CRCB, Ch. 8 summary- Textbook Methods of Organization

When a reader is able to recognize organizational methods they will have a better understanding of the ideas in their textbooks and will be able to see the connections between them. Recognizing organizational methods will also help a reader remember what they read. There are six main types of methods of organization authors use to present information. One: listing, authors use this method of organization to enumerate events, idea, or other concepts. Their lists can be organized numerically, alphabetically, by order of importance, or by category. Two: analysis, this method is used by authors to break down concepts into specific basic elements, characteristics, and properties. The purpose of the analysis method is to show different parts or details of a complex issue in order to make it easier to understand. Three: Authors use the cause/effect method of organization to show why something happened, the effects of something that occurred, or the outcome of an event. Four: The comparison/contrast method of organization is used by authors to examine the similarities or differences between two or more ideas, such as, objects, events, people, or other things. Five: The definition/example method of organization is used by authors to clarify the meanings of key concepts. To help the reader understand they use analogies, provide definitions with examples, or give descriptions. Six: sequence, this method is used to show the steps in a process or the chronological order of certain events. According to this chapter, “This organizational method is used not just to list ideas or events, but to highlight the fact that the order in which they occurred is important.” When you have to read a great amount of material make sure to look at the reading in its entirety, and come to a conclusion about the overall method of organization. Completing this will help you confirm the main idea of the reading material, which in turn will enable you to create effective practice test questions. Finally OWCs or organizational word clues are used to indicate the overall organization of a reading passage, journal, article, or textbook chapter. I used the listing organizational method to organize the information in my summary. I thought a numerically listing of the methods would be most suitable for summarizing this chapter.