09 Building Paragraphs

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.10.C, 110.38.c.5.J, 110.39.c.5.J

NE ELA Standard:

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Explanatory Paragraph

English Language Arts:

Page 083 from Write for College

A Closer Look at Topic Sentences

From elementary school on, students have learned to start each paragraph with a topic sentence, and most often they will do so in high school and college. However, they should also experiment with other paragraph organizational styles.

Lead students through the first example, which follows the standard organizational pattern. Then present the second example, which follows a "climax" pattern, beginning with details and leading up to the main point. This pattern works well when the audience might be resistant to an idea and needs to see the proof before the conclusion.

The next page shows a third alternative.

Encourage students to use whatever pattern works best for their topic, purpose, and audience. In other words, empower students to make intentional, effective rhetorical choices.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.10.C, 110.38.c.5.J, 110.39.c.5.J

NE ELA Standard:

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Explanatory Paragraph Persuasive Paragraph

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English Language Arts:

Page 084 from Write for College

A Closer Look at Topic Sentences (Cont.)

Lead students through the explanation and example paragraph at the top of the page. The topic sentence at the center pivots the discussion from background information to examples and anecdotes, helping the student make a strong point about the film. Encourage your students to similarly experiment with building up to a topic sentence and then pivoting to further explanation.

Also, teach students the four strategies for creating paragraph coherence. They've probably often used transitions and key words, but monitoring tense and parallelism might be new to them.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.10.C, 110.38.c.5.J, 110.39.c.5.J

NE ELA Standard:

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Explanatory Paragraph Literary Analysis

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English Language Arts:

Page 085 from Write for College

Achieving Unity

On page 84, students learned about coherence—ideas "sticking together." Here, they learn about unity—ideas focusing on the same topic.

Use the instruction and examples on this page to help students understand paragraph unity.

Then ask them to return to a formal assignment they have recently written and review the body paragraphs, making sure they have unity. If students discover a problem with unity, have them revise the paragraph, using one or more of the strategies presented at the top of this page.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.10.C, 110.38.c.5.J, 110.39.c.5.J

NE ELA Standard:

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Explanatory Paragraph

English Language Arts:

Page 086 from Write for College

Types of Paragraphs

Point out to students that all writing should be purposeful: It should try to do something. The types of paragraphs on this page and the next have different purposes—to describe, narrate, explain, and persuade (argue). The ideas, organization, and voice of each paragraph help it achieve its purpose.

Have a volunteer read the descriptive paragraph. Then lead a discussion about the descriptive details and features in it. Note especially the sensory details, which help the reader see, hear, and feel the event as if they witnessed it firsthand.

Have a different volunteer read the narrative paragraph. Discuss the narrative elements in it. Ask students to find answers to the 5 W's, and then have them pinpoint chronological transitions in the paragraph.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

LAFS.1112.W.1.2

NE ELA Standard:

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Description Narrative Paragraph

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Narrative Writing

Form:

English Language Arts:

Writing Strong Ideas Logical Organization Effective Voice

Page 087 from Write for College

Types of Paragraphs (Cont.)

Have a volunteer read the explanatory paragraph. Then discuss the explanatory elements. Note especially the variety of interesting details, each of which "unpacks" the idea expressed in the topic sentence.

Ask a different volunteer to read the persuasive paragraph. Lead a discussion about the persuasive elements. Ask students to pinpoint words that create the persuasive tone of the piece (such as humane, problem, unwanted, aggressive, risk, and so on).

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.10.C, 110.38.c.5.J, 110.39.c.5.J

NE ELA Standard:

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Explanatory Writing Persuasive Writing

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Form:

Explanatory Paragraph Persuasive Paragraph

English Language Arts:

Writing Strong Ideas Logical Organization Effective Voice

Page 088 from Write for College

Understanding Details

Compare details to ingredients: a lasagna and an egg roll are different in part because they contain different ingredients. Even the same ingredients in different proportions achieve different outcomes: a cake and a loaf of bread both have flour, sugar, salt, and milk, but in different quantities, and the cake uses baking powder to rise, while the bread uses wheat. No one wants a birthday loaf. No one wants salami and cheese on cake.

In the same way, students should select details for writing based upon their topic, audience, and purpose:

Facts and statistics ground a claim in reality.
Examples show an idea in action, giving specific instances.
Anecdotes connect an idea to real life and help the reader participate emotionally.

