IAE – Writing a Descriptive Paragraph – Week 4 + 5 – The Hanging Gardens of Babylon: Writing a Paragraph Part 1

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Task

You are going to write an outline and paragraph for main body 2 (MB2) and 3 (MB3) of the Hanging Gardens essay question below. You need to use all the skills we have practiced on the course so far. We will begin by looking at an example of main body 1 (MB1).

Essay Question

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the most impressive historical buildings in the world. Describe what a ziggurat is, the Hanging Gardens and how the gardens were irrigated.

1. Analyze the above question – highlight the task / topic / control.

Reading

Skim reading.1. Skim read the five source texts. Annotate each paragraph in all the texts to indicate

which main body each paragraph is useful for.

Reading in detail.Identifying the general and specific points in a source text can often help you to organize your paragraph. The general points are usually supported by a specific one.

2. Read source texts 1 and 5 and answer the following questions. Underline the answers in the texts.Text 1 Paragraph 1

a. Were the ziggurats important?b. What specific evidence is given for this?

Text 1 Paragraph 2c. What kind of symbol were the ziggurats?d. What specific evidence is given for this?

Text 5a. Was the ziggurat designed in the same way as other buildings?b. What specific evidence is given for this? c. What language indicates the information is specific evidence?

These general and specific points can be used in an outline.

IAE John Slocombe GE: UAEU 1

IAE – Writing a Descriptive Paragraph – Week 4 + 5 – The Hanging Gardens of Babylon: Writing a Paragraph Part 1

Making Notes

1. Read and analyse the example notes for MB 1 below.Making Notes – Draft 1

Main Body 1 – What is a ziggurat?

Part of ancient Mes. Cul. Found many cities – archaeologists – modern Iraq 19 in 16 cities – 1000sq km

(Osman, 2011) Temple – top – dedicated to local gods (Osman, 2011) Pyramid construction - terraced Religious symbol – citizens = very proud (Osman, 2011) Seen all over city V. large buildings Mud brick center – outer walls = baked brick – no rooms inside – external stairway to

top (Ali, 1997) Terraces - contained plants Dimensions = 40x50 at base 50 meters high (Ali, 1997)

Notice that:

Notes appear in the same order as they appear in the texts. Citations have been added. Notes are not repeated.

Do you think these notes in draft 1 are suitable for an outline? Is there enough information? Does the information need to be organised more clearly or logically?

Selecting and Organising Notes – Draft 2

You need to select the most important/appropriate points for your outline. Remember, the paragraph is only between 100 and 150 words. You will then need to organize your points

Selecting notes: Make sure that you have enough information. If you need more information, go back to the texts and read again. If you have too much information, delete some points.

Organizing notes: The information in your notes needs to be logically organized. There are many ways you could do this. How have the notes in draft 2 below been organized (look at the annotation)?

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IAE – Writing a Descriptive Paragraph – Week 4 + 5 – The Hanging Gardens of Babylon: Writing a Paragraph Part 1

Reading: Main Body 2

1. Read in detail the paragraphs in the source texts that you decided were useful for MB2. Underline/highlight the key points you think will be useful for your paragraph.

Making Notes: Main Body 2

1. Write your notes for main body 2 below.

Main Body 2 – The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Once you have finished note making, remember you need to select and organize your notes so you are ready to write your outline.

IAE John Slocombe GE: UAEU

Main Body 1 – What is a ziggurat?

Zigg = V. large buildings - Played a part - ancient Mesopotamian cul. Religious symbol – seen all over city - Prof Ali Baghdad Uni =citizens proud (Osman,2011)

Modern Iraq - archaeologists -19 discovered in 16 cities – large area (Osman, 2011)

Religious tower of Babylonians Tall terraced pyramids – usually contained plants temple on top – dedicated to local gods (Osman,2011) Mud brick center – outer walls = baked brick – no rooms inside – external stairway to

top. Dimensions = 40x50 at base 50 meters high (Ali, 1997)

3

IAE – Writing a Descriptive Paragraph – Week 4 + 5 – The Hanging Gardens of Babylon: Writing a Paragraph Part 1

Outline

1. Read and analyse the model outline for MB1 below. In the outline you can see three common features of an academic paragraph:

Main idea General explanation of the main idea Specific examples or evidence of the main idea

Understanding these features can help you when you are reading and highlighting information in the source texts. You often need to find general explanations and specific examples.

Outline – Main Body 1

Outline: Main Body 2

IAE John Slocombe GE: UAEU 4

Main Body 1 – What is a Ziggurat?

Main Idea - Topic Sentence

Supporting Ideas

Citations

Main Body 1

Zigg = V. large buildings - Played a part - ancient Mesopotamian cul.

Religious symbol - seen all overProf Ali Baghdad Uni =citizens proud (Osman, 2011)

Modern Iraq archaeologists - 19 discovered –in 16 cities – large area (Osman, 2011)

Religious tower of Babylonians Tall terraced pyramids – usually contained plants Temple on top – dedicated to local gods (Osman, 2011) Mud brick center – outer walls = baked brick – no rooms inside

– external stairway to top. Dimensions = 40x50 at base 50 meters high (Ali, 1997)

IAE – Writing a Descriptive Paragraph – Week 4 + 5 – The Hanging Gardens of Babylon: Writing a Paragraph Part 1

1. Write the outline for main body 2. Use bullet points to make the points easier to read. Remember to include your citations.

Main Body 2 The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Main Idea - Topic Sentence

Supporting Ideas

Citations

IAE John Slocombe GE: UAEU 5