1. The Jane Schaeffer Paragraph How do you organize a single paragraph…and make it amazing?

2. First, you need a topic sentence:  Your topic sentence should be some sort of hook to get the reader interested. It also needs to introduce what you will be talking about. Yesterday, the video of Colossus the Great White Shark was my hook for the lesson.  A hook can be a question: Have you ever wondered what monsters lie waiting at the bottom of the ocean?  A hook can be a famous quote: Bruce the shark from Finding Nemo said it best, “I am a nice shark, not a mindless eating machine.”  A hook can be an exclamatory sentence: Shark!  A hook can be a generic statement of fact: Sharks are one of the deadliest fish in the sea.

3. Next, you need facts that support your topic:  After you have introduced your topic, you need to begin writing about the facts that you learned from your research/reading. Treat your paragraph like a math formula (yes you read that right, a MATH FORMULA).  List your FIRST fact  Write a sentence that discusses the fact  List a SECOND fact  Write ANOTHER sentence discussing the fact  List a THIRD fact  Write ANOTHER sentence discussing that fact

4. But if I do all that, won’t my paragraph sound choppy?  TRANSITION, TRANSISTION, TRANSISTION! The key to helping your paragraph flow and sound goooooooood is to use transition words. Transition words are words or phrases that help you move from one topic or fact to another, helping the different facts in your paragraph fit together like a puzzle. For this paragraph, you are going to be listing facts about a shark. So, you have a couple of options:  First, second, third  One fact is…, another fact is…, and final fact about sharks is…  To begin, In addition to, Finally  Other helpful transition words you should utilize: also, however, but, yet, while

5. So you got your hook, you got your facts and transitions…so how do you end your paragraph?  Your paragraph will need a closing sentence. This is your final statement in your paragraph. They are usually the hardest to come up with because you have said all you want to say already, right? Well, a good paragraph comes full circle, so when in doubt go back to your hook.  If your hook was a question, your closing could be an answer. Hook: Have you ever wondered what monsters lie waiting at the bottom of the ocean? Closing: Even though sharks are considered monsters of the deep, they remain very fascinating creatures to study.  If your hook was a quote, refer back to the quote at the end of your paragraph. Hook: Bruce the shark from Finding Nemo said it best, “I am a nice shark, not a mindless eating machine.” Closing: So what humans need to remember is that sharks are indeed more than just mindless eating machines.

6. Assignment for today:  You have your topic, you have your brainstorming map, you have your article all highlighted and with commentary, so the next step is to begin writing about what you learned from your research. You will need to write an 8 to 10 sentence paragraph, using transition words through out, discussing what you learned about sharks.  Remember, follow this formula: Hook Fact #1 Supporting sentence Fact #2 Supporting sentence Fact #3 Supporting sentence Closing sentence

7. What you will turn in, stapled together, all at once:  Your map what we brainstormed as a class will be on the bottom  The article you highlighted will be in the middle  Your paragraph will be on top: Please write your paragraph neatly, in print, skipping lines on the front side of your paper only.  Heading: On the top, left hand side of your paragraph, please put your name on the first line, my name on the second line, the class (9 th Lit./Comp) on the third line, and the date (written out) on the forth line. This is called an MLA heading. An example is below: Jane Student Ms. Roberts 9 th Lit./Comp August 29, 2012