Do your students struggle with writing? Do you dream of an effective method that makes writing accessible to ALL students? Well, look no further . . .

Jane Schaffer Writing Strategy How to Write an Effective Paragraph This strategy is for BODY/SUPPORT paragraphs, not introductions and conclusions. We will learn additional strategies for those later.

The writing process is demystified in that it is made “accessible to everyone.” Even though Schaffer admits her method is formulaic, she claims that teachers should not worry that students will become dependent on the formula. She says, “The formulaic nature of this unit does not bother us because students may leave it once they understand it. Some students leave the format early in the process; others choose not to leave it at all because they like the structure and say it helps them know what to do with a blank page.”

Get Ready to Color Your World! How to Write an Effective Paragraph Materials: When we write, we will use black, blue, red, and green pens. BLACK is for Topic Sentences (TS) --BLUE and Concluding Sentences (CS). RED is for Concrete Details (CD). GREEN is for Commentary Sentences (CM).

Step 1: TOPIC SENTENCE A Topic Sentence (TS) is the top bun of a hamburger. TS = first sentence of the paragraph. It states (or asserts) the main idea. Usually a statement--something that you have to prove or support with additional details.

Example Topic Sentence (TS) Let’s start with a really simple topic sentence. 1) In the fairy tale “Cinderella,” the main character has a miserable life.

Step 2: CONCRETE DETAILS Concrete Details (CD) are the meat of the hamburger. CDs = facts, quotes, examples, specific details etc. from the text. CDs does not include opinion—a CD is evidence that supports your point!

Example Concrete Detail (CD) 2) For example, Cinderella must do all of the cooking and cleaning for her family. Concrete Details often start with “for example” or “for instance.”

Step 3: COMMENTARY Commentary Sentences (CM) are the “extras” on the hamburger—the tomato, cheese, lettuce, mayo, etc. CMs = your analysis, interpretation, explanation, or insight into the text. When you comment on or explain the significance of the concrete details you have selected.

Example Commentary Sentences (2 CMs) 3) These chores keep her isolated and friendless. 4) The stepmother is thus able to give Cinderella even more work, which is cruel and prevents her from going to the ball and fulfilling her dreams.

Step 4: CONCLUDING SENTENCE A concluding sentence (CS) is the bottom bun of the hamburger. A CS wraps up the paragraph. It rephrases/restates the main idea. The CS is the conclusion you have reached as a result of analyzing (CM) the concrete details (CD) in your paragraph.

Example Concluding Sentence (CS) Therefore, Cinderella, the protagonist, feels abused by the people who are supposed to love her, the antagonists of the fairytale.

TS, CD, CM, CS—Now What? CHUNKING A combination of CDs and CMs is called a “chunk.” In English, we will mostly use a combination (or “ratio”) of 1:2. That is, for every 1 CD, you will have 2 CMs.

One Chunk: 1 CD + 2 CM For example, Cinderella must do all of the cooking and cleaning for her family. These chores keep her isolated and friendless. The stepmother is thus able to give Cinderella even more work, which is unfair and prevents her from going to the ball. Ratio = 1:2

LET’S EAT! Now you know how to write a one-chunk paragraph! CD CM CS Let’s read it all together:

Step 6: A Whole Paragraph In the fairy tale “Cinderella,” the main character is mistreated. For example, Cinderella must do all of the cooking and cleaning for her family. These chores keep her isolated and friendless. The stepmother is thus able to give Cinderella even more work, which is unfair and prevents her from fulfilling her dream of going to the ball. Therefore, Cinderella feels abused by the very people who are supposed to love her.

Freshman paragraph: TS CD CM CS Senior paragraph: TS CD CM CS

Within the paragraph It’s important that quotes are not just “dropped in” to the paragraph. Follow the T, L, “Q”, (D) method!

T, L, “Q” (D). : Transition, Lead-in (context), (speaker of) Quote, Documentation. In addition to his coolheaded reaction to challenging circumstances, Sanger Rainsford exhibits cautious behavior throughout the short story; Zaroff tells him, “I suggest you wear moccasins, they leave a poorer trail” (page #).