Single Paragraph Composition with Elaborations

Harriet Beecher Stowe is an American woman who belongs on

the Mount Rushmore National Memorial because she exhibited many
admirable charactherics that played a role in changing slavery in the
United States. To begin with, Harriet was a compassionate person. For
instance, when Harriet was a young , newly married woman, she
helped her black housekeeper, Zillah, escape from the South to the
North. Harriet aided Zillah by helping guide her to the first stop on the
Underground Railroad. Stowe was also an intelligent young woman who
wanted to help put an end to slavery. In order to make a difference,
Stowe used her writing talent to compose the novel Uncle Toms Cabin,
which exposed the evils of slavery. In this novel Stowe wrote about the
fictional account of a black slave and the drudgery of his daily life. With
this book Stowe was able to persuade many people to change their
pro-slavery position to an anti-slavery stance. In addition to being
compassionate and intelligent, Stowe was also brave. Stowes book
brought her many threats and curses; however, this did not stop her
from publishing and promoting this important piece of fiction. In
conclusion, by using her compassion, intelligence, and bravery, Stowe
became one of the leading women in the abolitionist movement who
was instrumental in destroying the institution of slavery.

Exercises to Accompany the Single Paragraph Composition

with Elaborations
1. Locate the topic sentence and break it down into its two
basic parts.
Topic:_______________________________________________________________
Controlling
idea:__________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

2. What is the first supporting detail?

________________________________________________________________________
________________
What is the elaboration to this detail?

3. What is the second supporting detail?

________________________________________________________________________
________________
What is the elaboration to this detail?

4. What is the third supporting detail?

________________________________________________________________________
________________
What is the elaboration to this detail?

5. Circle any transitional words or phrases used in this

paragraph

6. Underline the concluding sentence in the paragraph. Does

it.
A. Summarize the information?
B. Draw a conclusion?
C. Restate the main idea?
D. State an appropriate opinion?