What is a Paragraph?

A paragraph is a group of sentences that tells about one subject or area.

Each sentence in a paragraph must give information about the topic

Reasons to Write a Paragraph

1. Describe something2. Tell a story3. Explain something4. To Persuade

Parts of a Paragraph Topic sentence: States the main idea of the

paragraph. It tells the reader what the paragraph will be about. A good topic sentence does two things: 1. It names a subject 2.) It give the focus or main point

Ex: Subject: Egypt Main Focus: ReligionEx: Subject: Egyptian Religion Main Focus:

Gods

Supporting Details: Sentences that are connected to the main idea. They include information or details the reader needs in order to understand the topic. Sentences should be ordered in the best possible order. 3 main ways to do this is either by time, location or importance.

Closing: Sums up the paragraph’s message. It reminds the readers of the topic.

The ancient Egyptians believed in many different gods and goddesses and each one had their own role to play in maintaining peace and harmony across the land. Some gods and goddesses took part in creation. Other gods and goddesses brought the flood every year. Some offered protection, and some took care of people after they died. Egyptians had local gods who represented towns, and minor gods who represented plants or animals. The ancient Egyptians believed that it was important to recognize and worship these gods and goddesses so that life continued smoothly.

Topic Sentence

Closing Statement

DETAILS

Think of a good topic sentence for this set of details.

Penguin Moms lay the eggs and afterwards leave to get food for 2months.

Penguin dads incubate the egg until it hatches. They take turns caring for their chick and

feeding in the sea. Once the egg hatches, The young stay

sheltered in the pouch of the mother while the father brings food.

Student Examples of Topic Sentences

Mother and father penguins both take care of their young.

Mother and father penguins play a very important role in raising their young.

Penguin mom and dads are very good parents.

Penguin parents are very protective of their young and I will show you how.

Paragraph DetailsTopic Sentence:

Arizona has been thinking about extending the school year from May to June, but I think that they should not extend the school year.

What are some details you would expect to see in this paragraph.

Examples

Some details in this paragraph might be about…

Why Arizona is extending the school year When they plan to extend the school year Reasons why it is a bad idea

TransitionsHelp your paragraphs flow together. They

link ideas so that they relate to one another

in the same way

similarly

likewise

while

on the other hand

although

however

as a result

therefore

finally

in conclusion

in summary

lastly

in addition

PARAGRAPH WRITING

Types of paragraphs

Paragraph forms

Descriptive paragraphWriting instructionsNarrative paragraphCompare and contrast

Descriptive paragraph

By writing a descriptive paragraph we can describe any object, place, people or

how some thing happensIn Descriptive paragraph the writer has to

create words picture.For writing descriptions the writer has to use

interesting adjectives and set of verbs It is usually composed of statements and

passive sentences

A descriptive paragraph

A Friendly Clown On one corner of my dresser sits a smiling toy clown on a

tiny unicycle--a gift I received on my last birthday from a close friend. The clown's short yellow hair, made of yarn, covers its ears but is parted above the eyes. The blue eyes are outlined in black with thin, dark lashes flowing from the brows. It has cherry-red cheeks, nose, and lips, and its broad grin disappears into the wide, white ruffle around its neck. The clown wears a fluffy, two-tone nylon costume. The left side of the outfit is light blue, and the right side is red. The two colors merge in a dark line that runs down the center of the small outfit. Surrounding its ankles and disguising its long black shoes are big pink bows. The clown and unicycle together stand about a foot high. As a cherished gift from my good friend Sayeed, this colorful figure greets me with a smile every time I enter my room.

Narrative paragraph

In narrative paragraph the topic has to develop like a story with

important events arranged chronologically. The purpose of

narrative writing is to show readers what happened at a particular

time and place. A narrative is a story--a real or an imagined event—

that relies on specific details to answer the following

questions:

What happened? When did it happen? Where did it happen? Who was involved? How did the event begin? What was the outcome of the event?

Usually in narrative paragraph we use past tense or historical present

A narrative paragraph

Peddling On My Own Learning how to ride a bike for the first time was a nerve racking

independent moment. I was about five years old when my sister informed me that I was too old to still be riding a bike with training wheels. That was the time I decided not to depend on them anymore. Even though I had some doubt, my sister and I went outside and started to take the little wheels off my bike. After my bike went through the transformation, I was now ready for the big moment. With butterflies in my stomach, I slowly got on the bike, and with my shaky hands, I gripped the handles tightly. Meanwhile my sister was holding on to me to help keep my balance. I was so afraid the she would let go, yet I was determined to ride this bike on my own. Next with a little push from her, I started to peddle. The faster my bike went the faster my heart raced. Finally I looked back nervously and noticed that my sister let go of my bike a long time ago. I was so excited that I accomplished freedom on my bike that I forgot to peddle. The next step I remember, I was lying on the ground, yet I did not care because of the adrenaline rush. I will never forget the exhilarating moment and growing up stage of riding a bike without training wheels.

Writing instructions

In the academic writings we need to write instructions for describing various processes

These type of paragraphs require writer to explain how to do some thing.

Usually imperative sentences are used for writing instructions

It requires, the use of transitions like, first, second, next, finally etc to keep the information in logical order.

specimen for writing instructions

A Word of Advice

For those of you about to take advanced English composition, I will give you a word of advice: first, do the essays. Second, save those essays in a special folder. Third, get an early start on your research paper. If you follow this advice I can guarantee you a good grade

Compare and contrast paragraph

knowledgeable people and wise people may have the same amount of intelligence and may be equally smart, but there is still a huge difference between the two. Knowledgeable people know more often when and where, but wise people know more of the reasons, how something happened and why it is significant. For example, in the case of a personal tragedy, a knowledgeable person would know what was supposed to be said and when, but a wise person would know what needed to be said and how, already knowing the why.The most direct difference between wisdom and knowledge is this: knowledge is only information, until it is successfully retained in one's mind. Without a brain, knowledge is simply information, whereas the application of knowledge, or wisdom, cannot exist without a mind, not being something that one can read about or memorize, because if there is no brain, there is no wisdom.

Compare and contrast paragraphs

This type of paragraphs require the writer to find similarities and differences between people, places, events, functions, objects, etc.

For writing this type of paragraphs you need to have concrete supporting details and structure of the paragraph has to be logical and clear.

It is helpful to use a graphic organizer to write compare and contrast paragraph.

TIME TO PRACTICE

WRITE A PARAGRAPH DESCRIBING YOUR FAVORITE

CAR OR YOUR FAVOURITE HOLIDAY SPOT

COMPARE AND CONTRAST ANY TWO HISTORICAL

PERSONALITIES OF YOUR COUNTRY BY WRITING A

PARAGRAPH

WRITE A PARAGRAPH NARRATING A MOST

EMBARRASSING MOMENT OF YOUR LIFE

WRITE A PARAGRAPH GIVING INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO

DRIVE A BICYCLE SAFELYOR

HOW TO MAKE A PAGE ON FACEBOOK