Topic and Concluding Sentences = A Good Paragraph What makes a good paragraph?

A good paragraph is like a recipe Gather all the ingredients Put them in the right order Check to make sure that it’s done.

Topic Sentences Identifies main idea and point of paragraph. The details will support the topic sentence. A topic sentence is general enough to SHOW the paragraph’s main idea

So your paragraph would look like this: Let’s go back to the paragraph that you were given earlier and had to write a topic and concluding sentence. The following is the topic sentence that went with this paragraph. Thinking about the 1990s brings back a host of memories for me about fashion and popular culture. So your paragraph would look like this:

Thinking about the 1990s brings back a lot of memories for me about fashion and popular culture. During the 1990s, I really enjoyed watching Friends on television every Thursday night. I really wanted Rachel’s haircut—I think every girl wanted Rachel’s haircut back then! Rachel’s haircut went really well with the Guess Jeans that were so popular in the 1990s. I remember all the advertisements for Guess and Calvin Klein Jeans that were in each month’s Sassy magazine. I don’t think Sassy magazine exists anymore, but it was one of the most popular magazines for young women in the 1990s. (Not a very good concluding sentence)

+ = A Good Formula to Use An interesting subject How you/others feel about it A great Topic Sentence + = Many sports superstars feel rules don’t apply to them.

The secret of Concluding Sentences Summarize ideas Transition to the next paragraph Demonstrates and reiterates the importance of your topic

Do’s Stick to the main points Transition smoothly between the concluding sentence and the topic sentence of the next paragraph Concluding sentence: Many sports superstars have not been held accountable to follow the rules.

Do’s Be focused on your supporting details making sense with your concluding sentence. Arrange the body of the paragraph in a logical sequence that leads up to the concluding sentence

Rules make writing better Don’ts Don’t rephrase your topic sentence; that’s boring Don’t use overused transition phrases like “in conclusion, “as I’ve stated above, etc. Rules make writing better

A paragraph is like a hamburger Top bun: Topic sentence Middle: supporting details. Bottom Bun: Concluding sentence