Patterns of Development

Patterns of Development

Below is a list of the various patterns of development most frequently found in expository writing.  Included are explanations and possible topics for each method of development.

 

Narration:  A narrative paragraph/essay tells a story of an event or an experience.  The story told, however, must have some point that is meaningful to the reader or target audience.  That is, it must have purpose.

 

Ø       A childhood memory

Ø       A day you’ll never forget

Ø       An event that helped you learn a lesson

Ø       A funny school or work story

Ø       An embarrassing experience

Ø       A frightening experience

 

 

 

 

 

Description:  A descriptive paragraph/essay uses sensory images (sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing) to help a reader or target audience experience what the writer has experienced.  As with all other patterns, a descriptive essay must have a point or purpose.  Description is often paired with the narrative because a good narrative contains description of sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and even emotions.

  

Ø       A kitchen

Ø       An elderly relative

Ø       A hard-working student

Ø       An outstanding athlete

Ø       A loyal friend

Ø       A gossipy neighbor

Ø       A rude salesperson

Ø       The dinner hour at my house

Ø       Lunchtime in a cafeteria

Ø       A midnight raid on the refrigerator

Ø       Getting ready to go out on a Friday night

Ø       My Sunday morning routine

Ø       A large department store

Ø       A sports stadium

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Process Analysis: A process analysis explains to a reader how to do something or how something works.

 

Ø       How to make a favorite dish

Ø       How to throw the perfect free-throw

Ø       How to meet the man (woman) of your dreams

Ø       How to change a tire

Ø       How a camera works

Ø       How a computer works

 

 

 

 

 

Comparison/Contrast: A comparison/contrast paragraph/essay generally focuses on similarities or differences but not usually both. 

 

Compare or contrast:

Ø       High school teachers and college teachers

Ø       Working for someone else and being your own boss

Ø       Being married and dating

Ø       Raising boys and raising girls

Ø       Cooking dinner at home versus dining out

Ø       A sports figure’s public image, versus his or her private personality

Ø       A politician’s promises before an election with those after an election

Ø       Attitudes toward smoking twenty years ago and those of today

Ø       An actor or musician on stage with the same actor offstage

Ø       Traditional portrayal of American Indians (in old films, for example) with portrayals today

Ø       Two attitudes toward religion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Causal Analysis: A causal analysis paragraph/essay explains a cause and effect relationship. A cause explains what made an event happen.  An effect is what happens as a result of the event.  

 

Cause: 

 

Ø       The causes of teen suicide

Ø       The causes of teen violence

Ø       The causes of high school dropouts

 

Effect:

 

Ø       The effects of divorce on children

Ø       The effects of regular exercise

Ø       The effects of overeating

Ø       The effects of substance abuse on the body

Ø       The effects of absenteeism in school

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Illustration: An illustration paragraph/essay is developed through the use of examples.  That is, it provides instances of the controlling idea a writer is attempting to clarify.

 

Illustrate:

Ø       People I Have Admired

Ø       The World’s Worst Habits

Ø       What Makes a Class Exciting

Ø       What Makes a Good Husband/Wife

Ø       Features to Look for When Buying a _________

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Definition:  A definition paragraph/essay uses any number of patterns of development to explain the meaning of a word.  It usually develops the connotative idea rather than the denotative definition.

 

Ø       Dance

Ø       Art

Ø       Love

Ø       Passion

Ø       Friendship

Ø       A good marriage

Ø       Education

Ø      Intelligence

 

 

 

 

 

Division/Classification: A division/classification paragraph/essay divides a readily understood item into equal categories and then classifies each of those categories by its distinctive traits. 

 

Divide and classify:

Ø       Pens

Ø       Teachers

Ø       Snack foods

Ø       Neighborhoods

Ø       Soft drinks

Ø       Parents

Ø       Governments

Ø       Dogs

Ø       Careers

Ø       Parties

Ø       Summer jobs

Ø       Movies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Argumentation/Persuasion: An argumentative paragraph/essay attempts to educate a reader on a controversial issue usually with the intent of persuading that reader to view the issue from the writer’s point of view and often ending with a call to action, requesting the reader to make or initiate a change.

 

Ø       Cigarette ads should not target young people.

Ø       People should not go overboard when dieting.

Ø       Wealthy people receive special privileges in our society.

Ø       Advertisements should not use skinny models.

Ø       Public school children should/should not wear uniforms.

