Unit 2 LESSON
3 Organizational Features
Standards 10.2.1
When you read nonfiction, you take in meaning through more than just the words. How the
ideas in a selection are organized advances the author’s purpose and enhances your
understanding of the text. A news story, for example, will usually start with the “five W’s”
(who, what, where, when, why) that give the reader the most important information. The story
will continue following the “inverted pyramid” model, with information given in order of
importance from greatest to least. By contrast, a biography might begin with the subject’s
death or with a key event in her life, and then go back and tell her story in chronological order.
A science article may explain its subject as a series of causes and effects. An editorial
supporting one side in a political debate might compare and contrast the two positions point by
point.
In all types of writing, organizational features may provide a road map to help the reader
follow the author’s presentation. In a biography, for example, a time line of the subject’s life
can effectively summarize the text and help the reader focus on key events. Headings,
illustrations, graphs, maps, and charts may also enhance meaning. A well-organized text helps
the reader locate and understand information and understand where the author is taking him.
Here are some examples of organizational features that may help you find information or
understand a passage:
titles—usually tell the reader what a passage is about
headings and subheadings—make it easier for the reader to find specific information
bulleted or numbered lists—organize information and help the reader skim for
specific information
boldfaced or italic print—used to emphasize words or phrases and also to distinguish
among different types of information
illustrations and photographs—add interest or color and may be used to support the
reader’s understanding of the passage
charts and graphs—give new information or provide statistics or supporting
information
diagrams—show the reader how something works or is put together and help support
the reader’s understanding of a passage
maps—-give a visual image of a place that is important to an understanding of a
passage
Guided Practice
Read an article about weather forecasting and answer the questions that follow.
Is It Going to Rain?
by Elnar F. Klam
Has this ever happened to you?
You’re planning a picnic. The weather
forecast says “low clouds with sun breaks.”
Just as you’re unpacking your basket, those
low clouds burst open. There goes your
picnic.
You’re dressing for school. The
forecast says “wind, intermittent rain,
temperatures in the 40s.” So you wear a
sweater and a coat. By noon, they’re both tied
around your waist, and you’re still sweltering
intermittent: adj. stopping and then starting
again, off and on
It’s enough to make you conclude that
weather forecasting is useless, misguided
nonsense In fact, predicting the weather Is a
fairly accurate science—and it’s becoming
even more so.
People have long tried to forecast the
weather by observing nature. For sailors and
farmers, such predictions could mean life or
death. They were not scientific, but they often
worked. For example, one bit of weather
folklore goes “Red sky at morning, sailors
take warning.” A red sky at dawn is caused
by the sun shining through dust particles,
which are often being pushed ahead of a
storm front.
Weather fronts are surfaces in the
atmosphere where two different types of air
masses meet. A front passing through your
area means a change in weather
True Forecasting
True weather forecasting began early
in the 18th century, when people began
applying science to their observations.
Instruments such as the thermometer,
barometer, and rain gauge allowed them to
see connections among temperature, air
pressure, and precipitation. They could
collect data over many years and compare
data from many places. A century later,
with the invention of the telegraph and
telephone, swift communication between
weather-reporting stations became possible.
Meteorologists could now detect weather
fronts and find their direction and speed. By
1975, forecasting by the methods had
become 80 percent accurate for up to 24
hours.
gauge: n. an instrument for measuring
something of a standard
meteorologists: n scientists who study
weather
That’s when weather satellites and
computers entered the picture. Satellites can
collect large amounts of weather data and
transmit them instantly. Complex computer
programs called forecast models can rapidly
sort, compare, and calculate with these data.
This is called numerical weather prediction,
or NWR. Forecasts using NWP can be
accurate for up to five days.
Complex Models
But there are still errors. Data
collected by satellites are not exact for areas
smaller than a few square miles. That
makes them great for spotting hurricanes,
but not so useful for finding rain clouds
over your favorite picnic grounds. And
weather systems are so complex that
forecast models cannot be 100 percent
precise.
NWP, however, received a boost in
accuracy in 2002 when a new
supercomputer went on line at the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The NOAA is the U.S. government’s main
weather-forecasting agency. The computer
can perform four trillion (that’s
4,000,000,000,000) operations per second.
It is being used to improve today’s forecast
models and create even better ones.
Today, you are able to punch a
button on a cell phone and get a weather
forecast for your immediate neighborhood
based on the phone’s built-in globalpositioning
system (GPS). But you’d be
wise to wear a sweater on a cool morning,
even if the forecast predicts warm weather
at your school.
1. The passage begins with two weather-related anecdotes to
A. illustrate the importance of weather forecasting.
B. introduce the topic with some familiar examples.
C. contrast scientific with “folk” weather forecasting.
D. show that weather forecasting is an inexact science
2. When did true weather forecasting begin?
A. in ancient times
B. early in the 18th century
C. after the invention of the telephone
D. in 1975
3. The callout boxes inthe passage help the reader by
A. listing weather-related terms.
B. explaining what a weather front is.
C. defining unfamiliar words and technical terms.
D. describing types of weather-forecasting equipment.
4. According to the weather map, a tornado may be expected in
A. the Pacific Northwest..
B. the northeastern states..
C. southern states on the Atlantic Coast
D. southern states on the Gulf of Mexico
5. What is the most likely reason that the terms forecast models and numerical weather prediction
are printed in italic type?
A. to show that these terms are defined In the text
B. to show that these are terms a meteorologist would use
C. to point the reader to the same words in the callout boxes
D. to give the text a more interesting appearance for the reader
6. Describe two facts about weather forecasting that can be inferred from the weather map, either by
itself or in conjunction with the article Use information from the map and the article to support
your answer.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
7. There are some facts and details in the article that are made clearer by the map, and others that you
can infer from the map alone.
According to this weather map, rain is predicted in which area?
A. the Pacific Northwest
B. the far Northeast
C. the southwestern states
D. the southeastern states
8. Why is there no weather prediction for Utah and Co1orado?
A. No satellite photographs were taken of the area.
B. Weather stations made mistakes in transmitting the Information.
C. No barometer readings were recorded in the area.
D. The approaching weather system is extremely changeable.
9. Which of these would make the information on the weather map easier to understand?
A. a photograph of a rain cloud
B. a diagram of a satellite in space
C. a legend of the symbols on the map
D. a list of all the states that appear on the map
10. The weather map gives the most information about
A. how many inches of rain are expected in the southern storm.
B. why weather systems can be difficult to predict.
C. how satellites the weather.
D. weather for parts of the country.