2. 1. Use a strong verb. –Children will love the new flavored cereals –Fourth grade test scores at Woodland Elementary soared. Topic Sentence 1. Says what the paragraph is about, the topic. 2. Makes it interesting.

3. Choose the best topic sentence for the paragraph. He is the son of the famous Norman Rockwell, the artist who painted 322 pictures depicting American life for The Evening Post over a time span over 47 years. Thomas helped his father write his autobiography titled My Adventures as an Illustrator. Excerpts from the biography were printed in eight consecutives issues of The Saturday Evening Post. Rockwell's Self-Portrait sported the cover housing the first of these excerpts. a) Thomas Rockwell's mother was an unpublished author. b) Thomas Rockwell was born into a famous family. c) Thomas Rockwell's father and his two brothers were artists. d) Thomas published his first children's book in 1969.

4. Write a topic sentence that tells the main idea. 1. _____________________________________________ They are found in most areas on Earth. Earthworms live in dirt and under leaves, rocks, or logs. Earthworms especially like wet regions which have a lot of vegetation. They are less likely to be found in sandy, desert-like regions. 2. _____________________________________________ They can eat their weight eat day. Most earthworms eat by passing dirt through their bodies. Their stomach is able to extract the nourishment from the soil. This nourishment is found in the organic matter such as leaves that are found on the surface of the ground.

5. Write yes or no to tell whether each sentence supports the main idea. Main Idea: Preparing a place to build a worm bin 1. ___Find an area in which the temperature stays between 55 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit. 2. ___It takes about 1,000 to1,500 worms to make a pound. 3. ___ Apples, biscuits, egg shells, pizza crust, potatoes, tea leaves and tomatoes are examples of foods that worms love to eat. 4. ___Keep your bin away from a place where it could flood. 5. ___ Because worms need oxygen be sure the air can circulate around the bin. http://www.brainpopjr.com/readingandwriting/writing/writingaparagraph/preview.weml

6. Write yes or no to tell whether each sentence supports the main idea. Main Idea: How to use a worm bin 1. ___ Worms are decomposers. 2. ___ Place newspapers and old leaves in the bottom of your worm bin. 3. ___ By breaking down decaying matter worms help enrich the soil. 4. ___ Add a small amount dirt on top of the cardboard. 5. ___ Add enough water to the bin to make the soil moist, but not soggy. 6. ___ Earthworms tunnel through the earth, mixing together the soil. 7. ___ You will need two pounds of worms for every one pound of old vegetables and fruits that you add to the worm bin.

7. Closing Sentence 1.Restate the topic of the paragraph. 2.Keep it interesting. 3.Make it a closing sentence so your reader knows this is the end of the paragraph.

8. What Words Let The Reader Know You Are Ending The Paragraph? All in all In summary In Conclusion Therefore

9. Put It All Together Use the information for today’s lesson to write a paragraph that answers the following question: What was Joseph’s original name and why was he named this?