essay guide

Copyright © 2003, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), Structured Writing II—Using Inspiration Software to Teach Essay Development, by Kathleen McMurdo. 1.800.336.5191 or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l),[email protected], www.iste.org/. All rights reserved. Distribution and copying of this excerpt is allowed for educational purposes and usage with full attribution to ISTE.

Excerpted from Structured Writing II—Using Inspiration Software to Teach Essay DevelopmentBy Kathleen McMurdo

Struggling writers—and those who struggle to teachthem—take heart: if you can visualize the patterns in aparagraph, you can build complex and coherent essays.That’s the hopeful message of ISTE’s new StructuredWriting II—Using Inspiration Software to Teach EssayDevelopment. Author Kathleen McMurdo’s firstStructured Writing book became a bestseller because it showed how to use concept mapping and word processing software, along with color codes and othervisual cues, to reach and teach special needs and discouraged students. Structured Writing II takes thenext logical step, using these paragraphing tools to builda full repertoire of longer essay types. A companion CDprovides templates of essay structures and assessmentrubrics.

Structured Writing II � 35

comments or may spark the use of a specifictechnique to use in the introductory paragraph.

However, sometimes writing the concludingparagraph first is appropriate, especially whenstudents are writing persuasive essays. Studentscan initially write a concluding paragraph andthen prepare the various body paragraphs toeither deductively, inductively, or chronologi-cally establish their perspective. Alertingstudents to the types of decisions they willneed to consider when writing essays is crucialand efficiently taught by modeling.

Objectives

1. Students will expand a basic paragraph intoa five-paragraph essay using an introduc-tory paragraph, three supportingparagraphs, and a concluding paragraph.

2. Students will use the steps of the StructuredWriting II process to plan, write, edit,format, and publish a five-paragraph essay.

3. Students will use the sequential editingsteps in the Structured Writing process.They will use text-to-speech features to readand listen while checking the writingcontent, capitalization, punctuation, wordusage, and spelling. They will make revi-sions to increase sentence complexity anduse a thesaurus to enhance vocabulary andeliminate overused words.

After students have learned to write thevarious expository paragraphs describedin Structured Writing and have composed

several introductory and concluding para-graphs, they are ready to stretch a paragraphinto an essay. The first and most importantstep is to show students how the structuralelements of a paragraph compare with thecorresponding elements of a longer essay. Thetopic sentence of the paragraph becomes thethesis/focus sentence in the introductory para-graph of the essay. The three supportingsentences in the paragraph are stretched andelaborated into three individual supportingparagraphs in the essay. The concludingsentence of the paragraph is, in turn, expandedinto a concluding paragraph in the essay. Byemphasizing this structural similarity andbuilding on familiar concepts, you canpersuade students of their ability to write a fullessay, one paragraph at a time.

When teaching students how to “stretch” aparagraph into an essay, it is sometimes best towrite the entire introductory paragraph afterthe body paragraphs have been composed. Thethesis/focus sentence needs to be set, but theintroductory comments and attention-gettercan be easier to compose after the rest of theessay is completed. Sometimes when studentsbegin elaborating the body paragraphs,sweeping statements and generalizations aboutthe topic become more numerous. Thesegeneral statements can be used as introductory

Chapter 4

Paragraph to Essay


36 � Structured Writing II

Chapter 4 � Paragraph to Essay


Materials Needed

Structured Writing II CD-ROM

� Essay Web

� Essay Organizer

Inspiration 6.0 or 7.0

Word processing program

Posters

� Essay Web

� Suggested Topics for Paragraph to Essay

� Five-Paragraph Essay Planner

� Editing Steps (chapter 1)

� Possible Conclusions (chapter 3)

Essential Elements

The Structured Writing II process teachesstudents to write a five-paragraph essay using:

1. An introductory paragraph

2. Three supporting paragraphs withtransition sentences

3. A concluding paragraph

Color Codes� White for the essay title

� Blue for paragraph types

� Yellow for topic and concluding sentences

� Green for supporting sentences

� Pink for details and elaboration

The Structured Writing II Process

Planning step: Outline the essay.

Writing step: Expand ideas into sentences.Organize sentences in paragraphs.

Editing step: Edit and revise one paragraph at atime.

Formatting step: Create a draft in essay format.

Publishing step: Print the final copy.

