Paragraph Writing

Organizing a paragraph
The first sentence in the model paragraph is the topic sentence.
The next sentences sentences. are supporting

The last sentence is the concluding sentence.

The Topic Sentence

The topic sentence is the most important sentence in a paragraph. It tells the reader what the paragraph is about, or its main idea. It is usually the first sentence in a paragraph. It has two parts: the topic and the controlling idea. The topic is the subject of your paragraph. It is what you are writing about. Topic sentences are often opinions.

Another kind of topic sentence divides the topic into different parts
When you use this kind of topic sentence, you need to support it by talking about the different parts.

The controlling idea

The controlling idea limits or controls your topic to the one aspect that you want to write about.
A topic can have more than one controlling idea. For example, you could write one paragraph about how rice plays an important part in some ceremonies, a second paragraph about how rice is a nutritious part of our diet, and a third paragraph about another aspect of rice.

Supporting Sentences
Supporting sentences tell more about the

topic introduced in the topic sentence. Supporting sentences give the reader more facts about, or examples of the topic.

The Concluding Sentence

The last sentence in your paragraph is called the concluding sentence. This sentence tells the reader it is the end of the paragraph.
The concluding sentence and the topic sentence are similar. They are both general sentences. You can write the concluding sentence like the topic sentence, but use different words.

Two ways to write a concluding sentence are to

1. Say the topic sentence in different words
2. Summarize

the main points in

the

paragraph.

Many concluding sentences begin with one of these phrases:

In conclusion,

In summary,

Choose a topic
a. Write your topic at the top of your paper. (Say what your main food or drink is.)
b. Then ask a question about your topic. This will help you to get ideas. Choose one of these question words:

Who?
What? / In what way? Where? When? Why?

Some questions to ask before writing a topic sentence:

Journalistic Questions Who? What? When? Where?

Why? How? Is this too Broad/Narrow? Is it clear? How can I support this? Will it predict what will come next in the paragraph?

Some questions to ask after writing a topic sentence/paragraph:

Journalistic questions (who, what, when, where) Can you give an example? Can this be compared/contrasted to something? Are there enough details? How can I prove this? (I don't believe youprove it!) Can you be more specific?

How is this organized? Are the steps/parts clear? What order does it follow? Chronological (time sequence) Spatial (on the right/at the top/next to the) Order of Importance (The most important)

Example:
Rice is an important food in my country.
Question: Why?
a. Write down as many answers as you can. If you find that the question word does not work, try another question word.

2.Develop an outline.
a. Organize your ideas.
Step 1: Write a topic sentence. Step 2: Choose some of the answers to your question to use as supporting sentences. a. Make a more detailed outline. The paragraph outline on the next page will help you.

Paragraph outline
(Topic sentence) _________________________________________
(Supporting fact) _________________________________________ (Supporting fact) _________________________________________ (Supporting fact) _________________________________________ (Concluding sentence) ____________________________________

3. Write a rough draft.

4. Revise your rough draft.

1. Using the checklist below, check your rough draft or let your partner check it.

Paragraph Checklist
Did you give your paragraph a title?
___ Did you indent the first line? ___ Did you write on every other line? ___ Does your paragraph have a topic sentence?

 Does your topic sentence have a controlling idea?

___ Do your other sentences support your topic sentence? ___ Are your ideas in the correct order? ___ Does your paragraph have a concluding sentence?

5.Edit your paragraph.

Work with a partner or your teacher to edit your paragraph.

Dont forget to check:

O O O O O O O O O O

Grammar Subject-verb agreement Tenses Vocabulary Word order Spelling Punctuation Tenses Meaning Missing words

6. Write your final copy.

Model Paragraph

A Specialty in My Country
The people in my country make a special dish from the izote flower, which is
delicious to eat. The flower grows on top of a beautiful tree. You can see these trees in gardens of houses. You can also buy izote flowers in the market. The best time for the flowers is in the summer, from November to March. From the flowers we make a special dish that we eat almost every week in the summer. To prepare this dish, we boil the petals of the flower in water with salt and garlic. Then we take out the petals and add them to beaten eggs. We try this mixture like an omelet. When it is ready, we eat it with tomato sauce. The izote flower is a special flower in my country.