The Paragraph Writing Strategy

The Paragraph Writing Strategy
The Learning Strategy Series The Learning Strategy Series The University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning Lawrence, Kansas Michele Goodstein SIM Professional Developer

Strategic Instruction Model™
The University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning Lawrence, Kansas 66045 Advance Organizer: In this overview, we will be talking about the Strategic Instruction Model, which is based on the Strategies Instructional Approach. The Strategies Instructional Approach can be viewed as the umbrella under which SIM as well as a number of other models have been developed. Training Note: You may want to draw (on a transparency, chalkboard, or chart) an umbrella encompassing various programs (if these programs are familiar in your area). Some programs (other than SIM) based on the Strategies Instruction Approach are reciprocal teaching (AnnMarie Palinscar), Anita Archer’s program, self-monitoring program (John Lloyd), Meichenbaum’s cognitive behavior modification, etc. Based on the construct of the Strategies Instructional Approach, KU-CRL has operationalized an approach called the Strategic Instruction Model.

Three Requirements Statistically significant Socially significant
Results must be……. Statistically significant Socially significant Teachers want to teach the strategy

Learning Strategies Curriculum
Expression of Competence Sentence Writing Paragraph Writing Error Monitoring Theme Writing Assignment Completion Test-Taking Essay Test Taking Acquisition Word Identification Paraphrasing Fundamentals of Paraphrasing and summarizing Self-Questioning Visual Imagery Word Mapping Storage First-Letter Mnemonic Paired Associates LINCS Vocabulary

The Performance Gap NCLB The “GAP” 12 11 10 9 8 7 Students Skills 6 5
4 3 2 1 School Year NCLB Students Skills The “GAP” School Year Years in School

Why did I get an A? I don’t know A It was easy I was lucky

Why teach strategies? Some students have difficulty developing strategies to meet their needs. A strategy makes the task at hand manageable and provides students with a place to start. Strategies enable students to be successful when there is no adult around to prompt them.

This isn’t just about just learning a strategy…
It’s about becoming a strategic learner by using strategies appropriately independently

What is the difference between a skill and a strategy?

Not all strategies are created equal. A strategy should be. Effective
Not all strategies are created equal. A strategy should be Effective and Efficient

What Can You EXPECT ?????

Pretest My favorite sport is basketball. The first time I played was when my older cousin got a hoop when I was in first grade. At first I was just playing for fun and playing with out control of the ball. Soon I new a bunch of new tricks. By the time I was in fourth grade I wasn’t awsome but a lot better.

Posttest BasketBall My favorite sport is basketball for numerous reasons. First it involves practically your whole body in the sport. For example, you need your legs to run and jump, your arms to dribble, shoot, aim and to steal the ball or get a rebound, you also need you eyes and mouth to communicate with your team and to observe the ball. Next, It’s a team or one on one game. If some one else wants to play you could put them on a team, or if two people wanna play eachother they could play one on one or a head to head. Finally, basket ball is a surprising game you may learn something new everytime you play.

For example, you could learn how to put the ball through or under your legs, or to cross your opponent in many different ways and you could also learn new techniques along the way. To sum it up, basket ball is my favorite sport because it involves almost every part of your body, is a team or one on one game, and your always learning new things as you play.

How Has Strategy Instruction Helped?
Academically As a ninth-grader, Brian was in an LD classroom full time with an IQ above average. Before Sentence Writing Strategy instruction, Brian avoided writing. Due to this avoidance and his poor handwriting, teacher expectations were low. This is Brian’s pretest for the Sentence Writing Strategy. He was in ninth grade at the time. Training Note: Brian’s text: The game of football is one of the best games people can play. They try to get point by getting a touchdown which is 6 points, then they try for the extra point.

How Has Strategy Instruction Helped?
Brian McGloughlin 3/10/85 English III Mrs. Corbin Huck Finn shows that he is growing up and maturing in many different ways. Three of the ways that Huck shows that he is maturing are the way he handled the King and the Duke, the result of his dealings with the grangerfords,and the way he feels about the treatment of theWilks sisters. The first example to show that Huck has matured is when Huck and Jim meet up with the two men that called themselves the King and the Duke. Huck was not fooled by their sob stories about being of royal blood and having their titles taken from them. He could see them for what they really were. they were a couple of frauds and liars, but he was... Brian completed this assignment independently for a general education English Class during his junior year. By this time, he had been taught all of the Sentence Writing Strategy, the Error Monitoring Strategy, the Paragraph Writing Strategy, and the Theme Writing Strategy. When asked for a sample of his writing, he was glad to share this example and emphatically requested that his entire name be left on this paper when it was shared with others. His name is Brian McGlaughlin, and he is from Iowa.

Key Vocabulary What is a strategy ?

