recognizing main ideas, key supporting points, and organization patterns, exploring purposes to academic and literacy texts

Patterns of Organization

            This unit focuses the students’ attention on the organization of the text. They learn to:

1.      Recognize four of the most, common patterns of organization in English discourse.

2.      Identify signal words for each pattern.

3.      Use the signal words and the patterns they indicate as tools for better comprehension.

            These exercises should help students develop the habit of always asking “What is the pattern?” whenever they read.

            The exercise on the first page of the unit is meant to be a whole class activity. After the students try to draw the pictures from memory, the class should discuss the result, and the teacher should then immediately introduce them to the four types of pattern.

There are many patterns in English, Writers often use these four patterns. Here are some examples:

1.      Listing--- Ways to travel:

                                    Plane

                                    train

                                    bus

                                    ship

2.      Time Order ---- Wars in American history:

                                    1776----- American revolution

                                    1812----- War of 1812

                                    1860----- Civil War

                                    1914----- World War I

                                    1940----- World War II

3.      Cause-effect -----Cause: heavy rain

                        Effect: car accidents on the highway

4.      Comparison ------ Comparing Paris and New York:

                        How are they a like?

                                    Expensive

                                    Beautiful buildings

                                    Many art museums

                        How are they different?

                                    Paris is a capital city: New York is not a capital city

                                    Paris is safer, New York is larger.

EXAMPLE A Diamonds are very expensive for several reasons. First, They are difficult to find. They are only found in a few places in the world. Second, they are useful. People use diamonds to cut other stones. Third, diamonds do not change.  They stay the same for millions of years. And finally, they are very beautiful. LISTING

 

What is the topic of this paragraph?                                                                                                        

What is the main idea?                                                                                                                            

            The underline words are signal words. They tell us about the author’s pattern of organization. The signal word for this pattern is several. It tells us to look for a list.

            This list tells us several reasons why diamonds are expensive.

Write the reasons here:

It was easy to find the reasons. There is  a signal word for each reason:

