2. Organizing Paragraphs
• Spatial order For example: top to bottom, near to far, room to
room, inside to outside. Generally used for description.
• Chronological order or time sequence. Uses transitions such
as: at first, then, yesterday, and later. Generally used for
narrative, process, or procedure paragraphs.
• Logical order presents details or ideas in terms of their logical
relationships to one another. For example: general to specific,
specific to general, most important to least important Generally
used for analyzing or developing an idea or argument.
3. Click on me
to learn
about good
paragraphs!
Topics
Topic sentence
Supporting Ideas or details
Concluding or closing sentence
5. The Topic Sentence (Top Bun)
• Very first sentence
of your paragraph.
• Always needs to be
indented.
• Tells what your
paragraph is going
to be about.
There are many reasons
that I love to teach. First of
all, I love to teach because I
love being at school. Another
reason I love teaching is that
the days go by quickly. A third
reason I love to teach is
because I love seeing a
student understand something
new. Finally, I love to teach
because I love to be around
kids. These are just a few
reasons I love to teach.
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6. Keep these suggestions in mind.
The topic sentence must include the topic within it.
A topic sentence must NOT include details; it is a general
sentence.
A topic sentence may end in a plural noun or contain a plural
noun that is a general term for the supporting details.
A sentence that is followed by a statement with a contrast
term is NOT the topic sentence.
A topic sentence must NOT contain transitions (terms like
“for instance,” “second,” “in addition”) which suggest examples.
7. The First Detail (Lettuce)
• Should not be the most
important detail.
• Needs to follow directly
after the topic
sentence.
• Needs to be full of good
“lettucy” details!
There are many reasons that
I love to teach. First of all, I love
to teach because I love being at
school. Another reason I love
teaching is that the days go by
quickly. A third reason I love to
teach is because I love seeing a
student understand something
new. Finally, I love to teach
because I love to be around kids.
These are just a few reasons I
love to teach.
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8. The Second Detail (Tomato)
• Still should not be
the most important
detail.
• Needs to follow
directly after the
lettuce sentence.
• Needs to be full of
good “juicy” details!
There are many reasons
that I love to teach. First of all, I
love to teach because I love being
at school. Another reason I
love teaching is that the days
go by quickly. A third reason I
love to teach is because I love
seeing a student understand
something new. Finally, I love to
teach because I love to be
around kids. These are just a
few reasons I love to teach.
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9. The Third Detail (Cheese)
• Still not be the most
important detail.
• Needs to start
differently than
other sentences.
• Needs to be full of
good “cheesy”
details!
There are many reasons
that I love to teach. First of all, I
love to teach because I love being
at school. Another reason I love
teaching is that the days go by
quickly. A third reason I love
to teach is because I love
seeing a student understand
something new. Finally, I love
to teach because I love to be
around kids. These are just a
few reasons I love to teach.
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10. The Last Detail (Meat)
• Finally!! The most
important detail.
• Should start
differently than most
of the other
sentences.
• Needs to be full of
good “meaty” details!
There are many reasons
that I love to teach. First of all, I
love to teach because I love being
at school. Another reason I love
teaching is that the days go by
quickly. A third reason I love to
teach is because I love seeing a
student understand something
new. Finally, I love to teach
because I love to be around
kids. These are just a few
reasons I love to teach.
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11. The Closing Sentence
(Bottom Bun)
• Should look a lot like
the topic sentence.
• Needs to summarize
the topic.
• Needs to be an
obvious end to the
sentence.
There are many reasons
that I love to teach. First of all, I
love to teach because I love being
at school. Another reason I love
teaching is that the days go by
quickly. A third reason I love to
teach is because I love seeing a
student understand something
new. Finally, I love to teach
because I love to be around
kids. These are just a few
reasons I love to teach.
Click here to see a good paragraph on the web!
12. Watching violence on TV make people more prone to violence
themselves. Obviously, TV violence has some negative effects. One study
found that heavy TV watchers are more fearful of others. They attempt to
protect themselves with guns, alarm systems, and security locks on doors.
In the same study it was found that heavy TV watchers are less upset about
real-life violence than are non-TV watchers. All of the violence they see on
TV makes them less sensitive to the real thing. A recent study also found
that TV violence increases aggressive behavior in kids and makes them more
likely to select toy guns rather than other kinds of toys.
Finding a Topic