An individual’s approach to a task is called a
Strategy It includes how a person thinks and acts when planning, executing and evaluating performance on a task and its outcomes

What problems do you see in the paragraphs that your students write?

Purpose To teach students to write well-organized paragraphs that include: topic, detail, and clincher sentences a consistent point of view consistency in tense throughout logically sequenced ideas appropriate transitions between ideas

Agenda Learning the strategy
Using the strategy to write paragraphs in content classes

Sentence Types Used in Paragraphs
Paragraph Parts Introduction Body Conclusion Sentence Types Topic Sentence Detail Sentences Clincher Sentence

University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning 2006
BODY PLAN IT. University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning 2006 358

Kinds of rocks C-L 3 Pres Sedimentary 2 Another Metamorphic 1 The first Igneous Lastly, 3

Types of Rocks On our field trip to the Museum of Natural History, our class learned that there are three different types of rocks. The first type of rock, metamorphic, is formed deep inside the earth. There, heat and pressure create these rocks over millions of years. Gneiss and granite are examples of this type of rock. Another type of rock, sedimentary, is formed at the bottom of oceans. Small pieces of sand, shells, and other materials build up in layers. These layers become cemented together over time and often contain fossils of small animals and plants. Examples of sedimentary rock are sandstone and shale. Lastly, igneous rock is formed from lava that hardens over time. Sometimes lava hardens quickly, but sometimes it hardens slowly over millions of years. In that case, large crystals may form in the rock. Granite is a type of igneous rock that is often used in the construction of buildings. In sum, metamorphic, sedimentary, and igneous are three different types of rocks that are created by three entirely different processes.

Steps for Writing a Paragraph
Set up a diagram. Create the title Reveal the topic. Iron out the details. Bind it together with a clincher. Edit your work. Plan Execute Evaluate Which is the plan, execute and evaluate?

Gen. Ed. Teachers: Think of two units you teach
Gen. Ed.Teachers: Think of two units you teach. For each, create a topic and three parallel details that might form the basis of a paragraph. Examples: Greek Philosophers Socrates Plato Aristotle Landforms valleys plateaus plains Organ Systems circulatory digestive skeletal Triangles scalene equilateral isosceles

Think of the units you teach during the year
Think of the units you teach during the year. Choose three topics students might write a paragraph about. Then, list three parallel details for each: Topic: Landforms Detail: valley Detail: plateau Detail: plain Topic:___________ Detail:__________ Topic:__________ Detail:__________ Choose one of the topics above and write a general, clueing, and specific topic sentence. General:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Clueing:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Specific:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Now write a general, clueing, and specific clincher sentence.

Paragraph Part Sentence Type Introduction Topic Sentence Body Detail Sentences Conclusion Clincher Sentence

Part 1: Topic Sentences

What does a Topic Sentence Do?
Have you ever watched the two minute coming attractions of a movie? Why do they show it? How do they hope you will feel? What do they hope you will do? Why don’t they just show all of the movie? How is a Topic Sentence like the coming attractions?

Topic Sentence Is usually the first sentence Introduces the main idea
Sometimes introduces the details Cue Card #6 and #5

Types of Topic Sentences
General Topic Sentences Clueing Topic Sentences Specific Topic Sentences Cue Card #7

General Topic Sentence
Names the main idea of the paragraph.

Cue Card #9

Examples of General Topic Sentences
Mr. James is my favorite teacher. I went to Hawaii on vacation. We are going to fix up our house.

Examples of General Topic Sentences
The hot trend in advertising these days is to hire real, live stars. Not much is left of a town known as Nora, Nebraska. Democracy is thriving at Hillsboro High School. Cue Card #10

General Topic Sentences
Describe the foreshadowing in “Charles” by Shirley Jackson. The literary element of foreshadowing plays an important role in “Charles” by Shirley Jackson. STATES THE MAIN IDEA

More General Topic Sentences
Lynbrook Middle School is a Long Island public school with state of the art technology. Sachem teams have a difficult time winning their games, but Lynbrook teams do not.

Clueing Topic Sentence
Names the main idea. Gives a clue about the details.

Clueing Topic Sentence
Cue Card #14

Clue Words Many Various Differences Several Classes Similarities
A number of Categories Advantages Number (“Three”) Groups Disadvantages Kinds Steps Jobs Types Stages Uses Parts Ways Causes Elements Roles Effects Pieces Features Reasons Members Examples Sources Divisions Characteristics Products Components Functions Variety Different Assortment Similar Multitude Different

Examples of Clueing Topic Sentences
Mr. James is my favorite teacher for three reasons. I did several exciting things when I went to Hawaii on vacation. We need to do a variety of projects to fix up our house.

