Senior High School

Reading and Writing

Quarter 3: Module 1 - Lesson 1
Making Sense in a Paragraph

1
 MODULE 1 – LESSON 1

Making Sense in Paragraph

Most academic essays have an overall structure - introduction, body and conclusion. The
units of support that constitute the body of an essay are ordered logically in a way that’s
appropriate to the essay. This logical order for the support, has different ways to organize
information which are called patterns of development. This mirrors the ways in which
humans think about their worlds and organize their thoughts in order to communicate.

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

determine the different patterns of development
identify the features of each pattern of development
enumerate the transitions that signal each pattern of development.

A pattern of development in writing refers to the particular strategy writers use to

develop ideas. It is the logical arrangement of ideas in a text. The pattern helps you follow
ideas easily and understand a text better. Moreover, knowing that these common patterns of
human thought exist, will help you to both develop and organize information in your essays
or compositions.
The pattern of paragraph development presents ideas in logical and consistent
structure to manage information in an essay. Thus, the logical organization of paragraphs
greatly enhances the ease with which one can understand and remember the information
presented. People seek out patterns to help make sense of information. When a reader is
not able to find a pattern that make sense, chaos and confusion abound.

1. Narration. It is the most basic pattern of development. It describes how, when and
where an event or occurrence actually happened. Likewise, it is used to tell a story or
focus on a set of related events.
Example:
It was July 21, 1969, and Neil Armstrong awoke with a start. It was the day he would become the first human
being to ever walk on the moon. The journey had begun several days earlier, when July 16th, the Apollo 11
launch from Earth headed into outer space. On board with Neil Armstrong were Michael Collins and Buzz
Aldrin. The crew landed on the moon in the Sea of Tranquility a day before the actual walk. Upon Neil’s first
step onto the moon’s surface, he declared. “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” It sure

2. Description. The pattern of development which goes into details about a specific object,
person, or location, in order to firmly set its appearance.
Example:
Sunset is the time of day when our sky meets the outer space solar winds. There are blue, pink,
and purple swirls, spinning and twisting, like clouds of balloons caught in a blender. The sun
moves slowly to hide behind the line of horizon, while the moon races to take its place in
prominence atop the night sky.
3. Definition. It explains not just what something means or is, but also what something
does, what something is used for.
Example:
Déjà vu
Déjà vu is a French word meaning “already seen”. It has also been described as a feeling or
experience that one has seen something before. For example, you are waiting in line to check
out the grocery store and the lady behind you asks you to hand her a pack of gum. Suddenly
you get an overwhelming feeling that you have been there in the exact same spot, talking to the
same lady, even the same brand gum. Even though everything seems so familiar you know
there is no way that could have happened before. There are many theories as to why and how
this phenomenon happens. One theory is that déjà vu is connected with temporal-lobe epilepsy,
but people without a history of epilepsy have also experienced déjà vu.

4. Classification. A classification pattern organizes ideas into categories or divisions

based on criteria and standards. This pattern can be used when classifying people,
objects, events, things, places and other items.
Example:
There are three kinds of book owners. The first has all the standard sets and best sellers –
unread, untouched (this deluded individual owns wood pulp and ink, not books). The second
has many great books – a few of them read through, most of them dipped into, but all of them
read as clean and shiny as the day they were bought (this person would probably like to make
books his own, but is restrained by a false respect of their physical appearance). The third has a
few books or many – every one of them dog eared and dilapidated, shaken and loosened by
continual use, marked and scribbled in from front to back (this man owns his books). In which
classification would you belong?

5. Exemplification. This pattern presents the general statement and then provides specific
and concrete examples to expound on the main idea. Simply put, this pattern is used to
provide an example of something.
Example:

While Internet offers so many benefits to man, it also has its downsides. One of these is
phishing, which refers to act of obtaining personal information, such a s passwords and credit
card details, through online means. In other words, phishing is a form of cybercrime. As an
example, let us consider the case of Mr. X. He received an email stating that his Gmail account
has been compromised and that he needed to click a link to update personal information. If. Mr.
X clicks on the link, his personal information will be illegally acquired by cybercriminals.

6. Comparison-Contrast. This pattern organizes ideas based on how events, places,

people, things and concepts are similar to or different from one another.
Example:
Oceans and lakes have much in common, but they are quite different. Both are bodies of water,
but ocean are very large bodies of salt water, while lakes are much smaller bodies of fresh
water. Lakes are usually surrounded by land, while oceans are what surround continents. Both
have plants and animals living in them. The ocean is home to the largest animals on the planet,
whereas lakes support much smaller forms of life. When it is time for vacation, both will make a
great place to visit and enjoy.

7. Cause and Effect. This pattern explains why something happens or what results a
particular event produces. It organizes details based on the causes, the reason, and the
result or consequences of certain phenomenon.
 Example:
I do well in school, and people think I am smart because of it. But it’s not true. In fact, three
years ago I struggled in school. However, two years ago I decided to get serious about school
and made a few changes. First, I decided I would become interested in whatever was being
taught, regardless of what other people thought. I also decided I would work hard every day and
never give up on any assignment. I decided to never, never fall behind. Finally, I decided to
make school a priority over friend and fun. After implementing these changes, I became an
active participant in classroom discussions. Then, my test scores began to rise. I still remember
the first time that someone made fun of me because “ I was smart:. How exciting! It seems to
me that being smart is simply a matter of working hard and being interested. Unfortunately,
learning a new video game doesn’t help you get into college or get a good job.

