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Teaching Paragraphing

Teaching Paragraphing. Alyse Leininger October 17, 2009. The Writing Fellows Priorities. WHAT’S WRONG HERE?.

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Teaching Paragraphing

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  1. Teaching Paragraphing AlyseLeininger October 17, 2009

  2. The Writing Fellows Priorities

  3. WHAT’S WRONG HERE? Sayner, Wisconsin, is the snowmobile capital of the world. The buzzing of snowmobile engines fills the air, and their tanklike tracks crisscross the snow. The snow reminds me of Mom’s mashed potatoes, covered with furrows I would draw with my fork. Her mashed potatoes usually make me sick—that’s why I play with them. I like to make a hole in the middle of the potatoes and fill it with melted butter. This behavior has been the subject of long chats between me and my analyst.

  4. WHAT’S WRONG HERE? • Incoherent • The sentences are almost entirely unrelated • There is no common theme or idea or attempt to move towards an idea • There is no one sentence that states what the passage supports or explains (TOPIC SENTENCE)

  5. THE PARAGRAPH • Unity • Development • Coherence

  6. UNITY • Think of the paragraph as the BASIC UNIT of your essay • “The object of treating each topic in a paragraph by itself is, of course, to aid the reader” (Strunk and White 16).

  7. UNITY • The paragraph makes one point and this idea is expressed in a topic sentence • (The main idea can be implied, but we prefer topic sentences) • Relate the rest of the sentences back to this topic sentence/main idea

  8. TOPIC SENTENCES • Specify the topic of the entire paragraph • Act as a general heading for ALL other sentences in the paragraph • Incorporate a transition from the paragraph that precedes it • Relate back to the thesis of the paper (goes along with coherence)

  9. DEVELOPMENT • Discussing and supporting the main idea at sufficient length • The type of development depends on the point of the paragraph and on its location within the paper • How long does each paragraph have to be?

  10. DEVELOPMENT • Provide evidence (statistics, quotes), examples, description, definitions • Provide your own commentary or analysis on the evidence • Support your topic sentence and thesis statement • General-to-specific, specific-to-general

  11. DEVELOPMENT • The basic paragraph is an essay in mini-form: • Topic Sentence • Evidence • Commentary • Concluding Sentence

  12. EXAMPLE The whale is the most astonishing animal the earth has ever known. It does not merely inspire superlatives—it is a living superlative. Some whales are much larger than the gigantic dinosaurs of the Mesozoic. It would take twenty-five elephants, or 2,000 human beings, to equal the weight of a single blue whale; its tongue alone weighs as much as an elephant. The blue whale is as long as four buses placed end to end.

  13. COHERENCE • “Every sentence must relate somehow, directly or indirectly, to the sentences that surround it” (St. Martin’s Guide 275). • The connections between the ideas in the paragraph are clear • Arrange your sentences in the most effective order (chronological, logical, etc.)

  14. COHERENCE • Go from old information to new information • Repeat key words or phrases, use parallel structure • Use transition words and sentences to establish the relationships between • The topic sentence and the preceding paragraph • The topic sentence and the other sentences • The various sentences that develop the topic sentence

  15. TRANSITIONS • Linking related ideas: • And, also, likewise, again, besides, furthermore • Showing unrelated or opposing ideas: • But, however, otherwise, nevertheless, on the other hand • Concluding or wrapping up a section (or essay) • In short, in conclusion, to sum up, in other words

  16. INCOHERENT EXAMPLE Scientists ask many questions about black holes and their development. No larger than marbles, dead stars spin through space. Space and time could be affected by black holes.

  17. OLDNEW INFORMATION Some astonishing questions about the nature of the universe have been raised by scientists exploring black holes in space. A black hole is created by the collapse of a dead star into a point perhaps no larger than a marble. The collapse drastically affectsthespace around the star. The dramatic change creates questions about whether this causes a rearrangement of the space-time continuum near black holes. More research into the space around black holes will lead to many answers.

  18. A FINAL WORD • “Moderation and a sense of order should be the main considerations in paragraphing” (Strunk and White 17).

  19. WORKS CITED • Barnet, Sylvan, Pat Bellanca, Marcia Stubbs. A Short Guide to College Writing. New York: Penguin Academics/Longman Publishers, 2002. • Connors, Robert and Cheryl Glenn. The New St. Martin’s Guide to Teaching Writing. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 1999. • Eschholz, Rosa. The Writer’s Brief Handbook. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1999. • Strunk, William and E.B. White. The Elements of Style. 4th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2000. • Williams, Joseph M. Style: Towards Clarity and Grace. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990.

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