The Editing Process

1. Open the organizer file.

2. Use text-to-speech to read and listen toeach sentence, one at a time, to checkcontent. Edit and revise.

3. Check capitalization.

4. Check punctuation.

5. Check for homonyms and misused words.

6. Run a spelling checker.

7. Read and listen to changes using text-to-speech.

8. Save changes.

9. Print in color or print and highlight byhand.

10. Submit to a proofreader for review.

11. Make any necessary changes suggested bythe proofreader.

12. Give to the teacher for feedback andapproval.

The Planning Step

Students begin the planning step by openingthe Inspiration template Essay Web. Thetemplate is on the CD-ROM accompanying thisbook. It is also reproduced in poster form onthe page 39. This template helps students planthe essay before writing it. The color code andtext identify the essential parts of the essay(title, introductory paragraph, three supportingparagraphs, and concluding paragraph), andthe essential elements of each paragraph (topicsentence, supporting sentences, and concludingsentence).

Teachers can model the lesson using the essaytopic “My Pets.” Students can refer to the basicparagraph “My Pets” from Structured Writing(Figure 14), and see how it can be expandedinto a five-paragraph essay.

The topic sentence of the basic paragraphbecomes the thesis/focus sentence in the intro-ductory paragraph, the three supportingsentences are each expanded into separate para-graphs that make up the body of the essay, andthe concluding sentence becomes the closingthought for the concluding paragraph. For helpwith generating essay ideas, refer to theSuggested Topics for Paragraph to Essay poster.The Five-Paragraph Essay Planner posterprovides an outline for guidance through theplanning process. Both posters are located at

the end of this chapter. The following listprovides directions for completing the plan-ning step.

1. Students open the Essay Web. The whitebox in the web indicates the place for theessay title. The blue ovals identify the para-graph types, or functions, within the essay.The yellow boxes are for topic andconcluding sentence ideas within eachparagraph. The green boxes signify theplaces for supporting sentence ideas. Thepink boxes are for the details about thesupporting ideas.

2. With the exception of the thesis/focussentence, students type key words andshort phrases in the web to represent theirideas. (The foldout page in this chaptershows the Essay Web on one side and theEssay Web with the pet ideas filled in onthe other side.) Reinforce the distinc-tion between developing andorganizing ideas by outlining andactually writing sentences. It is impor-tant that students organize their ideas forthe essay as a whole before starting towrite. The type and order of the essay’sbody paragraphs will depend on thepurpose of the essay. It is best to make thisdetermination in the planning step. Thewords and phrases will then be convertedinto an outline to use as a guide for writingeach paragraph later in the writing step.

3. When all the boxes have been filled in,students convert the web into a color-coded outline by selecting the Outlineoption in Inspiration. If changes need to bemade in the order of the paragraphs, it iseasier to rearrange them in the outlineformat. Students run the spelling checkerand save the Essay Outline as “essaytitle.outline” in the appropriate folder ordirectory. Figure 15 shows how the EssayOutline appears on the computer screen.

Student Name

Date

My PetsI have four pets. My dog is named

Sandy. I have two cats, Bert and Ernie. Mybox turtle lives in a heated aquarium inmy room. I love my pets.

Figure 14. An example of a Basic Paragraph.

The Paragraph to Essay Process







that they are on the right track, students usethe outline to guide their efforts when writing.

The Writing Step

Writing an essay one paragraph at a timebreaks the process into manageable bites.Teachers must customize the process to fitinstructional time restraints and accommodatestudent needs. The typical 45-minute instruc-tional period is sometimes too long or tooshort for a particular aspect of the StructuredWriting II process or for the needs of individualstudents. I typically use the first period toprovide an overview of the writing process,building in a review of skills and a time forpractice for the class as a whole. This allows meto assess the writing skill and experience of theindividual students. During the second instruc-tional period, I generally model one or moresteps in the writing process for a particularessay assignment, using a class monitor andencouraging direct student involvement. Whenmodeling, I act as a secretary taking dictationwhile the students do all the thinking andcomposing.

Once the entire essay has been modeled fromoutline to final copy, I assign the same topicfor students to work on individually. The timeit takes for students to complete each of theseparate steps in the writing process isdependent on individual attention spans andwriting levels. Those with shorter attentionspans can use the completion of steps withinindividual paragraphs as mini-goals and placesto take breaks. Be sure to guarantee success—make sure that students leave each class periodwith a sense of accomplishment. If you havelimited instructional time, match your instruc-tion to that time. Teaching the process toinexperienced or struggling writers is time-consuming. However, direct instruction ofthese sequential steps is necessary to providestudents with the structure and organizationthey need to improve their writing.

