and plant cells have some similar structural elements. First off they are both eukaryotic, which means they have a defined nucleus. The nucleus contains chromosomes. It is protected and surrounded by the cytoplasm, which is a watery or gel-like liquid. Further, animal and plant cells have a cell membrane that surrounds the cell. This allows for the cell to exert control, in most cases, over what can penetrate the cell, and what cannot.

Contrast Pattern

• One of the primary differences between animal and plant cells is that plant cells have a cell wall made up of cellulose. This helps the plant cells to allow high pressure to build inside of it, without bursting. A plant cell has to be able to accept large amounts of liquid through osmosis, without being destroyed. An animal cell does not have this cell wall. If you start to fill the animal cell with too much distilled water or other fluid, it will eventually pop.

Organizational Pattern #7:Listing Pattern , pages 138-142

Listing Pattern is simply a list of items.The items in the list may be rearranged

without affecting the meaning of the passage.

Listing Pattern

• Here are three characteristics good leaders share. First, a leader must have vision -- being able to articulate the future in clear simple language: An emphasis on what will be rather than what is. Our recent election had two very different visions for the future; whether you liked those visions is a different story. A leader should be able to state concretely what success will look like and how their organization will get there. Second, a leader must understand what motivates people. Dolores Huerta and Caesar Chavez have inspired farm workers with their vision of a better life and working conditions. Learning to give positive and negative feedback in an effective way is crucial. Last, a leader must be trustworthy. President Jimmy Carter's greatest asset has always been that his behavior is consistent with his beliefs. Even those who disagree with him respect him enormously. No one will follow a dishonest or unfair leader with enthusiasm. Actions do speak much louder than words!