Writing Lesson 1:

Paragraph Basics

01
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Paragraph is like a
sandwich => has three
parts:
- top and bottom bread
slices => topic
sentence and
concluding sentence
- Topic sentence is
important and
concluding sentence is
not so important
- The meat and cheese
How many sentences in a good paragraph? and vegetables in the
- Five is the minimum (smallest number of sentences in a middle of the sandwich
good paragraph => seven to ten is normal is the good stuff =>
- One topic sentence (very important) supporting sentences
- Five to eight supporting sentences - Supporting sentences
- Maybe one concluding sentence (this is not very important) are most of your
paragraph
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Topic Sentence has two

parts:
What tasks can computers do?
- General topic of the
paragraph => this is
usually a pretty big
idea
Why have computers changed enormously? - Controlling Idea =>
takes a big topic and
narrows it to one
How can computers appeal to different people? focus => the focus
creates a question
that the paragraph will
answer => What?
Why? How?
 Homework

For each two

topic sentences,
General topic Controlling idea choose the best
Chloe / one => look for
Ariana general topics
What are the important things during the interview?
General topic Controlling idea and controlling
Chloe ideas.
What are the useful features for communication?

Controlling idea General Topic

Ariana
What techniques do scientists use to discover the age of fossils?
T
Controlling idea General Topic
What are theories? Why was JFK assassinated?

General Topic Controlling idea

Ariana
What are two important ways to help students? How can they help students?
 Is this a good topic sentence for this paragraph?
If this was a good topic sentence, you should
Page 6be able
to see the question easily in the sentence

What is the topic sentence?

What is the general topic?

- explorers

What is the controlling idea?

- inspired to investigate land,
space, and sea

What is the question in the

controlling idea?
- How are explorers inspired to
investigate land, space, and sea?
- Why are explorers inspired to
investigate land, space and sea?
These are both good ideas for
paragraphs but the paragraph we
have does not contain these
answers so they cannot be the
What did these famous explorers do?
controlling questions for this
paragraph
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 Homework Page 10
Read each of the paragraphs below.
Identify the general topic and the
controlling idea and question and make a
good topic sentence to start each
paragraph.
Homework Page 10
Homework Page 11
Homework Page 11