4. Some students may be overwhelmed ordistracted by the whole essay whileworking on individual paragraphs. Tosimplify the visuals, close the topicwindows in the Inspiration outline formatand let students view only one paragraphat a time while they write (see Figure 16).

5. When students are ready to print theiroutlines, they must first go to View in themain menu, then to Notes, and check HideAll to hide the notes on the outline. Then,students go to File in the main menu, scrollto Page Setup, and uncheck Hidden Notes(see chapter 3 for more information). Thesesteps will keep the notes from appearing onthe printed document.

6. Students print the color-coded outline orprint it and highlight it by hand.

7. Students submit the outline to the teacherfor review.

The teacher checks for content, order, andcompleteness to give feedback to the studentsbefore they begin the writing step. Reassured

Figure 15. A partial Essay Outline on the computerscreen.

Detail: Detail: Detail:


First SupportingIdea:

Detail:

Second SupportingIdea:

Third SupportingIdea:

Detail: Detail:



Second Point TopicSentence Idea and

Transition:

ConcludingSentence:

First Point TopicSentence Idea:


Detail:

ConcludingSentence:

FirstSupportingParagraph

SecondSupportingParagraph



Essay Title:

ThirdSupportingParagraph

Third Point TopicSentence Idea and

Transition:

ConcludingSentence:

Plan/Sequence ofMain Points:

Thesis/FocusSentence:

First CommentIdea:

IntroductoryParagraph

Second CommentIdea:

Third CommentIdea:

Attention-Getter:

RestateThesis/Focus

Sentence Idea:

First PointSummarized:

Detail:

Clincher SentenceIdea:

Second PointSummarized:

Third PointSummarized:

Detail:

Detail:ConcludingParagraph

Detail: Detail:




Detail:



Detail: Detail:

Essay Web


Copyright © 2003, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), Structured Writing II—Using Inspiration Software to Teach Essay Development, by Kathleen McMurdo. 1.800.336.5191 or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), [email protected], www.iste.org/. All rights reserved.Distribution and copying of this excerpt is allowed for educational purposes and usage with full attribution to ISTE.




Essay Outline

Essay Title:

I. Introductory Paragraph

A. Attention-Getter:

B. First Comment Idea:

C. Second Comment Idea:

D. Third Comment Idea:

1. Thesis/Focus Sentence:a. Plan/Sequence of Main Points:

II. First Supporting ParagraphA. First Point Topic Sentence Idea:

1. First Supporting Idea:a. Detail:b. Detail:c. Detail:

2. Second Supporting Idea:a. Detail:b. Detail:c. Detail:

3. Third Supporting Idea:a. Detail:b. Detail:c. Detail:

B. Concluding Sentence:

III. Second Supporting ParagraphA. Second Point Topic Sentence Idea and

Transition:


2. Second Supporting Idea:a. Detail:

Essay Outline With Only Introductory Paragraph Details Showing

Essay Title:

I. Introductory ParagraphA. Attention-Getter:

B. First Comment Idea:

C. Second Comment Idea:

D. Third Comment Idea:

1. Thesis/Focus Sentence:a. Plan/Sequence of Main Points:

II. First Supporting Paragraph

III. Second Supporting Paragraph

IV. Third Supporting Paragraph

V. Concluding Paragraph

b. Detail:c. Detail:



IV. Third Supporting ParagraphA. Third Point Topic Sentence Idea and

Transition:


2. Second Supporting Idea:a. Detail:b. Detail:c. Detail:



V. Concluding Paragraph

A. Restate Thesis/Focus Sentence Idea:

1. First Point Summarized:a. Detail:

2. Second Point Summarized:a. Detail:

3. Third Point Summarized:a. Detail:

B. Clincher Sentence Idea:

Figure 16. At top is the Essay Outline template in full detail. At bottom is the Essay Outline template withonly the introductory paragraph displayed in detail.




Compose the Supporting Paragraphs

To expand a paragraph into an essay, studentswill begin with the three supporting, or body,paragraphs, one at a time, and then write theintroductory paragraph and concluding para-graph separately. Students use the color-codedStructured Writing Essay Organizer (Figure 17)

and word processing program to guide andexpand their ideas from the outline intocomplete sentences in the individual paragraphorganizers, one paragraph at a time.

