Writing a Paragraph!

Read the following text: An elephant is the biggest living animal on land. It is quite huge in size. It is usually black or grey in color. Elephants have four legs, a long trunk and two white tusks near their trunk. Apart from this, they have two big ears and a short tail. Elephants are herbivores. They eat all kinds of plants, especially bananas. They are quite social, intelligent and useful animals. They are used to carry logs of wood from one place to another. They are good swimmers. Elephants are magnificent animals.

Think – Pair - Share Is the last text an example of a sentence? Why? Is it an example of a paragraph? Why? What is the paragraph about? How many sentences did you see in the paragraph? Do all the sentences talk about the same topic? What is he MAIN IDEA of the paragraph?

New Vocabulary Main Idea: The main idea is what the paragraph is about.

CCQ: Is the main idea of a paragraph the same as the topic?

- A dinosaur lives under my bed. - I love dessert! 1.__________________ ____________________ _________There are so many choices. There’s ice cream, cake, pies, and cookies. I think brownies are my favorite. I wish I could just eat only desserts and never salad! 2._______________________ ______________I can hear him walking around the house at night. In the daytime he goes outside and eats my garden’s flowers. He tracked his dirty footprints into the house. I ask for extra meat every night to feed my dinosaur.

The topic sentence is usually the first sentence in a paragraph. It introduces the main idea of the paragraph.  How do I write one? Summarize the main idea of your paragraph. Indicate to the reader what your paragraph will be about.

CCQ: Does the topic sentence introduce the main idea of your paragraph?

Answer these questions Let’s analyze! A New Pet I would like to have a new pet.  I already have a cat and a dog.  Goldfish and birds would be good pets too.  Birthdays are fun.  Maybe I will get a hamster or a rabbit. Or perhaps a turtle. Any new pet would be fantastic. Answer these questions What is the MAIN IDEA of the paragraph? Which is the topic sentence? Do all sentences give more information about the topic?

Supporting sentences / details A supporting sentence or detail, is a sentence that gives more specific information about the Topic Sentence.

CCQ: Are supporting sentences about the same idea as the topic sentence?

Concluding sentence A concluding sentence, is a sentence that finishes the paragraph. It usually expresses the same idea as the topic sentence, using different words.

CCQ: Does the concluding sentence finish the paragraph?

Locate these elements in the paragraph: 1. The TOPIC SENTENCE. 2 Locate these elements in the paragraph: 1. The TOPIC SENTENCE. 2. Supporting sentences School is very important. You learn how to read books. Teachers teach you how to add and subtract. You learn how to write and use computers. You can make new friends everyday_____________ ________________. Choose a concluding sentence. It is important to go to school. My school is big. I love going to school.

Compare the paragraph with a burger!

LET’S WRITE OUR OWN PARAGRAPH ON ANY PERSONAL TOPIC OF OUR CHOICE

AFTER FINISHING YOUR FIRST DRAFT: Exchange your text with a classmate and use the writing conventions to do peer correction. Then, get your original text with the corrections. After getting the corrections, write your second draft and give it to the teacher.