Check-in time

• In a moment, you are going to have a chance to see a sample introductory paragraph. Compare your paragraph to this one to see what changes you need to make to your practice paragraph.

SAMPLE INTRO PARAGRAPH

The cares of the world disappear for a short time as the rich dark silk slides down the throat of its ingester. Even if the day has been purely dreadful, chocolate can instantaneously make everything better. Chocolate is the world’s most perfect food because it tastes incredible, is very easy to obtain, and even has some health benefits.

No surprise…

• Do the same for your concluding paragraph!

A sample conclusion

Chocolate is indeed one of the world’s greatest foods because of its rich taste, availability, and health benefit. Chocolate is a true culinary miracle. That simple word is a delight to many; consider making it part of life.

So…what does the rest of the paper look like?

Introduction

conclusion

Body paragraphs (three)

What goes into body paragraphs?

• Each body paragraph should start with a wonderfully written, fabulously strong, amazing TOPIC SENTENCE.– Ex. Chocolate is an amazing food because of

its rich, distinctive taste.

– Pop quiz: How do I know which topic sentence / body paragraph to write first?

And of course…

• You also need to have an appropriate

concluding sentence for each body paragraph.

What goes into body paragraphs?

• Of course, each topic sentence needs to be well supported. Depending upon the topic, this support may include . . . – Explanation– Examples– Facts– Statistics

– Etc• REMEMBER: This part is the “meat” of your paper.

Use well-written, clear details to thoroughly support the topic sentence.

Sample Body paragraph

Another reason that chocolate is one of the best foods on earth is that it is easy to obtain. A person can pick up some chocolate at almost any gas station, grocery store, bakery, restaurant or movie theatre in the country. Often times, the chocolate is pretty affordable. Although there are some chocolates that are very expensive, a candy bar can often be bought for less than a dollar. When compared to the price of other ‘feel good’ foods, chocolate is more accessible to average people. Again, chocolate is a great food because it can be an “everyday” food.

Hmmm…

• Think. What does a writer need to include to effectively guide the reader from paragraph to paragraph, as well as within each paragraph?

What are transitional phrases?

• A transitional phrase leads your reader from one point to the next. Generally, it can be a part of the topic sentenc.

• Examples:Not only does chocolate taste great, but it is

also very easy to obtain. ORThe second reason why chocolate is the

greatest food on earth is that it is very easy to get.

I feel like I’m following a recipe.

• As you are working to strengthen your academic writing, it may feel like this is too much of a formula.

• As you improve, you will be ready to make more variations. You will find ways in which to show your personality strongly through the structure. Give it some time!

What Now?

• You are actually going to draft a practice, five-paragraph essay that includes all of these components.

• Notice, most of these skills/concepts are not out of the realm of our “usual work;” they have simply been “stretched out.”

• BUT, why not have a little fun with this, too?• Take the next 3-4 minutes to brainstorm possible

topics that you and your peers could use for this GRADED practice.