Organizational pattern

• Organizational Patterns


  Patterns of organization that show the relationships between supporting details in paragraphs, essays, and chapters
• Signal words


  Words used to indicate the organizational pattern in writing
• Identify organizational patterns


  • In academic and literary writing
• Use appropriate signal words

  • In writing
• Organizational patterns


  • Chronological
  • Compare and Contrast
  • Order of Importance
  • Sequence
  • Spatial
  • Cause and Effect
  • Problem and Solution
• Chronological


  Information in a passage is organized by the time in which each event occurred
• Compare and Contrast


  Explains how two or more objects or events are similar or different
• Order of Importance


  Ideas or steps are prioritized according to a hierarchy of value
• Sequence


  Information in a passage is organized by the order in which it occurs
• Spatial


  Information in a passage is organized in order of space or location
• Cause and Effect


  Shows causal relationships between events
• Problem and Solution


  Describes a problem and proposes a solution
• Chronological example


  • This morning was crazy. My alarm clock was set for PM instead of AM, so I woke up really late. I just threw on some clothes and ran out the door. I rode my bike as fast as I could and thought that I was going to be late for sure, but when I got there everyone was outside and there were firetrucks all lined up in front of school. I guess somebody pulled the fire alarm before class started. It worked out though, because nobody really noticed or minded that I was tardy.
• Compare and Contrast example

  • A personal or expository essay on vacationing on the beach vs. in the mountains
  • Comparative profiles of two leaders or countries
  • Compare and contrast Newton's ideas of gravity with those proposed by Einstein
  • Examine how the economies of Spain and China are similar
  • Explain the differences between Achaemenid Empire and Parthian Empire
• Order of Importance example

  • The company has a clearly laid out hierarchy. All major decisions go through the president, who controls the entire operation, but most daily decisions go to the board. Beneath the board members are the regional managers, who oversee the branch managers, who run each local branch.
• Sequence example


  • How to Make Cookies: First, get your materials. Then, make your dough. Lastly, cook your dough at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
• Spatial example 1


  • The human heart is located within the thoracic cavity, medially between the lungs in the space known as the mediastinum. Within the mediastinum, the heart is separated from the other mediastinal structures by a tough membrane known as the pericardium, or pericardial sac, and sits in its own space called the pericardial cavity. The dorsal surface of the heart lies near the bodies of the vertebrae, and its anterior surface sits deep to the sternum and costal cartilages. The great veins, the superior and inferior venae cavae, and the great arteries, the aorta and pulmonary trunk, are attached to the superior surface of the heart, called the base. The base of the heart is located at the level of the third costal cartilage. The inferior tip of the heart, the apex, lies just to the left of the sternum between the junction of the fourth and fifth ribs near their articulation with the costal cartilages. The right side of the heart is deflected anteriorly, and the left side is deflected posteriorly. It is important to remember the position and orientation of the heart when placing a stethoscope on the chest of a patient and listening for heart sounds, and also when looking at images taken from a midsagittal perspective. The slight deviation of the apex to the left is reflected in a depression in the medial surface of the inferior lobe of the left lung, called the cardiac notch.
• Spatial example 2


  • Volcanoes are a feared and destructive force for good reason. A volcano is like a pressure valve for the inner earth, but they can also be very beautiful. One part of the volcano that people rarely see is the magma chamber. The magma chamber is way beneath the Earth's bed rock. It is tremendously hot. Running from the magma chamber to the crater of the volcano is the conduit. The conduit connects the magma chamber to the outer world. At the top of the volcano is the crater. This is where the magma exits. Volcanoes are a beautiful yet dangerous natural phenomenon.
• Cause and Effect example 1

  • The future of gorillas in the wild is at risk. Gorilla meat is a dietary staple for 12 million people in Africa. Scientists predict that at the present rate of decline, in 30 years all of the world's wild gorillas will be gone.
• Cause and Effect example 2

  • Many people think that they can get sick by going into cold weather improperly dressed; however, illnesses are not caused by temperature- they are caused by germs. So, while shivering outside in the cold probably won't strengthen your immune system, you're more likely to contract an illness indoors because you will have a greater exposure to germs.
• Problem and Solution example 1

  • Students are not allowed to chew gum in my class. While some students think that I am just being mean, there are many good reasons for this rule. First, some irresponsible students make messes with their gum. They may leave it on the bottoms of desks, drop it on the floor, or put it on other people's property. Another reason why I don't allow students to chew gum is because it is a distraction. When they are allowed to chew gum, students are more worried about having it, popping it, chewing it, and snapping it than they are in listening, writing, reading, and learning. This is why I don't allow students to chew gum in my class.
• Problem and Solution example 2


  • There has been a recent increase in bullying at the middle school. Several policies have been proposed to punish offenders. The middle school should implement x solution for y reasons.
• Problem and Solution example 3

  • It seems like there has been a surge in teen pregnancies these days. Teen pregnancies make it very difficult for young mothers to pursue their dreams and meet the demands of an infant. Fortunately, most teen pregnancies can be easily prevented by using birth control; however, even birth control is not 100% effective. The most effective way to prevent teen pregnancies is abstinence, which is 100% effective.