1. When beginning to write the body para-graphs, students start with the topicsentence for the first body paragraph. They

Essay Organizer

Essay Organizer by:

Essay Title:

Introductory ParagraphAttention-Getter:

First Comment:

Second Comment:

Third Comment:

Thesis/Focus Sentence:

Plan/Sequence of Main Points:

First Supporting ParagraphTopic Sentence:

First Supporting Sentence:

Detail:

Detail:

Detail:

Second Supporting Sentence:

Detail:

Detail:

Detail:

Third Supporting Sentence:

Detail:

Detail:

Detail:

Concluding Sentence:

Second Supporting ParagraphTopic Sentence and Transition:


Detail:

Detail:

Detail:


Detail:

Detail:

Detail:


Detail:

Detail:

Detail:


Third Supporting ParagraphTopic Sentence and Transition:


Detail:

Detail:

Detail:


Detail:

Detail:

Detail:


Detail:

Detail:

Detail:


Concluding ParagraphRestate Thesis/Focus Sentence:

First Point Summarized:

Detail:

Second Point Summarized:

Detail:

Third Point Summarized:

Detail:

Clincher Sentence:

Figure 17. The complete five-paragraph Essay Organizer template.




Essay Organizer by: Student Name

Essay Title: My Pets

Introductory ParagraphAttention-Getter:

First Comment:

Second Comment:

Third Comment:

Thesis/Focus Sentence: I love living with my fourwonderful pets.

Plan/Sequence of Main Points: Sandy is my dog,Bert and Ernie are my cats, and Shelly is mybox turtle.

First Supporting ParagraphTopic Sentence: My dog, Sandy, is my favorite

pet.

First Supporting Sentence: Sandy is a GoldenRetriever.

Detail: Mom saw an advertisement in thenewspaper that said Sandy was free to a goodhome, so Mom unexpectedly brought herhome one afternoon.

Detail: Sandy is six years old and very smart.

Detail: She is well mannered and trained to doseveral tricks.

Second Supporting Sentence: Also, Sandy lovesto play.

Detail: She especially likes to play catch withtennis balls.

Detail: She does a funny trick while lying on herback with three tennis balls balanced on herfront feet.

Detail: She is always ready for a game of chase,too!

Third Supporting Sentence: In addition, Sandysleeps on my bed at night.

Detail: She keeps me company and relaxes me.

Detail: Sometimes she takes up too much roomon the bed.

Detail: On summer nights, she sleeps in the tentwith me in the backyard.

Concluding Sentence: Dogs are terrificcompanions.

use the first supporting sentence from thebasic paragraph “My Pets” as the topicsentence for the first supporting paragraphin the essay. The supporting sentence inthe basic paragraph, “I have a dog namedSandy,” is expanded to “My dog, Sandy, ismy favorite pet,” the topic sentence for thefirst body paragraph in this essay. Studentslearn to follow the outline to compose theessay, one paragraph at a time, elaboratingand writing supporting and detailsentences. They make sure sentences arecomplete and clearly express their intendedmeaning (Figure 18). Each paragraph willbe edited and revised in the editing step.

2. Students are alerted to the secondsupporting sentence from the basic para-graph, “I have two cats, Bert and Ernie,”and see how it is expanded into the topicsentence for the second supporting para-graph. Students follow the model andelaborate the sentences in the writing step.

� Encourage students to use adjective and

adverb modifiers and prepositional phrases to

clarify their prose.

� Prompt students to combine simple sentences

into compound sentences, to use complex

sentences, and to vary sentence structure.

� Encourage students to consult a thesaurus to

eliminate overused words, improve vocabu-

lary, and enhance the intricacy of their

written expression.

� Remind students to use appropriate transition

words in the green structure sentences to

indicate the main points within each para-

graph.

3. Once the sentences in the first supportingparagraph are completed, students save itas “essay title.organizer” in the properfolder or directory. They then move on tothe second supporting paragraph, and thenthe third. Each subsequent paragraph will

Example Essay Organizer—Introductory Paragraph and First Supporting Paragraph

Figure 18. A partially filled in organizer.

develop the attention-getter using relatedcomments and details to “hook” the reader.This paragraph’s concluding sentence revealsthe order of the supporting paragraphs tofollow.

Teachers focus on the essential elements of theintroductory paragraph: an attention-getter,introductory comments, a thesis/focussentence, and a plan/sequence of supportingparagraphs.

Following the Structured Writing II process,students use the introductory paragraphsection in the Essay Organizer to expand theirideas into sentences, one at a time. Text cuesindicate the appropriate information, and thecolor code reinforces the paragraph structure.Teachers direct students to take into accountthe purpose of their essays and the tone of theopening, choosing colorful adjectives andstrong verbs to “hook” the reader. (See chapter 2, the Introductory Paragraph Lesson,for more details.)

