Individual paragraphs: Claim –to announce The main focus of the Detail #1 Support Detail #2 Detail #3 Wrap-up Adding a hook: If you are only writing one paragraph on a topic, try adding a hook to “draw in” your reader. Start with a shocking fact Start with “snapshots” Start with an anecdote (story) (must be very short!) Start with the word “Imagine” Start with a thought-provoking quote Start with a question, but make it non-rhetorical Wrapping up your paragraph: Do not leave your reader “hanging” Do not say: “Thank you for reading this… or Those are the reasons… Or That is why… 3. Restate the claim, but not in the same way. If you only change one word, It will sound REDUNDANT. 4. Give a sense of completion to the reader.

Examples of Wrap-ups for the season paragraph: Summer is a really a great season, so get the vitamin D, and have a summer blast! Spring, a bright and colorful season, is the best season of all. Clearly, winter is a wonderful season full of cheer and fun. After the spring rains, the world goes back to its busy self, but things seem a bit brighter. This is spring. Winter: the season of the most wonderful, childhood memories that come back year after year. Without a doubt, the season of spring brings hope and cheer to the land. Truly, autumn is a season of great expectation and fun.

Journal: Think about the characters in the novel The Witch of Black Bird Pond. In the novel, Kit has a secret place that she likes to visit. What is that place? Do you have a secret or special place where you like to go to? What is that place, and why do you enjoy going there?