Skill Practice: Understanding Text Organization
As a reader, you need to be able to figure out how a text is organized. First, you can look for visual clues, like titles and headings. Then, you can skim the text to try to understand its organization and purpose. A text might follow one of these structures or it could be a combination of them:
- chronological description
- compare-contrast
- definition
- process
- problem-solution
- cause-effect
Graphic Organizers
Each of these text organizations can be visualized in slightly different ways. A text that follows the chronological description structure might be best represented by a time line.
A compare-contrast text might follow the organization in the graphic organizer below.
Practice
With a partner, choose one of the other text organizations and draw a graphic organizer that might best represent it.
Signal Words
Another helpful strategy for identifying the text organization is to look for signal words. As you quickly preview the text, you might notice signal words that hint at the text organization. These might include: as a result, likewise, although, defined as, to consist of, threaten, response, etc.
Directions
Make a list of text organization signal words for each style.
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cause/effect |
compare-contrast |
definition |
problem-solution |
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as a result |
although |
defined as |
response |
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Pre-Reading
Pre-Reading Activity
Discuss the following questions with a partner.
- According to Figure 3 below, what are the biological levels of organization that ecologists study?
- What is the connection between these levels: organism, population, community, and ecosystem?
The words in bold in the chart are from the following reading. Complete the chart with the different forms of each word.
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NOUN |
VERB |
ADJECTIVE |
ADVERB |
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endangered |
____ |
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ecology ecologist |
____ |
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mutualism |
____ |
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Reading 2: Levels of Ecological Study [1]
When a discipline such as biology is studied, it is often helpful to subdivide it into smaller, related areas. For instance, cell biologists interested in cell signaling need to understand the chemistry of the signal molecules (which are usually proteins) as well as the result of cell signaling. Ecologists interested in the factors that influence the survival of an endangered species might use mathematical models to predict how current conservation efforts affect endangered organisms. They might be then be called conservation biologists. To produce a sound set of management options, a conservation biologist needs to collect accurate data, including current population size, factors affecting reproduction (like physiology and behavior), habitat requirements (such as plants and soils), and potential human influences on the endangered population and its habitat (which might be derived through studies in sociology and urban ecology). Within the discipline of ecology, researchers work at four specific levels, sometimes discretely and som