When the introductory paragraph sentencesare finished, the students save it as “essaytitle.organizer” in the proper folder or directory(thereby adding the introductory paragraph tothe three supporting paragraphs that arealready in the organizer). They then move onto the concluding paragraph.

Compose the Concluding Paragraph

Teachers focus on the essential elements of theconcluding paragraph: a topic sentencerestating the thesis/focus sentence (from theintroductory paragraph) using a specificmethod (see the Possible Conclusions poster atthe end of chapter 3), three supportingsentences summarizing each of the three bodyparagraphs, one or more details about each,and a clincher sentence.

Students use the concluding paragraph sectionin the Essay Organizer to expand their closingideas into sentences, one at a time. Structure




be added to the Essay Organizer whenstudents save what they have completed as“essay title.organizer.” (The entire EssayOrganizer will be arranged into a draft inthe formatting step.)

Students write one supporting paragraph at atime, one sentence at a time. Each paragraph istreated as a separate entity within the wholedocument to ensure continuity and improveaccuracy. Focus is placed on the conceptof transition sentences as topic sentencesthat unite the separate sections withinthe essay.

Transitions

Teachers teach one new concept in the Paragraph to Essay Lesson: using transitionsentences to connect the supporting paragraphs within the essay. Topic sentenceslink with the previous paragraph to keep theflow of ideas smooth between paragraphs. TheStructured Writing II process teaches the use of transition words and phrases in the topicsentences of the second and third supportingparagraphs. Generating and posting examplesof transition sentences helps students to usethem with confidence.

Transition sentences combine the ideas fromthe first supporting paragraph and the secondsupporting paragraph into a topic sentence thatlinks the two paragraphs together. Likewise, atransition sentence that includes the mainideas from each of the preceding supportingparagraphs becomes the topic sentence for thethird supporting paragraph and maintains thesmooth flow of ideas (Figure 19).

Compose the Introductory Paragraph

Once the body paragraphs are complete,students attend to the introductory paragraph.Using the topic sentence from the basic para-graph as the thesis/focus sentence, students tryvarious introduction techniques to get theirreader’s attention and open the essay. They


that will keep the readers thinking aboutthe subject. Leaving readers with a strongimage, or perhaps a bit of wit, effectively“wraps up” a composition. (See chapter 3,the Concluding Paragraph Lesson.)

When the concluding paragraph is complete,students save it as “essay title.organizer” in theproper folder or directory (adding it to thethree supporting paragraphs and introductoryparagraph already in the organizer).

cues indicate the required information, and thecolor code reinforces the paragraph structure.

� Teachers encourage students to take a standwhen deciding how to end their essays.Students consider the audience andpurpose for writing the essay, the tone theyhave established, and the points made todetermine a memorable conclusion.

� Students answer any questions unansweredin the supporting paragraphs, summarizethe main points, or emphasize the specialimportance of one of the main points.

� Concluding paragraphs restate thethesis/focus sentence and say something



Example Transition Sentence Linking First and Second Supporting Paragraphs

Second Supporting ParagraphTopic Sentence and Transition: Along with my

dog, Sandy, I have two cats, Bert and Ernie.

First Supporting Sentence: Initially, theybelonged to the principal at my school.

Detail: Mr. Alexander’s cat had kittens, and heneeded to find good homes for them.

Detail: Bert and Ernie are brothers from that litter.

Detail: Both have orange fur with white stripesand look exactly alike.

Second Supporting Sentence: Bert and Ernie loveto play, too.

Detail: They chase each other, their tails, string,and nearly anything that moves.

Detail: They stalk Sandy and pounce on paperbags.

Detail: They run after dust balls and play hide andseek with each other.

Third Supporting Sentence: Finally, cats willoften curl up in a warm lap.

Detail: Bert snuggles and likes to curl up in my lapwhen I’m reading or watching TV.

Detail: Ernie prefers to rub against my legs.

Detail: On cold, rainy evenings both felines canbe found in a warm, cozy spot.

Concluding Sentence: Cats are independentcreatures of comfort.

Example Transition Sentence LinkingSecond and Third Supporting Paragraphs

Third Supporting ParagraphTopic Sentence and Transition: In addition to my

dog and cats, I also have a box turtle namedShelly.

First Supporting Sentence: One day she caughtmy eye at the pet store, so I used myallowance to buy her.

Detail: She lives in a lighted aquarium in mybedroom.

Detail: I named her Shelly because of her bigshell.

