Download Reading Informational Texts: Patterns of Organization

Reading Informational Texts:
Patterns of Organization
Informational Texts:
Patterns of Organization
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Reading any type of writing is easier once
you recognize how it is organized.
Several common patterns of organization
include:
Main Idea and Supporting Details
Chronological Order
Cause-Effect
Compare/Contrast
Problem-Solution
Informational Texts
Main Idea and Supporting
Details
Main Idea and Supporting Details
Main Idea The most important
idea about a topic
that a particular
text or paragraph
conveys.
Supporting Details –
Words, phrases, or
sentences that tell
more about the
main idea.
Remember the Main Idea House?
A paragraph is a group of sentences
related to one main idea.
The main idea is like the roof of a
house.
The roof of the house is made up of
two parts: the word or phrase that the
paragraph discusses; the message
(what the author wants you to know
about that word or phrase).
Create a main idea house for the
three paragraphs on page R8.
Don’t forget that the roof must be
supported (proven, exemplified,
described, etc.) with supporting
details.
Chronological Order
The arrangement of events in
the order in which they
happen.
Chronological Order
Look for words that signal this arrangement:
Before
After
Next
Later
The next day
That evening
First
Afterward
Then
During
Finally
Chronological Order
Look for words and phrases that
identify times, such as “in a year,”
“three hours earlier,” “in 202 B.C.,” or
“the next day.”
Read “A Butterfly Gets Its Wings,” p.
R9, and answer the questions on
page R10.
Cause-Effect Organization
A pattern of organization that
shows causal relationships
between events, ideas, and
trends.
Cause
Effect
Effect
Effect
Effect
Cause
Cause
Cause
Cause-Effect
Because
Since
Had the effect of
Led to
As a result
Resulted in
For that reason
Due to
Therefore
If … then
Consequently
Cause-Effect Organization
Read “How a Tsunani Forms,” pp.
R10-R11, and answer the questions.
Compare-and-Contrast
Organization
A pattern of organization that
provides a way to look at
similarities and differences in two
or more subject.
Compare-and-Contrast
Compare-and-Contrast
Use a graphic
organizer, such as
a Venn diagram, to
record points of
comparison and
similarities or
differences.
Compare-and-Contrast
Look for words and
phrases that signal this
type of organization:
Like
Similarly
Both
All
Every
Also
In the same way
Unlike
But
On the other hand
More
Less
In contrast
However
Compare-and-Contrast
POINT-BY-POINT ORGANIZATION:
The writer discusses one point of
comparison for both subjects, then
goes on to the next point.
SUBJECT-BY-SUBJECT
ORGANIZATION: The writer covers
all points of comparison for one
subject and then all points of
comparison for the next subject.
Subject One
Point 1
Point 2
Point3
Subject Two
Compare-and-Contrast
Read “Living in Outer Space,”
R11-R12, and answer the
questions that follow.
Problem-Solution Order
A pattern of organization in which
a problem is stated and analyzed,
and then one or more solutions
are proposed and examined.
Prolem-Solution Order
Look for an explanation of the problem in
the first or second paragraph.
Look for words, such as problem and
reason, that may signal an explanation of
the problem.
To find the solution, ask: What suggestion
does the writer offer to solve the problem?
Look for words, such as propose,
conclude, and answer, that may signal a
solution.
Problem-Solution Order
Read the model on page R13
and answer the questions that
follow.