LESSON 5.15
Organize Old Variable

Being organized makes tasks easier.  Being organized also helps listeners and readers understand us better.

Common Discourse

Discourse refers to anything spoken or written.  In some situations, such as many road signs, it also refers to visual things.

Discourse follows certain patterns: 

Old Discourse

Let’s say you’re at the supermarket.  Your friend Fred waves at you.  He’s in the checkout line, and you’re just entering the store. He is exhibiting Old visual information.

Now he says, “What’s up?”  You say, “Some o, same o.”  You both are using Old verbal information.

Old to New Discourse

After checking out, he re-enters the store, hurries over and says, “Hey, did you hear that Seth Curry might be traded to the Pistons?” 

You’re both Warriors fans, so this is terrible news.  It’s New information, because Fred knows it has a high probability of being new to you and a high probability of being interesting to you.

Old to New Discourse

After checking out, he re-enters the store, hurries over and says, “Hey, did you hear that Seth Curry might be traded to the Pistons?” 

You’re both Warriors fans, so this is terrible news.  It’s New information, because Fred knows it has a high probability of being new to you and a high probability of being interesting to you.

Old to New to Why Discourse

You two talk for a while, exploring what the trade, should it happen, will mean to the Warriors and to the Pistons. You are discussing why the information is important.

The Pattern Need Not Be Complete

Let’s go back to the Old. If Fred leaves the store after the two of you say hi, then the discourse never moves past the Old.  A lot of discourse starts and ends with the Old.

If you talk about Seth Curry but only discuss the possible trade and not its importance, then the discourse has now moved past the New.  One reason many student papers are weak is that they do not discuss the subject’s importance. 

Discourse almost never starts with the New, nor with the Why.  The usual pattern is—

Old
New
Why

The Introduction

Formal discourse differs from common discourse in that it—

it always must have a New (and usually a Why)
   and
it includes a formal introduction.

A formal introduction tells What the subject is and Why it is important. Sound familiar? 

 A formal introduction and a What/Why Statement are the same thing.

Summaries = Introductions

Summaries and introductions are the same thing. Contrary to what many people believe, with three exceptions, summaries should occur at the beginning of the document, not the end. You need to inform readers what they are going to read about and why it is important. We do that at the beginning of the document. It helps readers understand what is going on.  You do not need to retell readers what you already told them.

The Pattern for Formal Discourse

Add the summary to the earlier pattern, and you have—

S
O
N
Y

It’s easy to remember, because it’s one of the largest companies in the world. 

Sony PlayStation 5
Sony Xperia 1 III
Sony Bravia OLED A90J
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones
Sony Alpha 7 IV Mirrorless Camera
Sony WF-1000XM4 True Wireless Earbuds
Sony Xperia Pro-I
Sony A8H 4K OLED TV
Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VII Compact Camera
Sony SRS-XB43 Portable Bluetooth Speaker
Sony PlayStation VR
Sony XB90 EXTRA BASS Portable Bluetooth Speaker
Sony MDR-7506 Professional Headphones
Sony A9G Master Series OLED TV
Sony Xperia 5 III
Sony WH-CH710N Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones
Sony GTK-XB60 High Power Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker
Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM Lens
Sony Xperia 10 III
Sony Alpha 7C Mirrorless Camera
Sony WF-SP800N Truly Wireless Sports In-Ear Noise Canceling Headphones
Sony HT-A7000 7.1.2 Channel Dolby Atmos Soundbar
Sony PS-LX310BT Belt Drive Turntable with Bluetooth Connectivity
Sony WH-CH510 Wireless On-Ear Headphones
Sony X900H 4K HDR LED TV

Again, SONY stands for—

Alternative Patterns

There are three alternative patterns.  You have learned one of them.  When you have two New variables, then the larger one goes first in the outline.

 It does not matter when variable goes firs in the What/Why Statement.


Say Nothing About the New

The Old section should say nothing about the New section.

Think of writing as playing baseball.  You hit the ball and run to first base. That’s the Old Section. You cannot reach second, the New Section, until you reach first.  Therefore, do not define, describe, and/or discuss anything about second base until you finish with first base.

Review: Organizing a Section of Writing

Each section of a document usually follows a three-part pattern. The acronym is IDP:

Introduce
Define, Describe, and/or Discuss
Prove

It’s easy to remember the pattern.  Think of IDK: “I don’t know.”  Change it to IDP.

Introduce: Make a Claim

What if someone said, “I am the best!” 
What might you say in response
How about, “Prove it!”

∗

We usually start sections with a Claim.  It is statement that can be argued.  

Notice the difference in these two first sentences:

  • Pedestrianism was a sport of long-distance running popular in the 19th

The above example is not arguable. It is a statement of fact. Compare it to the Claim below. That sentence is arguable. You would have to gather proof for it to be true.

  • Lewis “Deerfoot” Bennett was a master of pedestrianism, a sport of long-distance running popular in the 19th century, but to be financially successful, he had to mock his Native American heritage.

Define, Describe, and/or Discuss

You next need to define, describe, and or discuss. In this same example, you need to define  pedestrianism, especially since it is highly doubtful that many people know what it is, especially since it sounds as if it is associated with walking.

Prove

You started with a Claim, then you need to prove the Claim. You could use an example. You could discuss the legacy of Lewis “Deerfoot” Bennett, the incredible Seneca runner. For proof, you could explore Deerfoot’s times, many of which were world records.

Task 5.15.1 – Small Group

Click here to open an article on Lewis “Deerfoot” Bennett and Tom Longboat. Do not use other materials.

  • Take notes as if you are making a shopping list.
  • Put the information in your own words.
  • Write down at least 10 pieces of information.
  • With your classmates, put the information into a logical order. Use one or more of these:
      • First to last: Put the information in chronological order
      • Big to small: Put the information in order according to importance
      • Spatial: Put the information in a logical order of description

More Old Section

Often, a section will contain several subsections. For example, this hypothetical Old Section might also have a subsection on Tom Longboat, the great runner from Canada. The IDP could be structured like this:

Introduce: Claim

Tom Longboat, an Onondagan runner, also experienced racism.

Define, Describe, and/or Discuss the Claim

Describe Longboat’s career.

Prove

Prove that Longboat was the subject of racism.

Task 5.15.2 – Small Group

Gather information about Longboat. 

  • Take notes as if you are making a shopping list.
  • Put the information in your own words.
  • Write down at least 10 pieces of information.
  • With your classmates, put the information into a logical order. Use one or more of these:
      • First to last: Put the information in chronological order
      • Big to small: Put the information in order according to importance
      • Spatial: Put the information in a logical order of description