GE 117 COMPOSITION I

Week Three – Writing a Paragraph

Week Three – Writing a Paragraph Review from Week 2 – Planning for the Writing

Process Areas of Planning for a Writer: 1) Objective – What is your purpose for writing 2) Audience – Who will be reading your writing? 3) Tone – What emotions/feelings should be

conveyed? 4) Diction – What kinds of words are appropriate

for my audience? 5) Point-of-View – 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Person?

Week Three – Writing a Paragraph Week 2 Review Continued Homework Assignment: 2 Letters, 2

Audiences. Write a letter to a family member or

friend, and a letter to your Senator. Write about a law or piece of legislation

you agree/disagree with. Change your tone and style according to

audience.

Week Three – Writing a Paragraph

Week Three Objectives1)Convert a limited topic into a Topic

Sentence.2)Expand upon a Topic Sentence by

adding relevant and specific details.3)Describe and utilize a variety of

organizational patterns for writing paragraphs.

Week Three – Writing a Paragraph

Q: What is this thing you call a Paragraph?

A: A Paragraph is the fundamental building block for all Composition and Writing efforts. It’s comprised of 4-12 sentences that are all on the same limited topic.

Week Three – Writing a Paragraph

The nature of a Paragraph:

1) Consistent limited topic – Once you have a new topic, you need a new paragraph.

2) Ranges from 4-12 sentences. 3) Must have a logical and coherent

organization.

Week Three – Writing a Paragraph

Characteristics of a Paragraph (See Pages 66-75 in L.W.)

1) Unified: All sentences must be on the same limited topic, and they must all contribute in much the same way. No sentences should undermine or contradict what you have previously stated.

Week Three – Writing a Paragraph

Characteristics of a Paragraph

2) Specific : Sentences must make use of specific details to engage reader. Avoid vagueness, generalities, and meaningless statements. Boring sentences = Boring Paragraph = Boring Writing!

Week Three – Writing a Paragraph

Characteristics of a Paragraph

3) Adequately Developed: Ideas should be fully developed and expressed in a Paragraph. Avoid touching upon ideas briefly without developing them properly. It would be better to leave out an idea entirely than to develop it only slightly.

Week Three – Writing a Paragraph

Characteristics of a Paragraph

4) Coherent – Sentences must be sequenced in the proper order. Ideas transition logically from one sentence to another. The right pieces are in the right places, much like a Jigsaw Puzzle!

Week Three – Writing a Paragraph

Topic Sentences Every paragraph has a Topic Sentence,

which serves 2 functions:

1) To reveal the limited subject of the paragraph and the author’s feelings or thoughts about the subject matter.

2) To relate the subject matter of the paragraph back into the essay’s overall Thesis Statement.

Week Three – Writing a Paragraph

Topic Sentences

A Topic Sentence is usually (although not always) the first sentence in the paragraph.

It serves as a “road sign” for a reader. It tells them what to expect down the road.

See page 67 for sample Topic Sentences.

Week Three – Writing a Paragraph

Organization and Paragraph Development

Every paragraph needs an internal logic that organizes and sequences the individual sentences in an appropriate order. There are some commonly used Organizational Methods.

Week Three – Writing a Paragraph

Paragraph Organization (See pages 54-57 in L.W.)

1) Simple-to-Complex: A simple idea, definition, or term is expressed first and each sentence that follows builds upon the simple sentence by adding further details, information, and complexity.

Week Three – Writing a Paragraph

Paragraph Organization

Simple-to-Complex is useful in providing information in a clear, logical way. It is used widely in teaching and instructional materials, since students need to know simple ideas first to grasp more advanced concepts later on.

Week Three – Writing a Paragraph

Paragraph Organization

2) Chronological: Sentences are organized by Time. Sentences are presented in an order that reflects the sequence of events the paragraph is about.

Week Three – Writing a Paragraph

Paragraph Organization

Chronological Method is perfect for Narrating or Storytelling. It also is appropriate for giving instructions, explaining a process, and many other objectives.

Week Three – Writing a Paragraph

Paragraph Organization

3) Spatial: Information in the paragraph is organized

by Space. Sentence sequences are created by moving through space in a logical and consistent manner, such as Up-Down, Left-Right, Inside-Outside, etc.

Week Three – Writing a Paragraph

Paragraph Organization

Spatial organization is very useful for Describing or Illustrating a specific Person, Place, or Thing. Details can be provided about the topic as the writer moves in and around the space of the subject.

Week Three – Writing a Paragraph

Paragraph Organization

4) Emphatic Order:Sentences are ordered in terms of their relative importance or significance. The writer decides which sentences contain ideas that deserve more emphasis or attention than others and creates an order to express that emphasis.

Week Three – Writing a Paragraph

Paragraph Organization

Emphatic order can be Least-to-Most emphasis or Most-to-Least emphasis.

Put your best foot forward or save your best for last.

Never, ever, ever, place your “Best” idea in the middle of a paragraph. That’s no-man’s land!

Week Three – Writing a Paragraph

Homework Assignment - A Childhood Memory - Write 1 well developed paragraph of 8-12

sentences on a Childhood Memory. - Remember to make your paragraph

unified, specific, well developed and coherent.

- Choose and utilize 1 of the 4 organizational methods for your paragraph.

- Typed, double-spaced, Font size 12.