Writing a Paragraph

Parts of a Paragraph Topic sentence – states the main idea of the paragraph Supporting details – provide explanations/facts/examples that back up the main idea Concluding sentence – refers back to the main idea & wraps up the paragraph

Editing a Paragraph Logical sentence order Must be indented & have 4-6 sentences Eliminate fragments & run-on sentences Vary the sentence lengths Be sure all sentences are in the active voice Check for correct grammar, punctuation, & spelling

A Perfect Paper At least 5 paragraphs First paragraph – introduction  Needs a thesis or sentence explaining what the paper is about Middle paragraphs – body of the paper Last paragraph - conclusion

The Writing Process

Five Stages of the Writing Process Prewriting Drafting Revising Editing Publishing

Prewriting Who is my audience? What is my purpose? What do I want to say? How do I want to say it? What graphic organizer will I use?  Brainstorm, create a web, Venn Diagram, outline  Write everything down & don’t worry about spelling or grammar

Drafting Are my thoughts organized? Which ideas do I want to develop? In what order do I want to say my ideas? Did I skip lines? Did I label everything?

Revising Are my details clear? Should I add or take out parts? Is my writing in a sensible order? Have I used the best ideas or words?

Editing Have I used complete sentences? Are my language conventions correct?  Spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar  Circle or mark errors  No contractions!  Do not use the first or second person in formal writing (I or you)  Be sure subjects & verbs agree & that verb tense stays the same Have I had anyone else edit my paper?

Publishing Did I do my best work? Did I include a title? Is my final copy neat?

Book Review

Evaluate the book – not summarize Explain how you feel about the book Persuade the reader to either read the book or avoid reading it

Paragraph 1 Introduce the book  Author’s name  Title of the book  What the book is about Thesis  “I enjoyed this book because…”  “I did not enjoy this book because…”

Paragraph 2 What are the author’s objectives? What is he/she trying to prove? What was the message of this book? Use one direct quote and give supporting information.

Paragraph 3 What kind of evidence or experience does the author have to prove his/her points? How did the author get his/her message across to the reader? Use one direct quote and give supporting information.

Paragraph 4 Is the evidence convincing? How well has the book achieved its goal? Did this book hold your interest? Why or why not? Did you enjoy the author’s writing style? Why or why not? What was your favorite part of the book? What was your least favorite part? Did you learn anything from this book? Use one direct quote and give supporting information.

Paragraph 5 Conclusion that ties together the issue raised in the review Provides a concise comment on the book Give advice for would-be readers Would you recommend this book to others? Who would enjoy it?