How to organize an EXCELLENT paragraph

Start with a topic sentence Topic sentence = a sentence that explains what you are going to write about.  It should have a subject, a verb, and a controlling idea. Not so good: Today I am going to tell you all about Sherman Alexie. Better: Sherman Alexie is one of today’s best known Native American authors.

Next, add supporting sentences. Supporting sentences = more information about your topic.  One way to do this is to imagine your topic sentence as a question and then ask yourself:  How can I prove this is true?  What examples can I give? Alexie grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington. He knew from a young age he wanted to be a writer, and he used his experiences as inspiration for his novels and short stories. The main character in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is loosely based on Alexie himself. Alexie’s latest collection of short stories is titled Blasphemy. He visited Missoula last October to read and discuss this work.

End with a concluding sentence Conclusion = an ending sentence that sums up your information. Although Alexie struggled in his early life, he became extremely successful and influential in the literary world.