Examples of Clueing Topic Sentences
There are several models of cars I would consider buying. Tents come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The citizens of Lawrence have three main reasons for building a new high school. Jesse Flynn is my best friend because of his many fine characteristics. Cue Card #13

Clueing Topic Sentences
There are several examples of the literary element of foreshadowing which plays an important role in “Charles” by Shirley Jackson. STATES THE MAIN IDEA & GIVES A CLUE

More CLUEING Topic Sentences
Lynbrook Middle School is a Long Island public school with many examples of state of the art technology. Sachem teams have a difficult time winning their games, but Lynbrook teams, for several reasons, do not.

Specific Topic Sentence
Names the main idea. Names the specific details to be covered.

Specific Topic Sentence
Cue Card #16

Examples of Specific Topic Sentences
Mr. James is my favorite teacher because he is funny, interesting, and very fair. When I went to Hawaii on vacation I surfed, went swimming, and skydived. We are going to fix up our house by putting on a new roof, painting the inside, and buying all new carpets.

Examples of Specific Topic Sentences
Air pollution is caused by vehicles and industries. Charles Darwin lived an interesting life as an explorer, writer, and scientist. Diseases caused by vitamin deficiencies are beri beri, pellagra, scurvy, and rickets. Cue Card #17

Specific Topic Sentences
The literary element of foreshadowing, illustrated through Laurie’s behavior at home, his transparent lies, and his obvious enjoyment in telling stories about Charles, plays an important role in “Charles” by Shirley Jackson. STATES THE MAIN IDEA & GIVES SPECIFIC DETAILS

More SPECIFIC Topic Sentences
Lynbrook Middle School is a Long Island public school with state of the art technology in computers, Starboards, and wireless Internet. Sachem teams have a difficult time winning their games, but Lynbrook teams, because of their unstoppable, talented athletes and talented coaches, do not. STATES THE MAIN IDEA & GIVES SPECIFIC DETAILS

Let’s try writing all three types of topic sentences:
For one of the sets of details you have created, write a general, clueing, and specific topic sentence. Greek Philosophers Socrates Plato Aristotle Landforms valleys plateaus plains

Think of the social studies units you do during the year
Think of the social studies units you do during the year. Choose three topics students might write a paragraph about, and list three parallel details for each: Topic: Landforms Detail: valley Detail: plateau Detail: plain Topic:___________ Detail:__________ Topic:___________ Detail:__________ Choose one of the topics above and write a general, clueing, and specific topic sentence. General: We study about landforms as part of the geography unit. Clueing: There are three major landforms that we study as part of the geography unit. Specific: Valleys, plateaus, and plains are the landforms that we study in depth this year. Now write a general, clueing, and specific clincher sentence. General:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Clueing:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Specific:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Think of the social studies units you do during the year. Choose three topics students might write a paragraph about, and list three parallel details for each: Topic:___________ Detail:__________ Topic:___________ Detail:__________ Topic:___________ Detail:__________ Choose one of the topics above and write a general, clueing, and specific topic sentence. General:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Clueing:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Specific:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Now write a general, clueing, and specific clincher sentence.

Sample Student Writing

Part 2: Detail Sentences

Paragraph Part Sentence Type Introduction Topic Sentence Body Detail Sentences Conclusion Clincher Sentence Cue Card #3

Detail Sentence Discusses one of the details in the paragraph
Sometimes shows the relationship between a detail and the rest of the paragraph Cue Card #19/20

The Paragraph Express Cue Card #21

Transition Signals the introduction of a new detail.
Shows the relationship between the detail and the rest of the paragraph.

Types of Detail Sentences
Lead-off Sentences Follow-up Sentences

Lead-off Sentence Introduces a new detail Contains a transition

The Lead-Off The literary element of foreshadowing, illustrated through Laurie’s behavior at home, his transparent lies, and his obvious enjoyment in telling stories about Charles, plays an important role in “Charles” by Shirley Jackson. In particular, at home Laurie is extremely rude to his parents and sister.

Provides more information
Follow-up Sentence Provides more information about the detail.

The literary element of foreshadowing, illustrated through Laurie’s behavior at home, his transparent lies, and his obvious enjoyment in telling stories about Charles, plays an important role in “Charles” by Shirley Jackson. In particular, Laurie is extremely rude to his parents and sister. After arriving home from his very first day of school, he slams the door and shouts. He continues being rude by calling his father “you old dust mop,” and purposely spills his sister’s milk. F

The Paragraph Express Cue Card #26 Turtles could not survive
without their marvelous shells. skeleton home protection Cue Card #26

Example Detail Sentences
Topic sentence: Turtles could not survive without their marvelous shells. Detail sentences: Most importantly, turtles’ shells serve as the base for their skeletons. Their backbones and ribs are attached to the flat bony plates of their shells. This skeleton provides shape for their bodies. Somewhat importantly, turtles’ shells serve as their portable homes. Turtles can live anywhere because they carry their homes with them. This is important for turtles since they move so slowly. Finally, turtles’ shells are important because the shells protect turtles from their enemies. Turtles who are in danger can pull their heads and legs into their hard shells to protect themselves from animals who might try to eat them. G Role of Turtle Shells Skeleton Home Protection

Requirements for a Detail Sentence
Each detail sentence must: Contain related information. Be in a logical sequence with other sentences. Include a transition if it introduces a new detail. Be written from the same point of view as the other sentences Be written in the same tense as the other sentences.

