THE PARAGRAPH

TOPIC SENTENCE  The topic sentence tells the reader what the WHOLE paragraph is going to be about. A reader could read the 1 st sentence and know what the whole paragraph will be about.  Topic Sentence: Pizza is the best food in the entire world.

EVIDENCE  You need at least 3 pieces of solid evidence to back up your topic sentence (main idea). DON’T GET OFF TOPIC!  Ex: Topic Sentence: Pizza is the best food in the entire world.  Evidence 1: Cheesy foods taste better than foods without cheese.  Evidence 2: Pizza is known to be the number one selling food on the global market.  Evidence 3: It’s the correct and perfect combination of all 4 food groups, and can be individualized to fit each individual who makes up this diverse world we live in.

CLOSING SENTENCE  Re-states the topic sentence in a slightly different way.  Ex: Topic Sentence: Pizza is the best food in the entire world.  Evidence 1: Cheesy foods taste better than foods without cheese.  Evidence 2: Pizza is known to be the number one selling food on the global market.  Evidence 3: It’s the correct and perfect combination of all 4 food groups, and can be individualized to fit each individual who makes up this diverse world we live in.  Closing Sentence: For its cheesiness, profit potential and diversity, pizza is by far the best food on the planet earth.

 Sample paragraph 1I  Many reasons lead people to make one of the most important decisions about their future: choosing a career. People may lose their job and need to find a new one. They may be unhappy in a current job and choose to try a different career. Or, they might currently be thinking about going to school and need to decide what area to study. Whatever the reasons, choosing a career changes your life completely and needs to be taken seriously.

CREATE A PARAGRAPH FOR THE GRINCH’S OR THE PEOPLE OF WHOVILLE TRANSOFMRATIONS  Create a paragraph with the following dynamic characters: How did the characters Grinch or Cindy Lou Who or Lou Lou Who change from the beginning of the movie to the end? Give 3 pieces of evidence from the movie to backup your findings.

PLANNING SHEET:  Topic Sentence (what am I arguing) _____________________-  Evidence a)_____________  Evidence b) _____________  Evidence c) _____________  Closing Sentence: _____________

THEME STATEMENT  Create a theme statement for the message Dr. Seuss was trying to portray fom his tale of the Grinch.