So You Want to Write a Paragraph

6 Easy Steps to a Great Paragraph

Create a Title

• Decide on the topic of your paragraph

• Create a title

• Tell the topic in the title

• Use words to catch reader interest

Create a Title Continued

Suppose we want to write a paragraph about

seahorses.

Our topic is seahorses.

The title should be interesting and refer to the

topic:

A Horse That Isn’t a Horse

OR

The Seahorse: An Amazing Fish

Write the Topic Sentence

• Write a topic sentence for every paragraph.

• Usually put the topic sentence as the first sentence of the paragraph, but it may also be the second or last sentence.

• Tell the main idea or subject of the paragraph in the topic sentence.

Write a Topic Sentence Continued

• In our paragraph the topic sentence will be the first sentence

• Like the title, it should try to catch the reader’s interest and tell the subject of the rest of the paragraph.

• A possible topic sentence for our paragraph might be: A seahorse is unlike its fish relatives.

OR

• It is hard to believe a seahorse is a fish.

Write Detail Sentences

• Give information about the topic in the detail sentences.

• Choose details that fit together smoothly.

• Vary the beginning words. The sentences should not all begin the same way.

Write Detail Sentences Continued

Two facts have been turned into a detail sentence.

With a head that looks horsey and a tail that is prehensile and can grab onto objects, the seahorse looks fishy and not at all fish-like.

Write Detail Sentences Continued

Four more facts have been turned into a detail sentence.

The 40 different species bob about mostly in shallow temperate waters and can change color and skin patterns to camouflage themselves to match their habitat surroundings.

Write Detail Sentences Continued

Turn three more details into a sentence.

The male seahorse has a pouch on its bony front in which it carries the 1,000 eggs placed there by a female.

Write Detail Sentences Continued

Your paragraph should have at least 3 detail sentences, but sometimes you may need more.

Males carry the eggs for about 2 months until tiny seahorses emerge from the pouch.

Write Detail Sentences Continued

We need one more detail sentence.

The coronets, or bony crowns, on their horse-shaped head are just like human fingerprints, different for each seahorse.

Write Detail Sentences Continued

• There are many more facts which could be included as detail sentences.

• We picked only facts which fit our topic sentence and tell how seahorses are unusual.

• The beginning words in our sentences are not all the same.

Write a Concluding Sentence

• Write a concluding sentence to end the paragraph.

• Summarize and restate the topic of your paragraph.

OR • Tell how you feel about the topic.

Write a Concluding Sentence Continued

Our concluding sentence is going to summarize the topic.

Seahorses are definitely one of the most unusual fish found in the sea.

Write the Paragraph

• Put it all together.

• Center the title over the paragraph.

• Indent the first word of the first sentence.

• Reread the paragraph to check content and flow one last time.

• Check for any complete sentence, correct capitalization, spelling, and punctuation errors you missed earlier.

The Seahorse: An Amazing Fish

It is hard to believe a seahorse is a fish. With a head that looks horsey and a tail that is prehensile and can grab onto objects, the seahorse looks fishy and not at all fish-like.

The 40 different species bob about mostly in shallow temperate waters and can change color and skin patterns to camouflage themselves to match their habitat surroundings.

The male seahorse has a pouch on its bony front in which it carries the 1,000 eggs placed there by a female. Males carry the eggs for about 2 months until tiny seahorses emerge from the pouch.

The coronets, or bony crowns, on their horse-shaped head are just like human fingerprints, different for each seahorse.

Seahorses are definitely one of the most unusual fish found in the sea.

So You Just Wrote a Paragraph

• You did it.

• Add a few illustrations for interest and support.

• Give your work a last check for neatness.

• You are finished.