Detail Sentence Sequences
Size Sequence When details are larger/smaller than each other Time Sequence When some details occur before others in time Space Sequence When details are arranged in space in relation to each other Importance Sequence When some details are more important than others Chain-Link Sequence When details are related in pairs or not related in any of the above sequences

Transitions Chart Size Transitions Time Transitions
The largest Larger than The smallest The small-sized The tallest The next largest Equal to The next smallest The medium-sized The shortest The smallest Smaller than The largest The large-sized Time Transitions First, Now At the beginning of Before By this time Thereafter, Then, Soon In the middle of In the meantime At the same time, Presently Next, Then At the end of During At that instant, After a short time At last, Later Meanwhile After Soon thereafter, Immediately, Afterwards Simultaneously, First, In the morning, Yesterday, The first Second, Before noon, Today, A more recent Third, In the afternoon, Tomorrow, The most recent Finally, In the evening, The day after tomorrow, In the past, The next day, This year, The earliest In the present, Two weeks later, Next year, The next earliest In the future, Six months later, In the next few years, The most recent

Transitions Chart (cont.)
Space Transitions Behind On the edge of Beside In front West of High Over Toward Around Facing East of Against Under Throughout Near back of North of Alongside Below To the right of Side by side In the center South of Ahead of Beneath To the left of Close to Inside At the Here Low down On top of Next to Outside In There On the bottom At the top Down At the end of On Beyond On the corner By Up Between Above Farther on Importance Transitions The best The most important The first The best The next best Equally important More important than The next best The least best The next most important Most important The worst The least important

Chain-Link Transitions On the one hand, One example of In the first place, In other words The first On the other hand, For instance, In the second place, In fact, The second Another example, In the third place, Also, The third Again, A further example, Besides, For example, Moreover, For another example, One Because First, Another Since Second, Still another A further As third, In addition, Further, Still, Specifically, In the same way, Furthermore, While More specifically, In fact, Instead In particular, The opposite of _ is_ Additionally, On the contrary side Lastly, The last Indeed, As a result, To the contrary, Similar to _ is_ Last Although Consequently, In contrast, Another similar _ is_ Even though Naturally, In spite of Likewise, Nevertheless, Even if After all, Despite the Similarly, Nonetheless, A dissimilar _ is_ Concluding Transitions To conclude, In summary, To sum up, As one can see, In conclusion, In sum, To summarize, As a result, In brief, Thus, Finally, In short, Therefore,

Which Point of View? Pick it and stick to it. 1 2 3

Example Sentences Written in First Person Point of View
First, I measured out one cup of water. We added dye to our water and timed how long it took to disperse. I divided both sides of the equation by three. .

Example Sentences Written in Second Person Point of View
You should be sure to measure the mass accurately. Next, you roll the ball down the slope. Put a small amount of iron filings on the paper towel.

Example Sentences Written in Third Person Point of View
The median is the middle number. Friction produces heat. When the ball hits the floor, kinetic energy is changed to heat and sound energy.

Tense Chart Tense Verb Past painted was painting had painted
Present is painting paints Future will paint shall paint

Let’s try planning a paragraph:
Choose one of the sets of details you created earlier. Transfer them to a Paragraph Diagram. Decide on how you will sequence them. Put numbers in the circles to indicate the sequence. Choose transition words from the Transitions Chart Decide on a point of view and tense (probably third person present)

landforms C-L 3rd P plateau Another example 2 valley One example 1 plain Still another type 3

Let’s try writing detail sentences:
Take your first detail and its matching transition. Use them to create a lead-off detail sentence. Add a follow-up detail sentence giving more information about that detail (elaboration). Then do the same for each of the next two details. Total: Six sentences!

Writing Lead-off and Follow- up Sentences
L : One example of a landform is a valley. F: Valleys are hollow or surface depressions of the earth surrounded by hills or mountains. L: F:

L : One example of a landform is a valley. F: Valleys are hollow or surface depressions of the earth surrounded by hills or mountains. L: Another example of a landform is a plateau. F: Plateaus are large, high land areas that are fairly level. L: F:

L : One example of a landform is a valley. F: Valleys are hollow or surface depressions of the earth surrounded by hills or mountains. L: Another example of a landform is a plateau. F: Plateaus are large, high land areas that are fairly level. L: Still another type of landform is a plain. F: Plains are broad, nearly level stretches of land.