Detail: She is very interesting to watch anddefinitely is not cuddly!

Second Supporting Sentence: Also, box turtlesneed warm temperatures.

Detail: The light in her aquarium keeps her bodytemperature constant.

Detail: Shelly likes to stay in her habitat but willwalk around on my rug on warm dayssometimes.

Detail: She eats leftover lettuce and vegetables.

Third Supporting Sentence: Most important, boxturtles don’t require as much attention as dogsor cats.

Detail: They don’t whine to play with you.

Detail: You have to keep their aquariums clean,but you don’t have to feed them every day.

Detail: Turtles move at a slow pace andencourage me to slow down.

Concluding Sentence: Turtles are out of theordinary and fun to watch.

Figure 19. Examples of transition sentences are underlined and italicized.

11. Students make any necessary changessuggested by the proofreader.

12. Students give the document to the teacherfor inspection and approval.

Teachers assess the sentences and paragraphs inthe organizer for appropriate content, propersyntax, and sentence variation. Once editedorganizers are approved, students move to theformatting step.

At this point, students have edited the indi-vidual paragraph organizers within the essay,one at a time. These paragraphs have beensaved in the essay folder and are now ready tobe formatted into the complete essay and savedas a new document.

The Formatting Step

In the formatting step, students prepare thedocument for publishing. They put the para-graphs from the organizer into essay form,removing the structure cues, centering the title,indenting topic sentences, and checking appro-priate spacing after ending punctuation. Thecolor code remains to reinforce paragraphstructure within the essay.

1. Students put the required heading on thedocument, such as their name and thedate.

2. Students delete the structure words andplace the sentences in proper paragraphform, one paragraph at a time, beginningwith the introductory paragraph. Studentsmaintain appropriate spacing after endingpunctuation (one or two spaces) andbetween lines (single, one and a half, ordouble spacing). The same procedure isused for each of the remaining paragraphs.

3. Students center the essay title and indenttopic sentences.

4. Students read and listen to the entire essay,paying attention to the flow of ideas.


The Editing Step

Students edit one paragraph at a time withinthe Essay Organizer using the StructuredWriting process. Students check capitalization,punctuation, word usage, and spelling in thespecific order described in the StructuredWriting editing process. Encourage students torefer to the Editing Steps poster (chapter 1) tohelp them through the process.

1. Students open their saved organizer, “essaytitle.organizer.”

2. Students read and listen to each paragraph,one sentence at a time, using the text-to-speech feature to check the content of theirwriting beginning with the introductoryparagraph. Each separate paragraph isedited and revised as a whole within theentire multi-paragraph essay.

� Students add, delete, rearrange, and change

words until the sentences sound “right” and

communicate the intended meaning.

� Students focus on refining the essay. They

practice varying the sentence structure, using

different kinds of sentences, and consult a

thesaurus to eliminate overused words and

increase the complexity of the vocabulary.

3. Students check capitalization.

4. Students check punctuation.

5. Students check word usage, includinghomonyms and misused words.

6. Students check spelling.

7. Students read and listen to changes usingtext-to-speech.

8. Students save the edited organizer as “essaytitle.organizer” in the proper folder ordirectory. This will replace the uneditedorganizer.

9. Students print the Essay Organizer in coloror print it and highlight it by hand.

10. Students submit the document to a proof-reader for review.






Student Name

Date

My Pets

Love is a four-pawed word! Animals are amazing beings and make great pets. Severalanimals like to play catch and chase. Others are furry and like to cuddle, while some are justplain fun to watch. I love living with my four wonderful pets. Sandy is my dog, Bert and Ernieare my cats, and Shelly is my box turtle.

My dog, Sandy, is my favorite pet. Sandy is a Golden Retriever. Mom saw an advertisementin the newspaper that said Sandy was free to a good home, so Mom unexpectedly broughther home one afternoon. Sandy is six years old and very smart. She is well mannered andtrained to do several tricks. Also, Sandy loves to play. She especially likes to play catch withtennis balls. She does a funny trick while lying on her back with three tennis balls balanced onher front feet. She is always ready for a game of chase, too! In addition, Sandy sleeps on mybed at night. She keeps me company and relaxes me. Sometimes she takes up too much roomon the bed. On summer nights, she sleeps in the tent with me in the backyard. Dogs areterrific companions.

