Lesson: Paragraph Writing

Ms. KellySurvey of Literature

Agenda

1. Warm-Up: Paragraph-Editing (7minutes)2. Lesson Overview: Paragraph Writing (15 minutes)3. Guided Practice: Class Paragraph (10 minutes)4. Independent Paragraph: Topic T.B.D ( 15 minutes)

Warm-UpDirections: Read the following sentences. Then put them in order using the numbers one through five (1 for first and 5 for last.) Also, remove the sentence that does not belong in this group of sentences by placing an “X” next to it.

___Some people who are successful did not get a good education.___Thereby, he or she will achieve more and receive more rewards. ___It provides broad and specific knowledge that helps individuals when performing required tasks for their profession. ___A solid education is important to a person’s success in life. ___When an individual has a lot of knowledge about his or her career; he or she will likely perform better at his or her job. ___Without an education, one would have a difficult time accomplishing the goals that he or she sets out to undertake in life.

Warm-UpRevised paragraph

A solid education is important to a person’s success in life. It provides broad and specific knowledge that helps individuals in performing required tasks for their profession. Without an education, one would have a difficult time accomplishing the goals that he or she has set out to undertake in life. When an individual has a lot of knowledge about his or her career, he or she will likely perform better at his or her job. Thereby, he or she will achieve more and receive more rewards

X Some people who are successful did not obtain a good education.

What is a Paragraph?

A paragraph is made up of sentences grouped together for a reason-usually to present and support a single idea.

Each paragraph in a composition is like a member of a team (or parts of a sandwich), working with other paragraphs to develop ideas (or improve the taste).

A paragraph should contain between five and seven sentences.

Parts of a Paragraph

•Topic Sentence•Supporting Sentences•Concluding Sentence

Elements of a Topic SentenceThe main idea of a paragraph. It is the most general sentence in a paragraph. There are not many details in it. It simply introduces an overall idea that you

will discuss further in the paragraph.  It appears as the first sentence in a paragraph.

A topic sentence at the beginning of a paragraph helps readers know what to expect in the rest of the paragraph.

Supporting Sentences The sentences between the topic sentence

and concluding sentence are called supporting sentences.

They elaborate on the topic sentence.

  They are called "supporting" because they "support," or explain, the idea expressed in the topic sentence.  

Concluding Sentence:Referred to as the clincher, because it

“closes” or wraps up a paragraph.

In formal paragraphs you will sometimes see a sentence at the end of the paragraph, which summarizes the information that has been presented. 

This is the concluding sentence.  You can think of a concluding sentence as a sort of topic sentence, in reverse.

Example ParagraphSuppose that you want to write a paragraph about the natural landmarks of your hometown.   The first part of your paragraph might look like this:

My hometown is famous for several amazing natural features.  First, it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful. Also, on the other side of the town is Wheaton Hill, which is unusual because it is very steep.  *Note how the first sentence, “My hometown, Wheaton, is famous for several amazing geographical features,” is the most general statement. This sentence is different from the two sentences that follow it, since the second and third sentences mention specific details about the town's geography, and are not general statements.

Bad Topic Sentence OneHere are some examples of sentences that cannot be used as topic sentences. Can you figure out why they are inappropriate? 

My hometown is famous because it is located by Wheaton River, which is very wide, and because it is built near an unusually steep hill called Wheaton Hill.

The problem with this sentence is that it contains too many details. Topic sentences are general, and details should appear later in the paragraph. A better topic sentence would be like the one that was mentioned in the original paragraph.

Bad Topic Sentence Two

There are two reasons why some people like to buy cars with automatic transmission and two reasons why others like cars with manual transmissions.

This sentence is not appropriate as a topic sentence because it mentions two topics, not just one. Paragraphs are usually about one main thing and so their topic sentences should also be about only one main thing.

Bad Topic Sentence Three

Clouds are white.

The problem with this sentence is that it is too general. It is also very boring!

Would you like to read a paragraph with this topic sentence? Most people would not.

Topic Sentence 2 and 3 Revision We can rewrite sentences #2 and #3 in the

following ways to make them better:

There are two reasons why some people like to buy cars with automatic transmission.   

OR (in a different paragraph): There are two reasons why some people like

cars with manual transmission.

The shapes of clouds are determined by various factors.

Details in Paragraphs The previous paragraph in this lesson is a fairly

complete paragraph, but it lacks details.  Whenever possible, you should include enough

details in your paragraphs to help your reader understand exactly what you are writing about. 

In the paragraph about Wheaton, two natural landmarks are mentioned, but we do not know very much about them. 

For example, we could add a sentence or two about Wheaton river concerning HOW wide it is or WHY it is beautiful. 

Revised Paragraph Consider this revision (and note the additional

details green):  My hometown is famous for several amazing natural

features.  First, it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful. On either side of this river, which is 175 feet wide, are many willow trees which have long branches that can move gracefully in the wind.  In autumn the leaves of these trees fall and cover the riverbanks like golden snow.  Also, on the other side of the town is Wheaton Hill, which is unusual because it is very steep.  Even though it is steep, climbing this hill is not dangerous, because there are some firm rocks along the sides that can be used as stairs.  There are no trees around this hill, so it stands clearly against the sky and can be seen from many miles away.  The third amazing feature is the Big Old Tree. This tree stands two hundred feet tall and is probably about six hundred years old.  These three landmarks are truly amazing and make my hometown a famous place.

Why are Details Important? 

Consider the example of the hamburger. If the hamburger buns are the topic and concluding sentences, then the meat, the cheese, the lettuce, and so on are the supporting details. 

Without the food between the hamburger buns, your hamburger would not be very delicious! 

Similarly, without supporting details, your paragraph would not be very interesting. 

Which one do you prefer?

Sandwich Chart

Guided PracticeDirections: Together, let’s write a paragraph

on a topic of the class’ choice, using the sandwich chart model.

Remember the ingredients for a paragraph are similar to the ingredients for a sandwich.

And remember, keep it neat, not sloppy.

Guided Practice

Topic: Student ID’sExplain the rationale/purpose for Kenwood students having to wear ID badges in school.

Independent PracticeA Lesson before Dying

Paragraph Writing Prompt

0 Direction: Select one of the prompts from below and write a five sentence paragraph based on it. Your paragraph should contain a topic sentence, three supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence.

0 Prompt One: It can be argued that in addition to Jefferson, Grant learned a lesson in A Lesson before Dying. What lesson do you think Grant learned? Support your answer by referencing information from the text.

OR0 Prompt Two: It can be argued that the lesson Jefferson had to learn

before dying is to place others’ needs before his own. Explain whose needs Jefferson placed before his. Indicate how he did this and why. Use evidence from the text to support your answer.