Ø       Pornography is too accessible on the Internet.

Ø       Americans are a fix-it-with-a-pill society.

 

 

 

For May 3 and May 5

May 3 -- Root 5 quiz
May 3 HW: Print an article you think will be helpful in your life. Annotate it, type a 4-6 sentence summary (mention which pattern of development it is in the summary).
May 5 -- Big Magic quiz 5
May 5 -- Project four due

Project Four - due May 5

Project Four                                                    Due ______________

For this project you will:

1.        Get three different articles about one topic. Each article needs to be a different example of one of the patterns of organization. Print all three.

2.       Annnotate all three articles, and type a 4-6 sentence summary of each one (you can put this all on one paper).

3.     From the articles type 10 unfamiliar words with your guessed meaning and the dictionary meaning.

4.      Type a ½ page response about what you learned from the articles and how the learning can be used in your life.

All of the above 4 activities need to be word-processed,  1.5 spaced, 11 pt. in Times Roman font  with a name block that incudes name, class and  section, and project number in the upper right hand corner.

Example:                                                                                                             Joe Van Zutphen

                                                                                                                             RD 115 Section 06

                                                                                                                             Project Three

HW for April 28

1. Annotate your assigned chapter in Big Magic. Copy to do this, or annotate it in the book.
2. Type a 6-8 sentence paragraph about how you can connect this to your life.

April 26 Root Word 4 quiz, April 28 Big Magic 4 quiz

Project 3

Project Three                                              Due ______________

For this project you will:

1.       Google for an infographic you are interested in (not one from class). Print it.

2.       Google for an article on the same topic as the infographic. Print it, annotate it, and type a summary of it.

3.       From the article type 10 unfamiliar words with your guessed meaning and the dictionary meaning.

4.       From the infographic, type the main idea and a 4-5 sentence explanation of it.

All of the above 4 activities need to be word-processed, 11 pt. in Times Roman font  with a name block that incudes name, class and  section, and project number in the upper right hand corner.

Example:                                                                                                                Joe Van Zutphen

                                                                                                                                RD 115 Section 06

                                                                                                                                Project Three

HW for April 26

Type the main idea of each infographic on this site:

 http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/best-infographics-2015

HW for April 21

HW: 1. Print "graphic info" from blog. Read it, annotate it and
bring it to class.
2. Go to the site:

http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/default.aspx?ID=e4acd9d4a6fb4ed690d2a9f56237e71d

and create two graphs on the topic of your budget (be general and use percentages, not specifics). Categories would include food, housing, entertainment etc. . .

Root word quiz 3 and Big Magic quiz 3 April 21

Check calendar pages for Big Magic quiz

Graphic info

HOW TO CHOOSE WHICH TYPE OF GRAPH TO USE?

When to Use . . .

. . . a Line graph.

Line graphs are used to track changes over short and long periods of time. When smaller changes exist, line graphs are better to use than bar graphs. Line graphs can also be used to compare changes over the same period of time for more than one group.

. . . a Pie Chart.

Pie charts are best to use when you are trying to compare parts of a whole. They do not show changes over time.

. . . a Bar Graph.

Bar graphs are used to compare things between different groups or to track changes over time. However, when trying to measure change over time, bar graphs are best when the changes are larger.

. . . an Area Graph.

Area graphs are very similar to line graphs. They can be used to track changes over time for one or more groups. Area graphs are good to use when you are tracking the changes in two or more related groups that make up one whole category (for example public and private groups).

. . . an X-Y Plot.

X-Y plots are used to determine relationships between the two different things. The x-axis is used to measure one event (or variable) and the y-axis is used to measure the other. If both variables increase at the same time, they have a positive relationship. If one variable decreases while the other increases, they have a negative relationship. Sometimes the variables don't follow any pattern and have no relationship.

When you watch the news on television - particularly news that centers of business and investing - you have probably noticed a number of colorful graphics used to describe and track trends. These graphics are generally graphs and charts and they are critical for clearly conveying information in an easy to understand manner as well as in a way that the difference between two different pieces of data is clearly drawn. In a way, graphs and charts are illustrative methods of clearly presenting various types of differences in a clear method. Of course, not all charts and graphs are the same because certain charts and graphs and more appropriate for one type of comparison than another. These graphs/charts generally fall into three different categories: line graphs, bar graphs and pie charts. Each of these three has their own particular similarities and differences all of which need to be examined for a better understanding.

