Paragraph Writing

topic sentence

- FIRST sentence of a paragraph - TELLS: (1)main idea, (2) what the paragraph is about

closing sentence

- LAST sentence of paragraph - restates main idea in a different way

supporting details

- after the topic sentence - the BODY of the paragraph - includes fact, details, examples

5 things a summary paragraph MUST have

1) 5-7 sentences 2) first line indented 3) topic sentence 4) 3 supporting details 5) a closing sentence

revising (improving first draft)

1) add more details 2) move sentences around 3) delete sentences that do not support the topic 4) rewrite sentences that are not clear

editing (checking for conventions)

1) check for: capitalization, punctuation, grammar, spelling 2) rewrite a neat final copy 3) proofread

pre-writing (selecting topic & details)

1) choose topic sentence 2) collect facts, examples details about topic 3) write topic sentence that tells what the paragraph is about 4) decide how to arrange the details

writing (creating first draft)

1) start with topic sentence 2) write body - use details you collected 3) connect ideas & sentences with transitions 4) end with closing sentence that summarizes the paragraph in a different way

Guidelines for writing an effective paragraph.

prewriting, writing first draft, revising, editing