                        Signal                                                  Reasons

                        First                                                     difficult to find

                        Second                                                            useful

                        third                                                    they do not change

                        finally                                                  beautiful

EXAMPLE B                 There are many different kinds of pollution. One kind is air pollution. This usually is a problem over cities. Water pollution is another problem. it is found in rivers, lakes and oceans. Also, pollution of the earth is sometimes a problem near farms. And finally, there is even noise pollution, especially in crowded cities. What is the topic of this paragraph?                                                                                                    What is the main idea?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                What is the signal for this list?                                                                                                                  Write the other signals                                                                                                                                             Signal                                      Kinds of pollution                                                                air pollution                                                                    water pollution                                                                pollution of  the earth                                                                noise pollution Here are some signal words for the listing pattern:             First second one and for example or some many third other another also finally even several. Exercise 1 Read each paragraph. Underline the signal words.  Write the topic. the main idea and the pattern signal. Then list the other signal words and the details.                                                                         1 Computers are helpful in many ways. First, they are fast. They can work with information much more quickly than a person. Second, computers can work with lots of information at the same time. Third, they can keep information for a long time. They do not forget things the way people do. Also, Computers are almost always correct. They are not perfect, of course, but they usually do not make mistakes. a.     a. Topic                                                                                                                                                    b. Main idea                                                                                                                                             a.      c. Pattern sign                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Signals                                                                                    Details                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        TIME ORDER EXAMPLE A Albert Einstein was born in 1879 in Ulm,Germany. He graduated from the University of Zurich in Switzerland in 1905. In 1905 he also did some of his most famous work in physics. In 1919 he won the Nobel Prize for Physics. Between 1919 and 1933 he lived in Germany and traveled a lot to talk to other scientist. Then in 1933 he had to leave Germany because of Hitler and the Nazi party. He moved to the United States. From 1933 until his death he lived in Princeton. New Jersey, He died on April 18, 1955. What is the topic of this Paragraph? How can you tell this is a time order pattern?             You can tell because the signals in this paragraph are all dates.  Each date points to an event in the life of Albert Einstein. Here are all the signals.  Write the events:             Signals                                                                                    Events             1879                   1905             1905             1919             1919-1929             1933             1933-1955                                                               April 119, 1955                                           Exercise 1             Read each passage. Write the topic and underline the signals. Then write the signals and the events on the lines. In 1965 the Vietnam War became an American war. That year, the United States sent airplanes with bombs over North Vietnam. The North Vietnamese were moving into south Vietnam and the United States government wanted to stop them. More and more bombs were used each year. The bombs killed thousands of North Vietnamese men, woman, and children. Thousands more lost their homes and their land. The United States also sent more soldiers every year. By the end of 1967, there were almost 510.000 Americans in Vietnam. And still, the north Vietnamese were winning the war. Topic                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Signal                                                                                       Events                  (25)                                                                                                                          (25)                                                                                                                           (25)                                                                                                                       (25)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  CAUSE AND EFFECT                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     This pattern is not easy to understand. These sentences show examples of cause effects.                                                                                                                                                                     EXAMPLE Shoes with high heel can cause foot problems. What is the cause of foot problems? Shoes with high heels. What is the effect of shoes with high heels? Foot problems What are the signal word? can cause Exercise  1             find the cause and the effect in each sentence. underline the signal  words. the answer . 1.exercise can make you  hungry and thirsty.               cause                                                   Effect                                                         (10) 2.many car accidents happen because of ice and snow on the road.   cause                                                  Effect                                                           (10) 3.bad food  not enough sleep are reasons  of bad health.   cause                                                 Effect                                                            (10) 4.many doctors today  believe that smoking  cigarettes may lead to cancer.   cause                                                 Effect                                                             (10) 5.some people became nervous because drinking  coffee. cause                                                   Effect                                                             (10) 6.many fires in homes are due to careless smokers.   cause                                                  Effect                                                              (10) 7. heart disease is sometimes  the result of eating too much. cause                                                   Effect                                                              (10) 8.very  bright   sunlight can cause your eyes to hurt. cause                                                  Effect                                                               (10) 9.high  insurance costs are one result of car accidents. cause                                                 Effect                                                                (10) 10.serious family problems can cause illness. cause                                                 Effect                                                               (10) EXAMPLE A In this paragraph look for one cause and several effects. it signals are underlined.      A cold winter causes serious problems in Florida. it has a bad effect on farming . the there grow a lot of oranges. Very cold weather can cause orange trees to die. could weather also results in fewer tourists. there are many hotels and vacation  places in Florida .these places are in trouble if there are fewer tourists. and finally, weather can cause health problems. many people do not have heating in their homes. so they can become ill from the cold. cause                                           signals                                  effects cold weather                                causes                                  problems                                                     can cause                             orange trees to die                                                     results in                              fewer tourists                                                     can cause                             health problems EXAMPLE B In this paragraph look for many  causes and accidents in the united states. sometimes accidents are caused  by bad weather. ice or snow can make roads very dangerous. accidents also can result from problems with the car. even a small problem like a flat tire can be serious. bad roads are another cause of accidents. some accidents happen  by drinking too alcohol. in fact, this is one of most important cause of accidents.          driver falls asleep            because          drinking  alcohol              are caused by             Some cause and effect signal words:             Because           result in           is a cause of                 is the result of             because of       can make         had an effect on          is the reason for             lead to             causes              effects             can help           can stop           due to Exercise 2             Write the topic for each paragraph. Underline the signal words. Write the cause and effect in the lines.             Most people do not think of coffee as a drug. But, in Fact, it is a drug and it has important effects on your body. Some of the effects are good and some are not. Coffee can help you stay awake when you are driving or working. But it can also keep you awake at night when you want to sleep. Coffee makes some people feel more alive so they can work better. Other people feel too nervous when they drink coffee. After a large meal, coffee can help your stomach. But too much coffee can cause a stomachache. Topic                                                                                                                                          Cause                                      Signals                                                Effects                                                                                                                                                (25)                                                                                                                                                (25)                                                                                                                                                (25)                                                                                                                                                 (25) COMPARISON Compare an apple and an orange: How are they like?             Both are kinds of fruit.             Both are round.             Both have skins.             Both taste good. How are they different?             They are different colors.             They taste different.             Oranges grow in warm places. Apples grow in cool places.             Sometimes oranges do not have seeds. Apples always have seeds Some comparison signal word: Words to show likeness: alike,  similar, same, also Words to show difference: different, unlike, more than, less than, but, however