Along with my dog, Sandy, I have two cats, Bert and Ernie. Initially, they belonged to theprincipal at my school. Mr. Alexander’s cat had kittens, and he needed to find good homes forthem. Bert and Ernie are brothers from that litter. Both have orange fur with white stripes andlook exactly alike. Bert and Ernie love to play, too. They chase each other, their tails, string, andnearly anything that moves. They stalk Sandy and pounce on paper bags. They run after dustballs and play hide and seek with each other. Finally, cats will often curl up in a warm lap. Bertsnuggles and likes to curl up in my lap when I’m reading or watching TV. Ernie prefers to rubagainst my legs. On cold, rainy evenings both felines can be found in a warm, cozy spot. Catsare independent creatures of comfort.

In addition to my dog and cats, I also have a box turtle named Shelly. One day she caughtmy eye at the pet store, so I used my allowance to buy her. She lives in a lighted aquarium inmy bedroom. I named her Shelly because of her big shell. She is very interesting to watch anddefinitely is not cuddly! Also, box turtles need warm temperatures. The light in her aquariumkeeps her body temperature constant. Shelly likes to stay in her habitat but will walk around onmy rug on warm days sometimes. She eats leftover lettuce and vegetables. Most important,box turtles don’t require as much attention as dogs or cats. They don’t whine to play with you.You have to keep their aquariums clean, but you don’t have to feed them every day. Turtlesmove at a slow pace and encourage me to slow down. Turtles are out of the ordinary and funto watch.

I can’t imagine living in a home without animals! Dogs truly are man’s best friends. Theymake excellent companions. Cats are amusing and entertaining. Their independence andcuddly ways always keep me guessing what they will do next. Likewise, box turtles and other“uncuddlies” are extremely interesting to observe. They are very different from otherquadrupeds. A house is not a home without pets!

Figure 20. Example of a complete essay draft.

Summary

In summary, the Paragraph to Essay Lessonencompasses all previously taught StructuredWriting lessons. Individual paragraphs arecombined into one complex document,including:

� An introductory paragraph

� Three supporting paragraphs withtransition sentences

� A concluding paragraph

Students comfortable with the StructuredWriting process are usually delighted andrelieved to see how it can be applied to writingessays and reports. Most students are capable ofwriting one paragraph at a time within anessay. The progression provides distinct placesfor students to take breaks that can also beused as mini-goals during the process ofwriting an essay or report. It is necessary toreinforce the process if students try to takeshortcuts.

The writing process is the same throughoutthis program. Students follow the same processfor each type of paragraph within an essay. Theplanning and outlining steps use Inspirationwith teacher-created webs. The writing stepuses a word processing program and teacher-created organizers. The editing step follows thesame sequence for all writing. The processculminates with the formatting and publishingsteps. Although the types of essays andmultiple paragraph reports vary, the processand sequence remain the same.

In the Structured Writing II process, teachersemphasize content and complexity while thebuilt-in structure of the process reinforces theessential elements of the specific essays beingcomposed. Students must practice writing allkinds of essays. This can be accomplished inmany ways. I have students outline manyessays before deciding which ones they willwrite. Using the same topic, but dissimilarpurposes, students can experiment using thevarious types of introductory and concluding


5. Students save the document as “essaytitle.draft” in the proper folder or directory.

6. Students print the document in color orprint it and highlight it by hand.

7. Students give the draft to a proofreader forreview.

Example Essay Draft

Figure 20 is a beginning essay (based on thebasic paragraph “My Pets” from StructuredWriting) written by a class of fifth graders withdyslexia after a year and a half of experiencewith the Structured Writing process. Theylearned to compose the various expositoryparagraphs in Structured Writing, and afterpracticing introductory and concluding para-graphs, they used information about familypets to stretch a basic paragraph into a five-paragraph essay.

The Publishing Step

When students receive approved essay drafts,the writing process is complete except forremoving the color code and printing a finalcopy.

1. Students consider the proofreader’s sugges-tions and make the necessary corrections.When any changes are made, students areasked to reread and check spelling beforeresubmitting to a proofreader.

2. Students then change the text color toblack.

3. They save the document in the appropriatefolder or directory as “essay title.finalcopy.”

4. Students print a final copy in black.

5. Students submit to the teacher a completepacket containing the outline, organizer,draft, and final copy.





Evaluation Rubric

Teachers should use the Paragraph to EssayRubric to establish the writing level of studentsand evaluate their progress. It focuses onstudent aptitude in filling out the essaytemplate and evaluates their writingmechanics. It highlights the editing process,spotlighting appropriate use of the spellingchecker and text-to-speech features to furthersupport independence and promote accuracy.

techniques. Also, organizing ideas usingdifferent paragraph types allows students towrite for specific purposes. It is essential forteachers to model ways to determine whichtypes of paragraphs to use and how and whento use them. Writing shorter essays to beginwith allows for more practice. By graduallyadding length and complexity, students learnto consider the types of paragraphs that willbest explain an idea or concept within anessay.

