ORGANIZING AND DEVELOPING YOUR IDEAS

Review Points• Every paragraph has a topic sentence.• The topic sentence tells the reader what the paragraph is about.

New Points: Paragraph Unity

A paragraph has unity when all of the sentences relate to and develop the topic sentence.

Ideas in a unified paragraph are easy to follow and understand.

Practice: Read the following paragraphs (A & B). Which one is a better example of a unified paragraph?

A.Cooperation is one of the most important things to

learn, and my school gives us many opportunities to practice. Once you’re out of school, you can’t always work with the people you want to, so it’s good to learn to cooperate with everyone. My teachers assign group projects so that we can learn to work together. In one of my classes, there is a “Unanimous Superior” rating students who have learned well and cooperated with others while completing the assignment. Sometimes we don’t get along with others in our group. If we argue, we’ll never finish the project, so we learn to compromise. I believe that cooperation is the key for doing well in and out of school.

B.On a basketball team, you have to pass the ball instead of hogging it, and that’s cooperation. One time in my math class, we had to do a group project in pairs. I really didn’t like the person I was supposed to work with. My partner and I talked. We ended up doing the work, and got a good grade. My goal right now is to cooperate with others even if I don’t want to work with them. I will do my best.

Practice: Read the following paragraphs (A & B). Which one is a better example of a unified paragraph?

Which one was a better example of a unified paragraph?

A or B

Why?

Differences between Paragraph A & B

Paragraph A is an example of a unified paragraph. The topic sentence tells the reader what the paragraph is about (cooperation is important and the school provides ways to learn it. Each sentence relates to the topic sentence.

A.Cooperation is one of the most important things to learn, and my

school gives us many opportunities to practice. Once you’re out of school, you can’t always work with the people you want to, so it’s good to learn to cooperate with everyone. My teachers assign group projects so that we can learn to work together. In one of my classes, there is a “Unanimous Superior” rating students who have learned well and cooperated with others while completing the assignment. Sometimes we don’t get along with others in our group. If we argue, we’ll never finish the project, so we learn to compromise. I believe that cooperation is the key for doing well in and out of school.

Differences between Paragraph A & B

Paragraph B isn’t unified. The topic sentence suggests that the reader is going to read an explanation of cooperation. But the writer continues to describe a previous experience and then describe a goal. Through the topic of the paragraph is cooperation, the sentences do not directly relate to the topic sentence.B.

On a basketball team, you have to pass the ball instead of hogging it, and that’s cooperation. One time in my math class, we had to do a group project in pairs. I really didn’t like the person I was supposed to work with. My partner and I talked. We ended up doing the work, and got a good grade. My goal right now is to cooperate with others even if I don’t want to work with them. I will do my best.

Paragraph Parts

A paragraph is organized when all of the sentences follow a logical order. Related information should go together.

There are many different ways to organize a paragraph. The order you choose usually depends on the topic of the paragraph and the purpose of your writing.

Paragraph Parts A well-organized paragraph looks like this:

Topic Sentence: States your main

idea.

Bridge Sentence: Explains your topic

sentence and/or connects it to your

examples.

Explanation, Elaboration, Example Sentences: Develop and support the main idea.

Restatement: Returns to or restates

the main idea.

Draw this Diagram on your own sheet of paper writing the part of the paragraph outside of the bubble.

Topic Sentence: Bridge Sentence:

Explanation, Elaboration, Example Sentences:

Restatement

Now, with your partner identify the paragraph parts in each of the paragraphs on the handout and complete the organizer you just

copied.

There are three paragraphs so you will need to draw 2 additional

organizers.

Now lets fill in the blank spaces.

Topic Sentence: Bridge Sentence:

Explanation, Elaboration, Example Sentences:

Restatement

Choosing Sentences that support the main ideaEdit the following paragraphs. Find the main idea; then cross out any sentences that do not relate.

Choosing Sentences that support the main ideaEdit the following paragraphs. Find the main idea; then cross out any sentences that do not relate.

Review

All of the sentences in a unified paragraph relate to and develop the topic sentence.

Ideas in a unified paragraph are easy to follow and understand.

A well organized unified paragraph has: A topic sentence. A bridge sentence. An explanation, elaboration, example sentences. Restatement