Step-up-to-Writing Simply one of many ways to approach writing and make the process clearer

Two Kinds of Writing Narrative Expository Tells a story Has a beginning, middle and an end Has characters, setting and a plot Expository Gives information Explains, shows, informs, or proves Has an introduction, a body and a conclusion Has reasons, transitions, and examples 8 fade-ins

Kinds of Sentences Topic sentence (and thesis statement) Reason / Detail / Fact (RDF) “The E’s” – Information to back your RDF’s Concluding sentence 4 fade-ins

Kinds of Sentences Green- Topic sentence starts the reader in the right direction. Yellow - Slow down and give a reason, detail, or fact. Red - Stop and give an explanation, elaboration, or further example.

An Elementary Paragraph My favorite amusement park is Disneyland. I love the rides. Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain rollercoasters make my heart race, and I like to sing along with It’s a Small World. I also enjoy the shows. I watch the parade and fireworks every time I visit. There is also a new Snow White show I’d like to see. I love my visits to Disneyland.

Another View

Topic Sentence The topic sentence is the heart of your paragraph. It is usually found in the beginning of the paragraph. It tells the reader what to expect in that paragraph; provides a focus 4 fade-ins

Sample Topic Sentences Rainsford experiences many conflicts in the tale “The Most Dangerous Game.” When I was seven I learned a valuable lesson about what it means to share.

Thesis Statement The thesis statement is a kind of topic sentence, except it controls a whole essay rather than one paragraph The purpose is to provide a clear direction for the paper 4 fade-ins

Reason/Detail/Fact Every topic sentence needs to be supported by at least one reason, detail, or fact. RDF’s are not arguable – they are like evidence in a trial RDF’s glue your paragraph together 2 fade-ins

Sample RDF’s When Rainsford falls in the Caribbean, he fights to stay afloat and reach shore. His screams are unheard by the yacht, and he struggles to the island. It all began the day after my birthday. I had received a bag of candy and a jump rope. My mom specifically told me to share the candy, but I was rarely given sugar, and I had no intention of complying with her order.

“The E’s” back up RDF’s Each reason, fact or detail may be supported with an explanation, elaboration, or further evidence. “The E’s” are the meat of the paragraph, the part that really shows your thinking 2 fade-ins

Sample “E’s” Because Rainsford fights against the waves and the sea, this conflict should be considered an external conflict of person vs. nature. The sea causes him to struggle, and he fights against it to keep his life. When I refused to give any candy to my friends, who of course all wanted a piece, I quickly found that I was alone. All I would get was a stomach ache from eating it on my own. So I decided to give one piece to each friend in order to get my playmates back.

Conclusions People like clean endings. A paragraph or paper should provide a “wrap up” to what was discussed. The conclusion ties the paragraph together. 3 fade-ins

Example Conclusions The case of Rainsford falling into the sea shows us he has at least one external conflict in “The Most Dangerous Game.” TRANSITION: However, this is not his only conflict. … The fact that a little sharing made so many people happy, including myself, showed me that selfishness wasn’t worth it. I may not have been happy that my mom was right in telling me to share, but I was old enough to see I learned a valuable lesson.

Sample Paragraph Rainsford experiences many conflicts in the tale “The Most Dangerous Game.” When Rainsford falls in the Caribbean, he fights to stay afloat and reach shore. His screams are unheard by the yacht, and he struggles to the island. Because Rainsford fights against the waves and the sea, this conflict should be considered an external conflict of person vs. nature. The sea causes him to struggle, and he fights against it to keep his life. The case of Rainsford falling into the sea shows us he has at least one external conflict in “The Most Dangerous Game.” TRANSITION: However, this is not his only conflict. …

Sample Paragraph When I was seven I learned a valuable lesson about what it means to share. It all began the day after my birthday. I had received a bag of candy and a jump rope. My mom specifically told me to share the candy, but I was rarely given sugar, and I had no intention of complying with her order. When I refused to give any candy to my friends, who of course all wanted a piece, I quickly found that I was alone. All I would get was a stomach ache from eating it on my own. So I decided to give one piece to each friend in order to get my playmates back. The fact that a little sharing made so many people happy, including myself, showed me that selfishness wasn’t worth it. I may not have been happy that my mom was right in telling me to share, but I was old enough to see I learned a valuable lesson.