Have volunteers read each explanation and example and discuss the effect that the type of detail has. Then challenge students to review some of their previous writing assignments to find an example of each type of detail. Have them share what they found. If they couldn't find one type, have them suggest a detail of that type they could have included.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.10.C, 110.38.c.5.J, 110.39.c.5.J

NE ELA Standard:

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Explanatory Paragraph Narrative Paragraph

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English Language Arts:

Writing Strong Ideas

Page 089 from Write for College

Understanding Details (Cont.)

Have volunteers read the explanations and examples on this page. For each, lead a discussion of the effect of the detail type.

Quotations allow experts and those involved to speak for themselves.
Definitions help readers understand the critical terminology for an issue.
Reasons tell why something is the case or argue for a specific position.
Summaries encapsulate complex ideas in a short form.
Comparisons show the similarities between two topics.
Analyses divide a subject into parts, examine each part, and show how the parts relate to each other.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.10.C, 110.38.c.5.J, 110.39.c.5.J

NE ELA Standard:

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Explanatory Paragraph Persuasive Paragraph

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English Language Arts:

Writing Strong Ideas

Page 090 from Write for College

Arranging Details

Students should select and arrange details according to their purpose. This page and the next few explain and demonstrate different types of purposeful organization.

Have volunteers read each example, and then lead a discussion of it:

Classification puts ideas in categories and subcategories, creating a hierarchy.
Analogy compares something that is known to something that is unknown. It helps readers grasp new ideas in terms of previous ones.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.10.C, 110.38.c.5.J, 110.39.c.5.J

NE ELA Standard:

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Explanatory Paragraph

English Language Arts:

Page 091 from Write for College

Chronological Order

Time order works well for narratives or for explanations of a process. Organizing details sequentially keeps events sorted and allows readers to follow steps to complete an action.

Have volunteers read the examples. Then ask students to pinpoint transitions that connect ideas using time order.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.10.C, 110.38.c.5.J, 110.39.c.5.J

NE ELA Standard:

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Explanatory Paragraph Narrative Paragraph

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English Language Arts:

Page 092 from Write for College

Illustration and Climax

This page shows two options for organizing according to order of importance:

Illustration starts with a general principal and leads to specific instances (a top-down or deductive approach).
Climax starts with specific instances and leads to a general principal (a bottom-up or inductive approach).

Have volunteers read each example. Then discuss why the organizational pattern of each fits the topic, audience, and purpose.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.10.C, 110.38.c.5.J, 110.39.c.5.J

NE ELA Standard:

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Explanatory Paragraph Narrative Paragraph

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English Language Arts:

Page 093 from Write for College

Comparison and Contrast

This organizational style explores similarities and differences between two subjects. Have a volunteer read the example aloud and lead a discussion about it. Note that it follows the subject-by-subject organizational style, one of three approaches:

Subject-by-subject first discusses one subject in detail before discussing the other subject in detail.
Point-by-point treats one point of comparison/contrast for both subjects, moves to the next point for both subjects, and so on.
Similarities and differences first tells how both subjects are the same and then how both subjects are different.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.10.C, 110.38.c.5.J, 110.39.c.5.J

NE ELA Standard:

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Literary Analysis

English Language Arts:

Page 094 from Write for College

Using Transitions

Direct students to these two pages for transition words and groups that can help organize their details. Caution them not to overuse transitions, which can become obtrusive. Also, help students realize that different paragraphs can use different organizational strategies: one paragraph might chronologically explain the history of Medicaid, while the next compares and contrasts it to Medicare.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.10.C, 110.38.c.9.C, 110.39.c.9.C

NE ELA Standard:

LA 12.2.1.b

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Page 095 from Write for College

Using Transitions (Cont.)

Help students select transitions that align to their purpose for writing. You can use the minilesson to give them practice.

State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.10.C, 110.38.c.9.C, 110.39.c.9.C

NE ELA Standard:

LA 12.2.1.b

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Page 096 from Write for College

Paragraphs Quick Guide

Use this page to review the characteristics of paragraphs, how to evaluate them, and how to assemble them into an essay. Depending on students' composition level, provide them the Rubric for Evaluating Paragraphs or the Rubric for Evaluating Essays.

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State Standard Reference:

LAFS Standard:

TEKS Standard:

110.38.c.9, 110.38.c.10.C, 110.39.c.9, 110.39.c.10.C

NE ELA Standard:

LA 12.2.1.b, LA 12.2.2, LA 12.2.2.a

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