For practice, model lessons requiring threespecific paragraph types to make up the bodyof an essay. For example, assign pupils to writea basic paragraph about the essential character-istics of a successful student. From thisparagraph, assign a five-paragraph essay thatmust include a reason paragraph, an exampleparagraph, and a process paragraph. Studentsmust decide which quality or student behaviorcan best be explained by the different para-graph types required by the assignment. Theychoose the introductory and concludingmethods individually. This activity emphasizesparagraph and essay structure, but it alsoallows room for students to begin developingtheir individual voices. As students becomemore confident with essay structure, theirwriting becomes more original and self-assured.





STRUCTURE EMERGING DEVELOPING PROFICIENT

Introduction Introductory paragraphcontains:

� Thesis/focus sentence

Introductory paragraphcontains:

� Thesis/focus sentence� Plan/sequence of

support topics

Introductory paragraphcontains:

� Thesis/focus sentence� Plan/sequence of

support topics� Introductory

comments� Attention-getter

Body Body contains at leastthree supportingparagraphs that:

� Relate to thethesis/focus sentence

Body contains at leastthree supportingparagraphs that:

� Develop thethesis/focus sentence

� Are presented inlogical order

Body contains at leastthree supportingparagraphs that:

� Develop thethesis/focus sentence

� Are presented inlogical order

� Use transitionsentences to linkparagraphs

Conclusion Concluding paragraphcontains:

� Reference tothesis/focus sentence

Concluding paragraphcontains:


� Summary of bodyparagraphs

Concluding paragraphcontains:


� Summary of bodyparagraphs

� Effective use ofclosingtechniques/clincher

MECHANICS EMERGING DEVELOPING PROFICIENT

Capitalization Correct capitalization of:� Sentences

Correct capitalization of:� Sentences� Proper nouns

Correct capitalization of:� Sentences� Proper nouns� Titles � Quotations

Punctuation Correct use of:� Sentence-ending

punctuation

Correct use of:� Sentence-ending

punctuation� Quotation marks

Correct use of:� Sentence-ending

punctuation� Quotation marks� Commas� Apostrophes

Spelling Spelling is:� Correct enough to

read� Inconsistently

checked with spellingchecker

Spelling is:� Correct� Effectively checked

with spelling checker� Checked with text-to-

speech feature

Spelling is:� Correct� Effectively checked

with spelling checker� Checked with text-to-

speech feature� Correct for

homonyms andproper nouns

Paragraph to Essay Rubric


Suggested Topics for Paragraph to Essay

Begin with a basic paragraph from StructuredWriting or write a basic paragraph and then“stretch” it into a five-paragraph essay.

� My Pets� Television Shows� Video Games� School Sports� Successful Students� Ways I Am Smart� Too Much Homework� Vacations� Holidays

Successful Students� Examples of success� Reasons why success is important� Process (ways) to become a successful

student

Ways I Am Smart (Multiple Intelligences)� Examples� Classifications of intelligence� Compare and contrast learning strengths

and difficulties



Five-Paragraph Essay Planner

I. Introductory ParagraphAttention-getterIntroductory commentsThesis/focus sentencePlan/sequence of three main ideas

II. First Supporting ParagraphTopic sentence (refer to the first main idea)First supporting sentence and details, ideas, quotes, elaborationSecond supporting sentence and details, ideas, quotes, elaborationThird supporting sentence and details, ideas, quotes, elaborationConcluding sentence (for this paragraph)

III.Second Supporting ParagraphTopic sentence/transition sentence (connect to second main idea)First supporting sentence and details, ideas, quotes, elaborationSecond supporting sentence and details, ideas, quotes, elaborationThird supporting sentence and details, ideas, quotes, elaborationConcluding sentence (for this paragraph)

IV.Third Supporting ParagraphTopic sentence/transition sentence (connect to third main idea)First supporting sentence and details, ideas, quotes, elaborationSecond supporting sentence and details, ideas, quotes, elaborationThird supporting sentence and details, ideas, quotes, elaborationConcluding sentence (for this paragraph)

V. Concluding ParagraphRestate thesis/focus sentence (paraphrase)Review three main ideas (keep it short) and details, ideas, quotesClincher sentence


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