PARAGRAPH WRITING

PREPARED BY : Mohamad Firdaus bin Rashid PISMP PK3

Intro & Definition

paragraph is a group of sentences that tell one idea. In many languages, the fundamental unit of composition is the paragraph. A paragraph consists of several sentences that are grouped together. This group of sentences together discuss one main subject.

The Topic Sentence

Paragraphs are often made up of many sentences. They are usually between five long sentences or 10 short ones. A topic sentence usually comes at the beginning of a paragraph; that is, it is usually the first sentence in a formal academic paragraph.

Paragraph Rules
Indent the first word in a paragraph (start the first word of the paragraph a little to the right of the left-hand margin. Start a paragraph with a topic sentence, which states the main idea of that paragraph. Any time you begin writing about a new idea, begin a new paragraph. Paragraphs answer questions about a certain topic

Example Paragraphs (Sample story)

Skiing (title of paper) (indent) Skiing is a sport enjoyed by many people. One kind of skiing is called downhill skiing. Skiers ride up a ski mountain on a chairlift or gondola. Then they ski down the mountain on ski runs and start over again on a chairlift. (new idea) Another type of skiing is called crosscountry skiing. Skiers begin skiing on flat ground and continue gliding their skis through the backcountry. They don't need a chairlift to take them up a mountain. They stay on a trail or make their own trail in t

Application exercise
Let students write a paragraph describing their favorite animal. They can use 3-5 sentences in their paragraph. Make sure the sentences stay on the subject of their topic sentence. have students write a research paper on their favorite animal. Use various grade-level resources. They need 3 - 5 paragraphs in their paper, each paragraph having a different topic.

The Topic Sentence

A topic sentence usually comes at the beginning of a paragraph; that is, it is usually the first sentence in a formal academic paragraph. Not only is a topic sentence the first sentence of a paragraph, but, more importantly, it is the most general sentence in a paragraph. It means that there are not many details in the sentence, but that the sentence introduces an overall idea that you want to discuss later in the paragraph.

 For example, suppose that you want to write a paragraph about the natural landmarks of your hometown. The first part of your paragraph might look like this: My hometown is famous for several amazing natural features. First, it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful. Also, on the other side of the town is Wheaton Hill, which is unusual because it is very steep.

Supporting Sentences
The second and third sentences are called supporting sentences. They are called "supporting" because they "support," or explain, the idea expressed in the topic sentence. Of course, paragraphs in English often have more than two supporting ideas. The paragraph above is actually a very short paragraph. At minimum, you should have at least five to seven sentences in your paragraph. Here we can see our paragraph about Wheaton with a few more supporting sentences in bold font:

My hometown is famous for several amazing natural features. First, it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful. Also, on the other side of the town is Wheaton Hill, which is unusual because it is very steep. The third amazing feature is the Big Old Tree. This tree stands two hundred feet tall and is probably about six hundred years old.

The Concluding Sentence

In formal paragraphs you will sometimes see a sentence at the end of the paragraph which summarizes the information that has been presented. This is the concluding sentence. You can think of a concluding sentence as a sort of topic sentence in reverse. Not all academic paragraphs contain concluding sentences, especially if the paragraph is very short. However, if your paragraph is very long, it is a good idea to use a concluding sentence.

My hometown is famous for several amazing natural features. First, it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful. Also, on the other side of the town is Wheaton Hill, which is unusual because it is very steep. The third amazing feature is the Big Old Tree. This tree stands two hundred feet tall and is probably about six hundred years old. These three landmarks are truly amazing and make my hometown a famous place.

References
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paragraph http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/fwalters/para. html