L: F:

Part 3: Clincher Sentences

Paragraph Part Sentence Type Introduction Topic Sentence Body Detail Sentences Conclusion Clincher Sentence Cue Card #3

Clincher Sentence Is the last sentence in the paragraph
Closes the paragraph Names the main idea of the paragraph Sometimes summarizes or names the details of the paragraph Is different from the Topic Sentence Cue Card #43

This will eliminate… My favorite restaurant is The Cheesecake Factory This is why The Cheesecake Factory is my favorite restaurant.

Types of Clincher Sentences
General Clincher Sentence Clueing Clincher Sentence Specific Clincher Sentence Cue Card #47

Concluding Transitions
Words that tell the reader that the paragraph is finished. Thus, Therefore Finally, As a result, University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning 2002

Chain-Link Transitions On the one hand, One example of In the first place, In other words The first On the other hand, For instance, In the second place, In fact, The second Another example, In the third place, Also, The third Again, A further example, Besides, For example, Moreover, For another example, One Because First, Another Since Second, Still another A further As third, In addition, Further, Still, Specifically, In the same way, Furthermore, While More specifically, In fact, Instead In particular, The opposite of _ is_ Additionally, On the contrary side Lastly, The last Indeed, As a result, To the contrary, Similar to _ is_ Last Although Consequently, In contrast, Another similar _ is_ Even though Naturally, In spite of Likewise, Nevertheless, Even if After all, Despite the Similarly, Nonetheless, A dissimilar _ is_ Concluding Transitions To conclude, In summary, To sum up, As one can see, In conclusion, In sum, To summarize, As a result, In brief, Thus, Finally, In short, Therefore,

Example General Clincher Sentences
In summary, these car models are my favorites. To summarize, these are my favorite car models; what are yours? As one can see, life on a farm can be hard. Thus, learning a foreign language can be difficult. To conclude, public transportation can be found in large cities.

Makes your reader dive into deeper thinking on the topic.
GENERAL CLINCHER SENTENCE Makes your reader dive into deeper thinking on the topic. Therefore, isn’t it obvious to Laurie’s parents that something is just not right, and do they refuse to see the obvious?

Clueing Clincher Sentence
Names the main idea Ties the details together with a clue word

Example Clueing Clincher Sentences
In sum, these four events took place at our school this week. Therefore, without these three things, animals cannot survive. In other words, several people were involved in planning the party. To conclude, these two sports keep me very busy and in good shape.

Ties everything up neatly with a clueing word
CLUEING CLINCHER Ties everything up neatly with a clueing word In other words, there are numerous hints in the story which lead the reader to believe that Laurie is really “Charles.”

Specific Clincher Sentence
Names the main idea Names the specific details that were covered in the paragraph Names the details in the order in which they were discussed

Example Specific Clincher Sentences
As one can see, making a snowman involves rolling the parts of his body, stacking the parts, and creating his face and clothes. In effect, the people followed a clear course: They wrote a petition, held rallies, demanded a vote, and caused the law to be changed. In summary, people plan vacations to rest, to see new places, or to try new experiences.

SPECIFIC CLINCHER SENTENCE
Like a quarterback, repeat the count on which the ball will be snapped. Thus, Laurie’s raucous behavior at home, transparent lies, and glee in telling stories about Charles foreshadows that Laurie is “Charles. “

The Paragraph Express

Clincher Sentences Model Paragraph 3
How the dinosaurs died out is one of the greatest mysteries of all time. Some scientists think that a giant meteor from outer space hit the earth about 65 million years ago. Its impact could have caused many changes on the earth that might have killed the dinosaurs. For example, the meteor’s impact might have raised tons of dirt and dust into the atmosphere so that sunlight could not reach the earth, or it might have started the eruptions of many volcanoes or created tidal waves. Other scientists theorize that when flowering plants appeared in the world, the plant-eating dinosaurs could not digest these plants and died. In turn, the meat-eating dinosaurs also starved because there were no plant-eating dinosaurs left to eat. Still other scientists propose that a strange disease wiped out the dinosaurs. Finally, other scientists think that the climate of the world became too cold for the dinosaurs’ survival. G C S

Let’s try writing clincher sentences:
Look at the six sentences you wrote when we were practicing details sentences. Write three possible clinchers: a general, clueing, and a specific. Remember to use a concluding transition on each.