8. Problem Solution. This pattern organizes ideas into problems and proposed solutions.
The problem section usually includes the what, who, when, why and how of the problem.
The other part then presents the major effects of the problem and the possible solutions
to address it, as well as the steps in implementing the solution.
Example:
Last week we installed a kitty door so that out cat come and go as she pleases. Unfortunately,
we ran into a problem. Our cat was afraid to use the kitty door. We tried pushing her through,
and that caused her to be even more afraid. The first step we took in solving this problem was
taping the kitty door open. After a couple of days, she was confidently coming and going through
the open door. However, when we removed the tape and closed the door, once again, she
would not go through. So we decided to use food as bait. When kitty came through the closed
door, we would open the can and feed her. It took five days of doing this to make her unafraid of
using the kitty door. Now we have just one last problem, our kitty controls our lives!

9. Persuasion. A persuasion pattern organizes ideas to show how a set of evidence lead
to a logical conclusion or argument. Specifically, this pattern presents the issue, the
position, and the supporting evidence that supports the position.
Example:
Last year was the first time I had ever been the new kid at school. For the first four days, I was
completely alone. I don’t think I even spoke to a single person. Finally, at lunch on the fifth day,
Karen Watson walked past her usual table and sat down right next to me. Even though I was
new, I had already figured out who Karen Watson was. She was popular. Pretty soon, all
Karen’s friends were sitting there right next to me. I never became great friend with Karen, but
after lunch that day. It seemed like all sorts of people were happy to be my friend. You cannot
convince me that Karen did not know what she was doing. I have a great a great respect for her,
and I learned a great deal about what it means to be a true leader.

Practice Task 1: Name It!

Directions: Read the following topic sentences taken from different paragraphs. From the
box, choose the pattern of development used.

a. Cause-and-effect b. Description c. Definition

d. Persuasion e. Classification f. Comparison and contrast
g. Narration h. Problem-solution i. Exemplification
__________1. Although Instagram and Twitter have significant similarities, they also have
striking differences.
__________2. Freedom is a concept that needs to be understood.
__________3. Juvenile delinquency is a social issue that requires urgent attention.
__________4. In the field of law, there are several subspecialties which you can focus on.
__________5. Major events happened that led to the defeat of Japan during World War II.
__________6. Teeth bleaching can be done in five simple steps.
__________7. All provincial buses should not be allowed to pass through EDSA.
__________8. IPhone 6 has many features that make it stand out in the market.
__________9. There are many reasons why unemployment continues to increase.
__________10. Drinking cough syrup may lead to various side effects.

Practice Task 2 Cooling Down

Directions: Read the following paragraph and indicate the pattern of paragraph
development use.
________ 1. In their book, Wilbert McKeachie and Marilla Svinicki described four types of
challenging students. The first type is the attention-seeking, discussion-dominating students.
The aim of these students is just to be heard. The second type is the inattentive students.
These are the students who doodle and drift off into their own thoughts during class
discussion. Often stare at their cell phones and chat with their classmates during lecture.
We also have the unprepared students. They do not come to class equipped, even when
they are aware of scheduled quizzes and exams. The last type of challenging students is the
uncivil and disrespectful ones. They are the students who display rude behavior.
________2. There are many reasons why I prefer to live in the Metro. First and foremost, it
has many exciting places. For example, you can go to Makati if you want to go shopping. If
you want to experience the night life, you can visit the bars along Tomas Morato and Malate.
In terms of job opportunities, the Metro houses most of the top companies that offer the
bestpaying jobs.
_______3. Earthquake are caused by stresses that develop within the upper layer of the
earth, usually within the crust. As the stresses build up, the rocks are increasingly distorted
until they can no longer withstand the pressure. Suddenly, they fracture or break, and spring
back towards their original positions. The sudden fracture of the rocks causes the
development of the shock waves that we call an Earthquakes. The shocks of severe quake
may last for several minutes, its waves spreading out in every direction from the original
break. Often the first violent break is followed by aftershocks as other stresses fracture other
rocks in the area. Sometimes these aftershocks are very severe and very frequent, and they
may take weeks or months to die away.
_______4. Technological innovations can be great help to students, but they can also be
used for tech hi-tech cheating. The latter practice is now running rampant that it has become
an epidemic: more and more students nowadays use information technology to breach rules
some suggestions are listed in the succeeding sentences. First, schools can create policies
banning the use of phones during examinations. They can also create programs that will
develop students’ information literacy skills. To ensure that plagiarism is minimized at the
very least, teachers can instruct trackers before submitting them.
_______5. In the wild, there lived three young women who decided to build a shelter.
However, they had different preferences, so each of them decided to build their own house.
And so it was that opposite to a river, the youngest girl built a house using leaves and twigs.
Adjacent to the youngest girl’s house is the shelter of the eldest. She built a house using
logs and she constructed it near the spring so she can access drinking water. In the middle
of the forest, the middle child built her house. It stands between two hills and is quite far
from her two sisters’ house, but she was contented.
 Directions: Read the articles carefully. Then, identify the pattern of development used.

Article 1
Euthanasia or mercy killing has been a widely
debated issue. It is an act to end a person’s life to
alleviate the suffering brought by a terminal or grave
illness. While it may be supported by some, mercy killing Pattern of Development
is not only an unethical medical practice, it is also a
crime. After all, on the most basic level euthanasia still
takes life. In fact, majority of the countries in the world, ____________________
including those that have legalized it, consider it as
homicide. Aside from being a crime, euthanasia is
unethical in the medical context because it violates the
principle of “primum non nocore” which means “ first, do
no harm.” In their code of ethics, doctors have the
responsibility of saving lives, not destroying them, which
is why euthanasia can never be acceptable.

Article 2
Social engineering is defined as any method which tricks
people to share personal information through the use of Pattern of Development
technology. The social’ component in this scheme means
that there is reliance on various psychological tricks and ____________________
on the gullibility of users rather than technical hacking.
Social engineering also refers to various malicious acts
online, such as phishing, spamming and pretexting.

Answer Key

Practice Task 1 Practice Task 2