SKIMMING FOR PATTERN OF ORGANIZATION

Sometimes you need to find out quickly how a book or article is organized. You want to know its pattern. You do not need to know the details for this. You do not need to read all the words. You have to read anly the signal words. They will tell you the pattern.

EXAMPLE

What is the pattern of organization for this paragraph? Put a checkmark beside the best answer

       A whale eats a lot of ocean food every day. That is because it is a very large animal

    Listing___          Time order___            Cause/effect     x                  Comparison___

EXERCISE

1. - A parakeet is a small bird that lives in tropical forest. The parrot is similar to a parakeet, but it is a larger. Both birds sometimes can learn how to say words.

 Listing___          Time order___            Cause/effect                       Comparison___

2. - Some kinds of birds cannot fly. The penguin is one of these birds. It lives mostly in the very cold Antarctic climate. Another kind of bird that cannot fly is the ostrich. It lives in Africa.

 Listing___          Time order___            Cause/effect                       Comparison___

3. - Lisa plants to travel in Europe this summer. In June, she will visit Sicily. In July, she will bicycle in northern Italy. In August, she will travel through France. By September, she hopes to be in Paris

 Listing___          Time order___            Cause/effect                       Comparison___