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Building Paragraphs

Building Paragraphs. Qualities of a Good Paragraph -- Unity -- Coherence. Unity: What’s the Big Idea?. You’ll know a paragraph has unity if all its sentences help explain the main idea. Stating the “big idea” of your paragraph in a topic sentence can help keep you on track.

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Building Paragraphs

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  1. Building Paragraphs Qualitiesof a Good Paragraph -- Unity -- Coherence

  2. Unity: What’s the Big Idea? • You’ll know a paragraph has unity if all its sentences help explain the main idea. • Stating the “big idea” of your paragraph in a topic sentence can help keep you on track. • A good topic sentence also hooks the audience into wanting to know more.

  3. How to Write a Topic Sentence • 1. Decide what your main point will be. • 2. Write a sentence that states your main point and gives information about the subject. • 3. Look for ways to make the topic sentence interesting and engaging. • WEAK: I am going to tell you about sharks. • BETTER: Did you know that “Out of 375 shark species, only two dozen are in any way really dangerous to us”? (Hueter, 875)

  4. StudentModel DRAFT - Problem with Unity Early one morning, a bear came down out of the mountains into our yard. It was as big as a car. It snacked on food scraps from three cans of garbage in our shed. Last week we had a raccoon in our shed. Dad built that shed himself. (Unrelated Information) REVISION – Correct Unity Problem Early one morning, a bear came down out of the mountains into our yard. The bear was as big as a car. It knocked our garbage shed over on its side. Then the bear sat down and rummaged for some breakfast. By the time the bear left, it snacked on food scraps from all three garbage cans.

  5. Coherence: Making Connections • To give your paragraphs coherence, use words that connect sentences to one another so your readers easily can see how one idea leads to the next. • Use transition words such as also, in addition, finally, second, first, In the end, etc.

  6. Student Model DRAFT – Coherence Problem Don’t buy a backpack unless it fits you and will last a long time. The seams shouldn’t be single row stitches. They should be zig-zag stitches. They are better. The zippers should be covered by flaps. The pack should rest on your hips. Your homework shouldn’t get wet when it rains. REVISION – Correcting the Coherence Problem Before you buy a backpack, you should make sure it fits you and will last a long time. First, check the seams to be sure they are zig-zag stitched and not single-row stitched. This is because zig-zag stitches hold together longer. Next, check that the zippers are covered by flaps so your homework doesn’t get wet when it rains. Finally, make sure the pack fits you. The bottom of the pack should rest comfortably on your hips.

  7. Building Paragraphs at a Glance

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