L : One example of a landform is a valley. F: Valleys are hollow or surface depressions of the earth surrounded by hills or mountains. L: Another example of a landform is a plateau. F: Plateaus are large high land areas that are fairly level. L: Still another type of landform is a plain. F: Plains are broad, nearly level stretches of land.

Think of the social studies units you do during the year. Choose three topics students might write a paragraph about, and list three parallel details for each: Topic: Landforms Detail: valley Detail: plateau Detail: plain Topic:___________ Detail:__________ Topic:___________ Detail:__________ Choose one of the topics above and write a general, clueing, and specific topic sentence. General: We study about landforms as part of the geography unit. Clueing: There are three major landforms that we study as part of the geography unit. Specific: Valleys, plateaus, and plains are the landforms that we study in depth this year. Now write a general, clueing, and specific clincher sentence. General: In summary, the study of landforms is part of the geography unit. Clueing: To conclude, there are three major landforms that we study in geography. Specific: As one can see, valleys, plateaus, and plains are the landforms that we study in depth this year.

Part 4: Whole Paragraphs

The Paragraph Writing Strategy

Types of Paragraphs Sequential Paragraph Expository Paragraph
Step-by-Step Paragraph Narrative Paragraph Descriptive Paragraph Expository Paragraph Facts Paragraph Reasons Paragraph Examples Paragraph Compare and Contrast Paragraph Compare Paragraph Contrast Paragraph Which types would you be asking students to write in your subject area?

Example Paragraph Nonviolent protest has been a major force in the world. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Mahatma Ghandi and his followers used nonviolent protest to gain independence for India from Britain. For the first time in decades, Indians had their own country. In the 1960s, Martin Luther King and his followers used nonviolent protest to gain rights for Blacks in America. Through nonviolent protest, they obtained rights that had been denied to them since the slaves had been freed, such as the right to sit anywhere on a bus, eat in any restaurant, and vote in elections. Thus, nonviolent protest has been successfully used by oppressed people to gain independence from other nations; it has also been used to gain personal rights and freedoms.

In the sample paragraph…
1. Is the topic sentence general, specific, or clueing? 2. What are the two lead-off detail sentences? 3. What are the two transitions that begin the two detail sentences? 4. Is the clincher sentence general, clueing, or specific? 5. What is the concluding transition? 6. What is the tense? 7. What is the point of view?

Paragraph Checklist p. 360 _____ a title?
Name: ________________________ Do I have. . . _____ a title? _____ a Topic Sentence that fits the details? _____ at least 6 Detail Sentences? _____ a Clincher Sentence that is different from the Topic Sentence? Have I used. . . _____ a variety of sentence types (Simple, Compound, Complex, Compound-Complex)? _____ the same point of view throughout? _____ the same tense throughout? _____ the correct paragraph format? _____ at least three transitions and a Concluding Transition? p. 360

Formula for Writing A Paragraph
C Formula for Writing A Paragraph

Resource for Information
Go to On the home page scroll down the left hand side (yellow) to Moodle. Then slide to the right and click on Moodle Rooms. Scroll towards the bottom and click on Staff Development. Scroll down to the 4th item and click on SIM resource course. Go to the strategy you want (LINCs, Paragraph Writing) and look around for what you need.

Paragraph Topic List My Favorite Sport The Problems of Old Age
My Favorite Store (or restaurant) The Perfect Job The “MUSTS” for a Healthy Body The Best Season of the Year

How can we use the Paragraph Writing Strategy to write an essay?

Example Theme Before Instruction
Running Your Own Lawn Care Business Running a lawn care business is hard, but it is worth the work. To start the business, customers have to be found. This involves talking to people and asking them if they need help with their lawns. Once the customers have been found, equipment needs to be bought. A good lawn mower with a bag to collect the cuttings is very helpful. Next, a schedule needs to be made, and the lawns need to be mowed. This takes a lot of time. Finally, the money needs to be collected. This is the rewarding part! By following these steps, thousands of dollars can be earned. Cue Card #1

Running Your Own Lawn Care Business
Running a lawn care business is hard, but it is worth the work. To start the business, customers have to be found. This involves talking to people and asking them if they need help with their lawns. Once the customers have been found, equipment needs to be bought. A good lawn mower with a bag to collect the cuttings is very helpful. Next, a schedule needs to be made, and the lawns need to be mowed. This takes a lot of time. Finally, the money needs to be collected. This is the rewarding part! By following these steps, thousands of dollars can be earned.