A line graph provides a means in which to compare two different types of information through showing how they are similar and how they are differ. This is performed through the use two lines each representing the two aforementioned pieces of information which are then charted along a numerical scale. A common example of a line graph would be two lines with one line showing the level of unemployment in the city of Los Angeles and one line showing the unemployment in New York City. The graph the lines run can represent the years 1978 to 2008 and the "ups and downs" of the unemployment rate of each city over the course of 20 years can be accurately compared.

Line Graph Example

 

A bar graph is very similar to a line graph in the sense that it is designed to show different values of two or more subjects but instead of using lines it using horizontal and vertical bars that represent a different value. There are numbers along the side of a bar graph and they are scales identical to what would be found on a line graph. In a way, this type of graph is somewhat easier to read than a line graph and it conveys informational equally as well.

Bar Graph Example

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A pie chart serves the same purpose of a line graph and a bar graph in the sense it is designed to show differences between two separate subjects although it eschews the common linear style found in the two other graphs. A pie chart is a very common type of graph that is in the shape of a circle with the circle representing a collective of 100%. Then, within the circle smaller percentage portions within the 100% will be presented in different colors. Sometimes the shapes look like slices taken out of a pie and this is where it gets the nickname of a pie chart. An example of a chart could include a question who likes to play Playstation III with the pie cut in half with 50% colored to represent teens, and two 25% "triangles" representing children and adults. It is probably the easiest chart to read and is commonly used in marketing and business presentations.

Pie Chart Example

 

 

 

 

Examining X-Y (Scatter) Plots

X-Y plots, or scatter plots, can be used to see if one event affects another event. For example, if you spend more hours studying, will you get better grades? The following pages describe the different parts of an x-y plot.

The Title

The title offers a short explanation of what is in your graph. This helps the reader identify what they are about to look at. It can be creative or simple as long as it tells what is in the graph. The title of this graph tells the reader that the graph contains information about the difference in money spent on students of elementary and secondary schools from different countries.

The Legend

The legend tells what each point represents. Just like on a map, the legend helps the reader understand what they are looking at. Each of the colors in this legend represents a different country.

The Source

The source explains where you found the information that is in your graph. It is important to give credit to those who collected your data! In this graph, the source tells us that we found our information from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Y-Axis

In x-y plots, the y-axis runs vertically (up and down). Typically, the y-axis has numbers for the amount of stuff being measured. The y-axis usually starts counting at 0 and can be divided into as many equal parts as you want to. In this line graph, the y-axis is measuring the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of each country.

The Data

The most important part of your graph is the information, or data, it contains. Line graphs can present more than one group of data at a time. In this graph, two sets of data are presented.

X-Axis

In x-y plots, like the one above, the x-axis runs horizontally (flat). Typically, the x-axis has numbers representing different time periods or names of things being measured. In this plot, the x-axis measures the amount of money spent by a country on elementary and secondary education per child.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Analyzing Area Graphs

Like line graphs, area graphs can be used to show how something changes over time. They can be used when you're plotting data that has peaks (ups) and valleys (downs), or that was collected in a short time period. The following pages describe the different parts of an area graph.

The Title

The title offers a short explanation of what is in your graph. This helps the reader identify what they are about to look at. It can be creative or simple as long as it tells what is in the graph. The title of this graph tells the reader that the graph contains information about the changes in enrollment of elementary and secondary schools from 1970 to 2000.

The Legend

The legend tells what each shaded area represents. Just like on a map, the legend helps the reader understand what they are looking at. This legend tells us that the blue area represents enrollment in public schools and the yellow area represents enrollment in private schools.

The Source

The source explains where you found the information that is in your graph. It is important to give credit to those who collected your data! In this graph, the source tells us that we found our information from the NCES.

Y-Axis

In area graphs, the y-axis runs vertically (up and down). Typically, the y-axis has numbers for the amount of stuff being measured. The y-axis usually starts counting at 0 and can be divided into as many equal parts as you want to. In this area graph, the y-axis is measuring the number of students enrolled in public and private schools.

The Data

The most important part of your graph is the information, or data, it contains. Area graphs can present more than one group of data at a time. In this graph, two sets of data are presented.

X-Axis

In area graphs, like the one above, the x-axis runs horizontally (flat). Typically, the x-axis has numbers representing different time periods or names of things being compared. In this area graph, the x-axis measures different school years.