Hamburger Paragraphs How to write a really great paragraph! Maintains a Focus & Develops Content appropriate for the topic

Click on me to learn about good paragraphs!

The Topic Sentence (Top Bun) The very first sentence of your paragraph. Always needs to be indented. Tells what your paragraph is going to be about. Tells the MAIN IDEA! My canine Chewy never behaves. Since he is always hungry for food, Chewy will knock over the trash can and search for sweet scraps. My wild pet quickly runs around in circles and will even chase people into their homes! Also, he just loves to tease other animals and leap on them when they least expect it. Although Chewy is mischievous, I still love him as my playful pet. Click here to return to the hamburger

The Juicy Details! This is the part of the paragraph that gives more information about the MAIN IDEA. Use ALL your senses to tell about your topic! Remember to stay on your topic!

The First Detail (Lettuce) Should not be the most important detail. Needs to follow directly after the topic sentence. Needs to be tell more about the topic. Use your senses! My canine Chewy never behaves. Since he is always hungry for food, Chewy will knock over the trash can and search for sweet scraps. My wild pet quickly runs around in circles and will even chase people into their homes! Also, he just loves to tease other animals and leap on them when they least expect it. Although Chewy is mischievous, I still love him as my playful pet. Click here to return to the hamburger

The Second Detail (Tomato) Still should not be the most important detail. Needs to follow directly after the lettuce sentence. Needs to be full of good “juicy” details! My canine Chewy never behaves. Since he is always hungry for food, Chewy will knock over the trash can and search for sweet scraps. My wild pet quickly runs around in circles and will even chase people into their homes! Also, he just loves to tease other animals and leap on them when they least expect it. Although Chewy is mischievous, I still love him as my playful pet. Click here to return to the hamburger

The Third Detail (Cheese) Still not be the most important detail. Needs to start differently than other sentences. Use an order word! Needs to be full of good “cheesy” details! My canine Chewy never behaves. Since he is always hungry for food, Chewy will knock over the trash can and search for sweet scraps. My wild pet quickly runs around in circles and will even chase people into their homes! Also, he just loves to tease other animals and leap on them when they least expect it. Although Chewy is mischievous, I still love him as my playful pet. Click here to return to the hamburger

The Last Detail (Meat) Finally!!! The most important detail! Should start differently than most of the other sentences. Needs to be full of good “meaty” details! My canine Chewy never behaves. Since he is always hungry for food, Chewy will knock over the trash can and search for sweet scraps. My wild pet quickly runs around in circles and will even chase people into their homes! Also, he just loves to tease other animals and leap on them when they least expect it. If you think that’s bad, he will even bark at you up if you are fast asleep! Although Chewy is mischievous, I still love him as my playful pet. Click here to return to the hamburger

Locate the details! Birthdays are very important events at my house. There is always a gigantic, scrumptious dinner, almost as big as Thanksgiving Day feast! The birthday person gets to use a special red birthday plate. Of course, there’s also a sweet cake with candles to treat your taste buds. But the best part is the feeling of being a family and knowing that you are surrounded by friends and family. At my house, birthdays are always a fun time!

YOU TRY! In your writing journals, you picked a topic you wanted to write about. Jot down a few ideas you have about your topic. CHEWY -eats a lot -runs around; lots of energy -noisy -sneaky Then, take your ideas and turn them into sentences on your hamburger outline!

Last But Not Least!!! Writing your Closing Sentence… Should be something the reader can remember It is just like having dinner and eating a dessert afterwards. Dinner is like the MAIN MEAL, but a tasty dessert completes the meal and is likely to be remembered.

Closing Sentences Can… Restate the main idea Topic Sentence: My canine Chewy never behaves. Closing: Sentence Chewy is one mischievous pet!

Closing Sentences Can… Give a final thought about the topic: Topic Sentence: My canine Chewy never behaves. Closing Sentence: Having a pet can have its perks, but having Chewy is very challenging!

Closing Sentences Can… Give the reader advice, or get your reader to agree with you! Topic Sentence: My canine Chewy never behaves. Closing Sentence: Don’t you think Chewy sounds like a naughty dog?

The Closing Sentence (Bottom Bun) Should look a lot like the topic sentence. Needs to summarize the topic. Needs to be an obvious end to the paragraph. Don’t leave your reader hanging! My canine Chewy never behaves. Since he is always hungry for food, Chewy will knock over the trash can and search for sweet scraps. My wild pet quickly runs around in circles and will even chase people into their homes! Also, he just loves to tease other animals and leap on them when they least expect it. If you think that’s bad, he will even bark at you up if you are fast asleep! Although Chewy is mischievous, I still love him as my playful pet. Click here to see a good paragraph on the web!