Paragraph Structure Slide 2 Paragraphs Section C4 in A Writers
Reference Slide 3 Hey, whats a paragraph anyway? A paragraph is a
group of sentences (usually between 6 and 10 though there is no
rule) that focuses on a central idea. The role of the paragraph is
to cluster information around a central idea (topic sentence) that
supports the essays main point. Slide 4 Topic Sentences Every
paragraph must have a topic sentence. A topic sentence contains a
topic (what the paragraph is about) It also contains a controlling
idea (what the writer thinks about the topic) The topic sentence
should be like a one-sentence summary that tells the reader what to
expect in the coming paragraph. Please look at the example on pg
24. Slide 5 All living creatures manage some form of communication.
The dance patterns of bees in their hive help to point the way to
distant flower fields or announce successful foraging. Male
stickleback fish regularly swim upside-down to indicate outrage in
a courtship contest. Male deer and lemurs mark territorial
ownership by rubbing their own body secretions on boundary stones
or trees. Everyone has seen a frightened dog put his tail between
his legs and run in panic. We, too, use gestures, expression,
postures, and movement to give our words point. -Olivia Vlahos,
Human Beginnings Slide 6 Practice Students at another college wrote
these topic sentences. Which ones are strong? Which ones are weak?
Why? How would you revise the weaker ones to make them strong? I
would hate to have the age of drinking be legalized at 18. If the
age limit for drinking would be lowered to 18 years old I believe
that it would be a problem due to the fact that at 18 years old
most of the teens arent responsible enough to handle alcohol.
Lowering the drinking age could cause teens to have many problems.
The only acceptable answer for being allowed to drink under the age
of 21 is enlistment into the armed forces. I am against lowering
the national drinking age to 18. The drinking age should not be
lowered to 18 even though at 18 you are considered an adult. Slide
7 Paragraph Unity Sentences that dont support the topic sentence
destroy paragraph unity. This means the paragraph will not be well
focused, and wont help the reader understand your point. Please
look at the example on page 25 As a solution, try omitting what
doesnt belong and use it in another paragraph. Slide 8 As the
result of tax cuts, the educations facilities of Lincoln High
School have reached an all-time low. Some of the books date back to
1990 and have long since shed their covers. The few computers in
working order must share one printer. The lack of lab equipment
makes it necessary for four or five students to work at one table,
with most watching rather than performing experiments. Also, the
chemistry instructor left to have a baby at the beginning of the
semester and most of the students dont like the substitute. As for
the furniture, many of the upright chairs have become recliners,
and the desk legs are so unbalanced that they play seesaw on the
floor. Slide 9 Group Exercise Writer's Reference on the web
Writer's Reference on the web Slide 10 Slide 11 Develop the main
idea/give adequate support There is no hard and fast rule when it
comes to paragraph length. Paragraphs need to be long enough to get
the job done, which means convincing the audience that youve
supported your point. See page 26. Slide 12 Make Paragraphs
Coherent (C4-d) Link ideas Repeat key words Use parallel structures
Maintain consistency Provide transitions Slide 13 Basic Model of a
Paragraph Topic SentencePrimary Support Secondary Support (explain)
Secondary Support (example) Secondary Support (long term
effect/result) Primary Support Secondary Support (explain)
Secondary Support (example) Secondary Support (long term
effect/result) Primary Support Secondary Support (explain)
Secondary Support (example) Secondary Support (long term
effect/result) Conclusion/Summary Slide 14 Topic Sentence: the main
idea around which the paragraph will be built Primary Support:
Primary supports are like the foundation of a house: we use them to
set up the details or secondary supports to build the paragraph.
Secondary Supports: secondary supports are the details or framework
of an essay. These are the way we support the topic sentence and
primary supports and give the readers the detail they need. Slide
15 Class Practice: Lets say we all agree with the statement the day
after the superbowl should be a national holiday. What are three
Primary (big) supports we could use to support a topic sentence
that agrees with that statement? Slide 16 Now lets fill in some
details. Spend a few minutes in groups discussing these three and
lets see if we can put something together Primary 1: Primary 2:
Primary 3: Slide 17 Paragraph Outline An outline for this paragraph
would look something like this, only longer, because we have three
primary supports (and this slide just isnt big enough). Topic
Sentence: The day after the Superbowl should be a national holiday.
Primary Support: People would have time to sober up. Secondary
Support a (explain): People drink a lot during football games, so
they need time to recover. SSb(example): My brother always gets
drunk at the game and ends up unable to work the next day.
SSc(effect/result/analysis): People end up getting written up or
losing their job for being hungover or too sick to go work.
