Step-up-to-Writing Simply one of many ways to approach writing and make the process clearer

Kinds of Sentences Topic sentence (and thesis statement) Reason / Detail / Fact (RDF) “The E’s” – Information to back your RDF’s Concluding sentence

Kinds of Sentences Green- Topic sentence starts the reader in the right direction.Green- Topic sentence starts the reader in the right direction. Yellow - Slow down and give a reason, detail, or fact.Yellow - Slow down and give a reason, detail, or fact. Red - Stop and give an explanation, elaboration, or further example.Red - Stop and give an explanation, elaboration, or further example.

A Basic Paragraph My favorite amusement park is Disneyland. I love the rides. Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain rollercoasters make my heart race, and I like to sing along with It’s a Small World. I also enjoy the shows. I watch the parade and fireworks every time I visit. There is also a new Snow White show I’d like to see. I love my visits to Disneyland.

Another ViewDisneyland Rides Space/ThunderMountain It’s a Small World Shows FireworksParade Snow White

Topic Sentence The topic sentence is the heart of your paragraph. It is usually found in the beginning of the paragraph. It tells the reader what to expect in that paragraph; provides a focus

Sample Topic Sentence When I was seven I learned a valuable lesson about what it means to share.

Thesis Statement The thesis statement is a kind of topic sentence, except it controls a whole essay rather than one paragraph The purpose is to provide a clear direction for the paper

Reason/Detail/Fact topic sentenceEvery topic sentence needs to be supported by at least one reason, detail, or fact. RDF’s are not arguable – they are like evidence in a trial RDF’s glue your paragraph together

Sample RDF’s It all began the day after my birthday. I had received a bag of candy and a jump rope. My mom specifically told me to share the candy, but I was rarely given sugar, and I had no intention of complying with her order.

“The E’s” back up RDF’s Each reason, fact or detail may be supported with an explanation, elaboration, or further evidence. “The E’s” are the meat of the paragraph, the part that really shows your thinking

Sample “E” When I refused to give any candy to my friends, who of course all wanted a piece, I quickly found that I was alone. All I would get was a stomach ache from eating it on my own. So I decided to give one piece to each friend in order to get my playmates back.

Conclusions People like clean endings. A paragraph or paper should provide a “wrap up” to what was discussed. The conclusion ties the paragraph together.

Example Conclusion The fact that a little sharing made so many people happy, including myself, showed me that selfishness wasn’t worth it. I may not have been happy that my mom was right in telling me to share, but I was old enough to see I learned a valuable lesson.

Sample Paragraph When I was seven I learned a valuable lesson about what it means to share. It all began the day after my birthday. I had received a bag of candy and a jump rope. My mom specifically told me to share the candy, but I was rarely given sugar, and I had no intention of complying with her order. When I refused to give any candy to my friends, who of course all wanted a piece, I quickly found that I was alone. All I would get was a stomach ache from eating it on my own. So I decided to give one piece to each friend in order to get my playmates back. The fact that a little sharing made so many people happy, including myself, showed me that selfishness wasn’t worth it. I may not have been happy that my mom was right in telling me to share, but I was old enough to see I learned a valuable lesson.

Assignment Write a paragraph about an incident that happened to you. This incident can be good or bad. Make sure to include: A Topic Sentence (Circle or highlight in green) 3 Reasons, Details, and/or Facts (put a*or highlight in yellow) 1 Example, explanation, or further elaboration (put a triangle or highlight in pink/red) A conclusion sentence or sentences (Circle or highlight in green) Incorporate 3 sensory details (Label S.D.)

“Incident” Assignment Must include: Heading Prewrite (your choice of what type of prewrite) First Draft (Drafting) Revising Editing (peer editing form) Publishing (final draft)