© 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Chapter 7: Following Thought Patterns College Reading and Study Skills, Ninth Edition by Kathleen T. McWhorter

© 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Objective: This chapter focuses on important features of textbook chapters and essays. LEARNING PRINCIPLE: You are able to remember information better if it is organized or if you can detect a pattern.

© 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Textbook Organization Usually each text is divided into chapters, then sections, subsections, and, finally, paragraphs in the subsections. Each paragraph has a main idea and supporting information. See Figure 7.1 for textbook organization.

© 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Structure of Essays and Articles Introduction: contains thesis statement. Body: one or more paragraphs with supporting details to support the thesis. Conclusion: final statement about the subject.

© 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Types of Supporting Information Examples Reasons Description Facts and Statistics Citation of Research Evidence

© 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers What type of detail is used in the following paragraph? “According to its proponents, a national primary would bring directness and simplicity to the process for the voters as well as the candidates. The length of the campaign would be shortened and no longer would votes in one state have more political impact than votes in another. The concentration of media coverage on this one event, say its advocates, would increase not only political interest in the nomination decision, but also public understanding of the issues involved.” (from Edwards, Wattenberg, and Lineberry, Government in America, p. 230.)

© 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Types of Supporting Information Examples Reasons Description Facts and Statistics Citation of Research Evidence

© 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Recognizing Organizational Patterns By identifying the pattern of a paragraph, it becomes more meaningful and easier to remember. Once you recognize a pattern, the paragraph’s organization becomes familiar and predictable.

© 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Common Patterns Definition Time Sequence Comparison- Contrast Cause-Effect Problem-Solution Enumeration See Figure 7.3 for a summary of patterns, and Figure 7.4 for directional words used in patterns.

© 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Predict the thought pattern of the following: “Unlike the statues of humans, the statues of animals found at Stone Age sites are quite lifelike.”

© 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Common Patterns Definition Time Sequence Comparison- Contrast Cause-Effect Problem-Solution Enumeration See Figure 7.3 for a summary of patterns, and Figure 7.4 for directional words used in patterns.

© 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Summary Questions Why is it important to become familiar with the organization of your textbooks? What types of supporting information are used in textbooks and how is this information organized? How can you tell which organizational pattern is being used in a section or paragraph? Why is it helpful to recognize the pattern of a passage you are reading?

© 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Take a Reading Road Trip! Take a trip to ELLIS ISLAND and the STATUE OF LIBERTY and visit the Patterns of Organization module on your CD-ROM.