1. Practice Writing an Effective Paragraph The Schaffer Method Adapted from Hollie Gustke’s lesson

2. Do you know the story of the three little pigs? Well, the wolf has a different opinion of how things went down... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6rV219 Yhvg

3. Today, you are the wolf’s lawyer. We need to convince the world that the wolf is innocent! We will use the Schaffer Method to make our argument sound clear and accurate. But first, let’s refresh.........

4. What are the four sections of a GOOD paragraph? Topic Sentence (TS) – we are going to write the topic sentence in blue Concrete Detail (CD) – we are going to write the concrete detail in red Commentary (CM) – we are going to write the commentary in black Concluding Sentence (CS) – we are going to write the concluding sentence in blue

5. What is the topic sentence? The topic sentence is like the ___________ on a hamburger. It shows the main idea. It is usually a mildly controversial statement– something that you have to prove.

6. Schaffer paragraphs can be used for expository essays to INFORM people. So what is the situation?

7. In blue pen, write the topic sentence. Don’t forget to INDENT your paragraph! The wolf is being labeled as the “bad guy.” This is the topic of our paragraph. It needs to be supported with evidence.

8. What is the concrete detail? The concrete detail is like the ____________ on a hamburger. The CD is a fact, quote, or example from the text (story). CD’s cannot be argued with – it is evidence that supports your topic.

9. In red, write the concrete detail. This is the second sentence of our paragraph. He knocked the pigs’ houses down and ate them both.

10. What is the commentary? The commentary (CM) is like the _________ on a hamburger. The CM is your analysis, interpretation, and explanation of the CD. This is where your thoughts and opinions come in!

11. In black pen, write the two commentary sentences When he knocked the pigs’ houses down, people thought that he was mean. Eating the little pigs also made him seem dangerous.

12. What is the concluding sentence? The concluding sentence (CS) is like the _________________ on a hamburger. It wraps up the paragraph and summarizes the main idea.

13. In blue, write the concluding sentence. In conclusion, it is understandable why people might think the wolf is the “bad guy.”

14. Schaffer paragraphs can also be used to PERSUADE people. Now it’s time to prove the wolf’s innocence.

15. In blue pen, write the topic sentence. Don’t forget to INDENT your paragraph! The wolf did not mean to knock down the pigs’ houses. This is the topic of our paragraph. It needs to be supported with evidence.

16. In red, write the concrete detail. This is the second sentence of our paragraph. He had a terrible cold, and when he sneezed, he blasted the first two pigs’ houses to the ground.

17. In black pen, write the two commentary sentences Just like anyone with a cold, the wolf probably couldn’t control when he sneezed. He just happened to sneeze at the wrong place at the wrong time.

18. In blue, write the concluding sentence. So you see, the “big, bad” wolf wasn’t trying to be big and bad after all.

19. Now it’s your turn! We already proved that the wolf didn’t mean to knock down the little pigs’ houses. Now we need to prove that the wolf was trying to HELP by eating the little pigs. I am going to give you the topic sentence. Together, we need to come up with a CD and CM.

20. The wolf was trying to do the right thing by eating the first two pigs.

21. Try one one your own... Start with the following topic sentence. Add one concrete detail (fact or example), and then add two sentences of your own commentary (explanation). End with a concluding sentence that sums it up. The wolf had a good reason to knock the third little pig’s door down.