How to write a paragraph Do you ever feel like you are going to explode when we teachers ask you to write a paragraph? Do you feel your heart pounding or your face getting red if we tell you to write a GOOD paragraph? Don't despair... here is a way to do it painlessly and with excellent results.

To begin......consider an apple. Using "short" words list at least five things you already know about apples.

Apples eat them different colors grow on trees great in a pie Your list might look like this: Apples    eat them  different colors  grow on trees  great in a pie  some have worms

Apples come in different colors. Apples grow on trees. Now S T R E T C H the words on your list into at least five sentences. You can eat an apple. Apples come in different colors. Apples grow on trees. I ate an apple pie once. Sometimes an apple has a worm in it.

Now let's put the sentences in a paragraph! First, think about which sentence you want to come first, second, third, etc... How about this order?    Apples come in different colors.  Apples grow on trees.  You can eat an apple.  I ate an apple pie.  Sometimes an apple has a worm in it.

grow on trees. You can eat an apple. I ate Ok, let's try it out! Let's connect the sentences into a paragraph with indention, capital letters at the beginning of each sentence, and a punctuation mark at the end of each sentence. .............. Apples come in different colors. Apples grow on trees. You can eat an apple. I ate an apple pie. Sometimes an apple has a worm in it. Well, our sentences are in a paragraph form. We have indented and remembered to use punctuation, but it isn't a GOOD paragraph… yet.

Consider what you remember about paragraphs! Paragraphs have 3 parts: like a hamburger: 1) The top of the bun is like a topic sentence. It is the first sentence in a paragraph, and it introduces the main idea of the paragraph. The topic sentence "holds" the supporting details. 2) In between the buns is the meat, or the supporting details. They tell the reader information about the topic. You can have as many supporting details as you wish (the more meat, the better, right?) 3) The bottom of the burger is the closing sentence. It is the last sentence in a paragraph, and it restates the main idea of your paragraph using different words.

Let me tell you what I know about apples. For example: Our paragraph about apples needs a crispy top bun or topic sentence: Let me tell you what I know about apples. 2) Our paragraph has a great amount of “meat” or supporting details inside the buns: Apples come in different colors and they grow on trees. You can eat a fresh apple, but I like to eat them in a homemade apple pie. Sometimes a worm is living in the apple.

Let me tell you what I know about apples. 3) And finally, we need the bottom bun to hold all the meat or a closing sentence. Here is a good clue... look at the topic sentence and think about the burger again. Think how the top of the bun looks similar to the bottom, except maybe it has some sesame seeds on top. Similarly, the concluding sentence should be similar to the topic sentence - just use different words. Let me tell you what I know about apples. (topic sentence) These are just a few things you should know about apples. (concluding sentence)

Let’s see what our finished paragraph (delicious hamburger) looks like: Let me tell you what I know about apples. Apples come in different colors and they grow on trees. You can eat a fresh apple, but I like to eat them in homemade apple pie. Sometimes a worm is living in the apple. These are just a few things you should know about apples. TA-TA! WE DID IT!

Remember these simple steps to help you write a good paragraph! Decide on a topic List things you know about the topic--use short words Use your list of short words to create sentences Put the sentences in order Create a good topic sentence See what you can do to make your supporting details SHOW not TELL the reader about your topic by combining sentences into complex or compound sentences, adding interesting adjectives and creating "mind pictures" for the reader Write a great closing sentence by looking at the topic sentence and using different words Don't forget to indent, capitalize beginning sentence words, punctuate correctly, and check your spelling