Alu-Organizational Essay Principles

Text/Discourse Structure
Patterns of Organization
Prepared by: Jason-Lee Daley

What is Text/Discourse Structure?
How information in a passage is organized
We will study six common patterns:
• Chronological
• Cause and Effect
• Compare and Contrast
• Problem and Solution
• Sequence / Process
• Spatial / Descriptive
Chronological
Information is organized in order of time.
Chrono = time Logic = order
Example
Jack and Jill ran Jack fell down Jill came

up the hill to fetch and broke his tumbling
a pail of water. crown. after.
ALL stories are told chronologically.

Cause and Effect
An action and its results are explained.
Cause Effect
Students did not learn They performed
the material. poorly on the test.
•Don’t confuse with chronological.

•Won’t have a beginning, middle, and end.
•Time won’t progress much.
Compare and Contrast
Tells how two things are similar and different.
Apples & Oranges
Alike Different
1. Both are fruits. 1. People don’t eat

orange skins.
2. Both have skin.
2. Oranges have
more juice.
Problem and Solution
A problem and answer are suggested.
Problem Solution
Property is being Require a license

spray painted. to buy spray paint.
•Don’t confuse with cause and effect.

•It is presented as a PROBLEM.
Sequence / Process Writing
Information is listed step-by-step.
Explains how to do it or how it happens.
Don’t confuse with 4. Flip omelet.
chronological!
3. Cook on
one side.
2. Add cheese.
Does not occur at a specific time.
1. Crack a
few eggs.
Spatial / Descriptive Writing
Racial is to race as spatial is to space.
Describes something in order of space.
Describes how something looks.
TIME DOESN’T PASS in these passages.
A television across
Two windows on
from the bed.
the west Wall My bedroom
Tips to Identify
1. Ask, “what is the author doing in this
paragraph?” Put it in your own words.
2. Have a hunch? Use the graphic organizer to
see if the info fits.
3. Look for signal words.
Practice
1. Read each passage.
2. Determine how the text is organized: cause
and effect, compare and contrast,
chronological order, sequence / process
writing, problem and solution, or spatial /
descriptive.
3. Write your answer.
Popular Sports
Football and baseball are two of the most
popular sports in the country. They have
many things in common. For one, they are
both team sports, and they both require
players to advance to an end or “home” point
on the playing field. However, football
requires players to carry the ball to the end
zone, whereas in baseball, it is the defending
team that controls the ball while it is in play.
The Magic Blanket
One day while walking home from school, he
found a magic blanket. When he covered himself
with it, he turned invisible. At first he used his
power to play all kinds of tricks on people. He’d
turn invisible and hide things, or move a cup
when someone was pouring juice to make a mess.
He had a lot of fun. But then one day, he found
that he couldn’t take the blanket off. He was just
stuck invisible. He quit playing tricks on people,
hoping that he’d be able to take the blanket off
and rejoin society, but it didn’t work. He is still
invisible somewhere right now, and he is very
lonely.
Studying for a Test
Believe it or not, as important as it is,
many students do not know how to study for a
test. Well, studying for a test is easy. The first
thing that you must do is take out your notes.
Open your notes up to the section that you
are supposed to review. Read what you wrote
in your notebook. When you are done, close
your notebook and see if you remember the
ideas that you were studying. Still don’t
remember? Open your notebook back up a
try again.
Low Test Scores
Many students have been getting low scores
on tests and this is upsetting to parents,
teachers, and students. Low test scores show
that teachers aren’t teaching effectively or that
students aren’t learning. Either way it’s an issue
with which we are concerned. I propose the
following: any teacher who is giving a test
should open up their classroom for study groups
the night and morning before the test. Maybe
by giving students extra opportunities to study,
we can improve students’ test scores.
Peanut Butter and Jelly
After a long day at school, I came home
and watched “Cops,” my favorite show.
During the commercial breaks, I got up and
made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I
took the bread out of the cabinet, spread the
jelly and peanut butter on the bread, and
stuck the two pieces together. I enjoyed that
sandwich as I watched the rest of “Cops.”
The Gym Room
The gym room at the high school down the
street from me is huge. Along the North and
South walls are bleachers that fold up during gym.
Coach pulls the bleachers out for big games. At
the end of the East and West walls are basketball
hoops. The ceilings are very high and at the top
of the gym are many large windows. The
windows go all the way around the gym. There
are also ropes that are either tucked away or hang
from the ceilings in the middle of the gym. The
ropes intimidate some students. That gym is my
favorite place.
Eligibility
Being involved in after school sports and clubs
is not a right. It is a privilege. Therefore, students
have to meet eligibility requirements. If students
have any “D”s or “F”s, they are not allowed to
play. Also, if students have behavior issues in
class, they cannot be on the team or in the club.
Lastly, students need to keep good attendance. If
students miss school, they most certainly cannot
come to practice. Being on a team is a lot of
responsibility. If students are not proving to be
responsible, they will not be permitted to be in
clubs or teams.
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Text/Discourse Structure

Prepared by: Jason-Lee Daley

We will study six common patterns:

Jack and Jill ran Jack fell down Jill came

ALL stories are told chronologically.

•Don’t confuse with chronological.

Apples & Oranges

1. Both are fruits. 1. People don’t eat

Property is being Require a license

•Don’t confuse with cause and effect.

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