Example Theme After Instruction
Yard Care: A Great Way to Make a Bundle! Looking for a good job for next summer? Running a yard-care business is a really good bet. It involves hard work, but the payoff is worth the effort. On average, a teenager can make $1,000 or even as much as $5,000 per summer taking care of people’s yards. There are several activities required for making that much money. The first step involves finding enough yards to create a real business. One way to find yards is to walk or drive around and look for yards that need some care. Once a possible yard is found, the people can be asked if they would like someone to care for it. Another way involves calling friends on the phone and asking if they need some help with their yards. A third way involves making flyers and distributing them to people’s mailboxes or doors. The flyer should contain the worker’s name, phone number, and types of work that can be done. Another way of recruiting customers is by word of mouth. This requires that a good reputation is built for the business over time, and people start talking in positive ways about it. The next step in running a yard-care business after finding some customers involves acquiring the right equipment. This is something that must be done over a long period of time because as the business starts up, the yard keeper has very little or no money. At first, an inexpensive lawn mower with a bag for catching grass clippings is needed. Sometimes, people can borrow their parents’ or a friend’s lawn mower to get started. Later, once some money is earned, a more expensive and substantial lawn mower can be purchased along with rakes, weed eaters, edge trimmers, hedge trimmers, shovels, gloves, plastic bags, and other yard-care equipment. Eventually, even a truck might be purchased to carry the equipment. Cue Card #2

Example Theme After Instruction
Yard Care: A Great Way to Make a Bundle! Looking for a good job for next summer? Running a yard-care business is a really good bet. It involves hard work, but the payoff is worth the effort. On average, a teenager can make $1,000 or even as much as $5,000 per summer taking care of people’s yards. There are several activities required for making that much money. First, people and their yards must be found. Second, the right equipment must be purchased. Third, yards must be cared for on a consistent schedule. Finally, money must be collected regularly. As will be shown, following these four steps is critical to success in the yard-care business. The first step involves finding enough yards to create a real business. One way to find yards is to walk or drive around and look for yards that need some care. Once a possible yard is found, the people can be asked if they would like someone to care for it. Another way involves calling friends on the phone and asking if they need some help with their yards. A third way involves making flyers and distributing them to people’s mailboxes or doors. The flyer should contain the worker’s name, phone number, and types of work that can be done. Another way of recruiting customers is by word of mouth. This requires that a good reputation is built for the business over time, and people start talking in positive ways about it. The next step in running a yard-care business after finding some customers involves acquiring the right equipment. This is something that must be done over a long period of time because as the business starts up, the yard keeper has very little or no money. At first, an inexpensive lawn mower with a bag for catching grass clippings is needed. Sometimes, people can borrow their parents’ or a friend’s lawn mower to get started. Later, once some money is earned, a more expensive and substantial lawn mower can be purchased along with rakes, weed eaters, edge trimmers, hedge trimmers, shovels, gloves, plastic bags, and other yard-care equipment. Eventually, even a truck might be purchased to carry the equipment. Cue Card #2

Example Theme After Instruction (Cont.)
Once some equipment is available, the next step in running a yard-care business involves taking care of the yards on a regular schedule. Each yard needs weekly attention, so a checklist or calendar needs to be made to ensure that each yard has been cared for each week. In each season, different types of yard care are required. In the spring, weeds need to be pulled and hedges and bushes need to be trimmed. New plants can be planted. In the summer, the lawn needs to be mowed. In the fall, leaves need to be raked. In the winter, after a snow storm, pathways need to be shoveled. After the work has been done, the final step in running a yard-care service is collecting the money. This needs to be done regularly. One system involves collecting the money immediately after work has been done. This system works the best, but its success depends on the people being home. Another system involves leaving a bill for work completed. This sometimes works. A third system involves sending a monthly bill. This system usually works, but it requires paying for envelopes and stamps. In sum, caring for people's yards and all the tasks related to running a yard-care service, including recruiting customers, getting equipment, doing the work, and collecting the money, can be hard work, but they can be enjoyable and very profitable. The money that is made can be spent on new yard-care equipment. Better yet, it can be spent on items that the worker really wants like new clothes and music equipment. Still better, the money can be saved to pay the worker’s way through college. Tuition, books, and room and board can be very expensive in college. Money saved early in life by having a yard-care business can really pay off in the long run by giving a person a great start toward a successful career after college.

Instructor’s Manual p. 234

Example #1: Social Studies Document Based Question

An important change that occurred as a result of the Civil War and Reconstruction was that the South experienced a growth of industry. According to Document #5, the iron, mining, timber, coal, and fertilizer industries all developed by leaps and bounds after the war. This was a huge contrast with the economy of the United States before the war. At that time, the North was known for its industry and the South for its agriculture. In fact, it was that lack of manufacturing in the South that gave them a disadvantage in fighting the war. According to Document #4, however, many African-Americans did not participate in the new economic opportunities offered by the growing industries because they often became tenant farmers and lived on the same land they had lived on when they were slaves. Many others worked as sharecroppers renting a plot of land and giving the landowner a share of the crops. Usually, after paying the landlord, there was little or nothing left for the tenant farmer to keep. These tenant workers and sharecroppers were little better off than slaves. 1st Lead-off with transition Follow-ups containing background knowledge 2ndLead-off with transition Follow-ups containing background knowledge

