2. PARTS OF A PARAGRAPH

3. The main idea The main idea is what a writer wants to say about a topic. It is the idea that a paragraph is organized around.

4. The topic sentence States the main idea of the paragraph Found at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of the paragraph

5. Supporting sentences Give details that explain or prove the main idea Contain sensory details, facts, definition, description, explanation, repetition, quotation, or examples that support the main idea of the paragraph

6. Unity in a paragraph is when all the sentences support, or tell something about, one main idea.

7. To create COHERENCE in a paragraph: FIRST arrange details in an order that makes sense SECOND use transitional words or phrases to connect ideas

8. Ways of organizing paragraphs

9. TIME ORDER The writer tells a series of events in more or less the exact order in which they occurred. (chronological order) Example: Call of the Wild by Jack London

10. Series of events 1.Camp was reached. 2.Morning found Dave weak. 3.At harness-up time Dave was too weak to run. 4.Then he wormed his way forward. 5.The last his mates saw him he lay gasping in the snow. 6.They heard him howling as they passed out of sight.

11. Tips on understanding TIME ORDER Think about the order. Look for key words and dates. Ask “What happened next?” Ask “Does the order make sense?” Draw a time line or sequence chain.

12. Location order Paragraphs are organized in order from one location to another. (spatial order) You can almost draw what the writer is describing. (specific details or features) Example: The Cay by Theodore Taylor

13. Cause-effect order The writer begins with the cause and moves to the effects or begins with effects and then explains the cause. Example: Slavery in the United States by Charles Ball

14. CAUSE Men threw children overboard. EFFECT 1.Two women leaped overboard after their children. 2.Another woman broke her arm an later died. 3.One rescued woman threw herself overboard again.

15. Tips for determining CAUSE AND EFFECT. To find the cause of something, ask “Why did it happen?” To find the effect, ask “What happened as a result?” Look for more than one cause or effect

16. ORDER OF IMPORTANCE organizes the paragraph by order of importance. The writer may begin with the most important idea and moves to the least important idea…

17. …the writing moves from the least important details to the main idea stated in the last sentence.

18. MAIN IDEA: Buffalo herds dwindled. DETAIL #1: 30 million buffalo roaming the plains DETAIL #2: Killed to feed crews building the railroad west DETAIL #3: Killed for sport or to be used for shoes, robes, or belts DETAIL #4: Between 1872 and 1882, more than 1 million killed each year

19. …the writing moves from the least important details to the main idea stated in the last sentence.

20. MAIN IDEA: Mountain men blazed the first trails that allowed pioneers to move west. DETAIL #1: Mountain men killed off all animals in some places. DETAIL #2: Trappers searched for new streams where beaver lived. DETAIL #3: Explorations led to earliest firsthand knowledge of Far West.

21. COMPARISON-CONTRAST ORDER shows how one thing is like (compare) or unlike another (contrast). partwolvesdogs legslongershorter chestsnarrowerrounder, fuller feetbiggersmaller tailshang downCurl upward scentsspecial scent gland no scent gland in tail

22. CLASSIFICATION ORDER groups things to show broad similarities. BIRDSREPTILESMAMMALS INVER- TEBRATES PLANTS PenguinsSea turtles WhalesSquidSeaweed

23. GENERAL AND SPECIFIC A general term covers many things. It groups related things together. A specific term applies to just a few things or one thing. It separates that thing from others like it. A term can be more general than some terms and less general than others. Proper nouns are always specific.

24. Clincher sentence Also called the concluding sentence Restates in different words the topic sentence So called because it clinches the point made in the paragraph Use only if necessary to summarize the paragraph