Writing Body Paragraphs Please use your organizers to guide your writing. Remember to save your work frequently!

NOTICE! All examples provided in this PowerPoint are to help guide you in your choices. You may NOT copy my sentences! These are mine- Write your own! If you copy my work it is plagiarism and that is cheating, which is VERY BAD, so don’t do it! This is not a collaborative writing project- it is YOUR ideas we want to read!

Topic Sentences The topic sentence in each paragraph is to introduce the content you will explain in later sentences. It should include the topic, and a brief (one or two word) preview of the content.

Examples: Civilizations approach 1. The Egyptians used their geographic features for agriculture, trade, and protection. (topic sentence) The following sentences would explain HOW the Egyptians were impacted in the areas of agriculture, trade and protection. 2. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers shaped the development of the Sumerians by allowing agriculture, trade, and a source of building material. (topic sentence) Once again, each of the three claims made must be supported in the body of the paragraph.

Examples: Features approach 1. Rivers provided early civilizations with a means for agriculture, trade, and as a food source. (topic sentence) The sentences that follow would explain how three different civilizations use the rivers in these ways. 2. Ancient civilizations were greatly influenced by the natural barriers surrounding their cities providing protection for the growth of the cultures within. (topic sentence) The paragraph would then explain how natural barriers influenced these civilizations in specific ways.

The “meat” of the paragraph The next step is to type your examples in complete sentences in your paragraph. USE YOUR ORGANIZER- the information should be the same! Support your examples with specific details. A great way to enhance examples is to connect them to achievements of that civilization- (3rd column on content organizer!) Use content vocabulary whenever possible. Make sure your examples flow together—use transition words

Concluding/transition sentences Your paragraphs should end with a concluding statement that is NOT a rephrasing of the topic sentence. It should be a transition statement to the next paragraph topic.

Examples: Cultural 1. Due to the resources provided by the Nile, Egyptians were able to focus on cultural development, and advanced in medicine and architecture. 2. The Egyptians were not the only civilization to benefit from their river and natural barriers, the Harappans also used these features in similar ways. (The next paragraph would be about the Harappans)

Examples: Features 1. All river valley civilizations depend upon their rivers to maintain life in otherwise unwelcoming environments. 2. Rivers provide civilizations with the means to trade and grow crops, but how people used the natural resources available around the rivers reflected unique needs and cultures. (Next paragraph would be about natural resources)

Revise Do all of your examples make sense, and are of comparable quality? Can you add any specific details to make your examples better? Are you using content vocabulary? Does your writing transition smoothly between ideas? Use the resources from your writing folder to help you with this!