An important change that occurred as a result of the Civil War and Reconstruction was that the South experienced a growth of industry. For example, the iron, mining, timber, coal, and fertilizer industries all developed by leaps and bounds after the war. This was a huge contrast with the economy of the United States before the war. At that time, the North was known for its industry and the South for its agriculture. In fact, it was that lack of manufacturing in the South that gave them a disadvantage in fighting the war. In contrast, many African-Americans did not participate in the new economic opportunities offered by the growing industries because they often became tenant farmers and lived on the same land they had lived on when they were slaves. Many others worked as sharecroppers renting a plot of land and giving the landowner a share of the crops. Usually, after paying the landlord, there was little or nothing left for the tenant farmer to keep. These tenant workers and sharecroppers were little better off than slaves. 1st Lead-off with transition Follow-ups containing background knowledge 2ndLead-off with transition Follow-ups containing background knowledge

Example #2: English Regents Task 2

Are high school students who fall asleep in class just being lazy
Are high school students who fall asleep in class just being lazy? Researchers say no! They have discovered much interesting and useful information about teenagers’ need for sleep. This research leads to the conclusion that in order for students to do well in class, our high school should not start classes earlier in the day. These researchers tell us that when children become teenagers, their sleep needs change. Most importantly, teenagers need more sleep than they did before they reached puberty. Mary Carskadon, a professor at Brown’s School of Medicine, has done research that shows this. Most people are not are that teenagers need this extra sleep. In At the Threshold: The Developing Adolescent, an important book on adolescent development, sleep is not even mentioned at all. Also important is the fact that biologically, teenagers are programmed to stay up late and get up late. This was discovered in an experiment in which teenagers were put into windowless rooms for several days at a time. They could not tell what time of day it was, so scientists could see what schedule they would choose if they were not aware of what time it really was. Introductory paragraph Topic sentence Details Thesis Statement Topic sentence 1st Lead-Off With transition Follow-ups Containing background information 2nd Lead-Off with transition Follow-ups containing background information

Research also shows that teenagers do not get enough sleep
Research also shows that teenagers do not get enough sleep. One fact that researcher Amy Wolfson found was that students get a lot less sleep in tenth grade than in ninth grade. This is because they get up more than an hour earlier, but they go to bed at the same time. Another fact that she found was that many students are so tired that they can fall asleep very quickly at school. On average, ninth graders fell asleep in just 9.5 minutes and tenth graders fell asleep in about 8.4 minutes. One students actually fell asleep in just 1.8 minutes It appears that the amount of sleep that teenagers get directly affects the grades they get in school according to a study done at the Center for Applied Research and Education Improvement. First, they found that “A” students went to bed earlier that students who go lower grades. Second, they found that these “A” students did not sleep as late on weekends as the other students. Third, they found that the “A” students slept more hours per night than the “B” students, and the “B” students slept more hours at night than the “C”, “D”, or “F” students.

In conclusion, it would be extremely damaging to the students of our high school if the day started earlier. Teenagers have been proven to need more sleep, not less. As it is, most teenagers do not get enough sleep. The less sleep they get, the poorer their grades. To prevent the grades of the whole student body falling, the high school starting time must remain the same.

Writing A Paragraph In the middle of this year, I was introduced to a paragraph writing strategy that has improved my writing in many different ways. First, it taught me how to write in complete sentences, including information to back up my answer or statement. Before learning this strategy, I didn’t add details, and I did not use correct punctuation. I now use lead off and follow up sentences, and I edit my draft before writing my final copy. Also, my writing is more interesting and sophisticated. Instead of repeating the same words over and over, I use different transition words. Third, the paragraph diagram is like a rough draft that helps me plan out what I am going to write about. In fact, I can plan out what transitions I am going to use in my paragraph. Finally, this writing strategy has helped me write better essays, reports, and projects. As one can see, the paragraph writing strategy has had a major influence on my writing. If it can help me, it can help you, too.

What can we do in coaching?
Different paragraph types Scoring Document based questions Model lessons Visits Conferencing Making this fit your classroom Need to pre-test

Let’s try writing a whole paragraph…
Choose a set of details from the lists you made earlier. Fill out a Paragraph Diagram and write the completed paragraph. Set up a diagram. Create the title Reveal the topic. Iron out the details. Bind it together with a clincher. Edit your work.

How can we use the Paragraph Writing Strategy in science and math?

Garbage Pose a question Ways to be involved location
Cleaning challenge beaches embarrassment committees roads disease letters parks enjoyment Priorities, making a difference

The Paragraph Writing Strategy

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