This document provides guidance on writing paragraphs with specific evidence and details. It discusses the importance of including a clear topic sentence, reasons, and specific examples to support each reason. Sample paragraphs are analyzed to demonstrate how specific details make the writing more understandable, interesting, and convincing. Activities guide practicing identifying main points and replacing general language with more specific words and details. The document concludes with homework assignments on sentence types and organizing evidence in writing.

1. February 28, 2011 Writing: Supporting a Point with Specific Evidence Grammar: Parts of Speech Quiz

2. Housekeeping

3. Writing Support for Paragraphs, p. 49 Last class we read two paragraphs about Family. The strongest was about “Changes in the Family,” p. 47, because it had a clear topic sentence easy to find reasons specific examples for each reason See outline on p. 49

4. Writing Support for Paragraphs, p. 50 Let’s look at another paragraph, “Goodbye Tony,” p. 50 What is the author’s point? What three reasons does she give for her point?

5. Activity 3, p. 53-54 Each question has four statements. Identify which is the main point (P) and which are supports (S) as shown in the example. P – The apartment has some real drawbacks P – Some people have poor eating habits P – Children are at risk at the school. P – There are definate advantages to having a cat as a pet P – Ron might be having a heart attack.

6. Writing Suppport for Paragraphs, p. 50 The other thing the writer of “Goodbye Tony” does is give us specific examples for each reason. For example, Reason 2: He was bossy Example 1: He refused to see the Chris Rock comedy in favour of an action movie. Example 2: Told me to just close my eyes during the bloody parts. Specific examples help us to “see” and imagine the writers details and examples

7. General vs. Specific General: I bought a new car. Specific: I bought a red, 2005, 4-door Toyota Echo Hatchback.

8. Writing Support for Paragraphs, p. 51 Let’s look at some more sample paragraphs on the same topic that will show us how specific details make a paragraph easier to understand, more interesting, and more convincing. Read paragraph A and B on p. 51 and 52.

9. Writing Support for Paragraphs, p. 53 Paragraph B gives us clear reasons and specific examples for being in school. Reason 3: “To fulfill a personal goal: to finish something.” Example: I quit high school Example: dropped out of job-training program Example: gave up on my high-school equivalency Paragraph A gives only vague, general reasons. Reason 2: “to fulfill my dream.” Example: need an education Example: need courses for the position I think I can handle

10. Activity, p. 58-59 Each of the five points is followed by two possible details. For each point, we will take turns reading the choices aloud. We will discuss which choice provides specific details.

11. Activity, p. 58-59 b a b b a

12. BREAK

13. GrammarQuiz – Parts of Speech /5 Which part of speech is underlined in each sentence? [Noun, Verb, Adjective, Adverb, Preposition, Interjection, Article, Conjunction, Pronoun. ] Directions: Write the part of speech in the space provided. Keep your paper for now.

14. Grammar Quiz Int. Verb Adv. Conj. Article Pronoun Prep Adj. Noun Adj.

15. Handout, Activity, p. 61 Rewrite the sentences, replacing the underlined words with more specific words. Read Example. Student Sentences: At the shopping center, we visited several stores. . . .we visited the Gap, Zara, and Mexx. . . .we visited the shoe store, the clothing store, and the furniture store.

16. Activity, p. 61 Sunday is my day to take care of chores. . . . care of doing laundry, doing homework, and making food. . . .dusting and kitchen cleaning. . . .gardening, shopping, and cleaning. Lola enjoys various activities in her spare time. . . . hiking, going to the gym, going to the swimming pool and doing physical activity . . . . . .swimming, travelling, diving, running, and reading . . .landscape drawing and oil and watercolour painting

17. Activity, p. 61 I spent most of my afternoon doing homework. . . . . writing a narrative essay . . . preparing my presentation for history course . . . reading the novel “Don Quioxte” We returned home from vacation to discover that several pests had invaded the house. . . . a mouse and racoon had invaded the house . . .a spider, a rat, moths. . .

18. How to make sentences more specific Use exact names Use lively verbs (powerful) Use descriptive words (modifiers) before nouns Use words that relate to the five senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch

19. Activity, p. 63 The lunch was not very good. The family lunch was disgusting. The lunch was served slowly, we were waiting for half an hour and the waitress ignored our request for a cup of hot water. This stale chicken sandwich wasn’t a good lunch. The beef for lunch wasn’t cooked and was too spicy. The appealing (attractive) beef was very salty and uncooked. The animal ran away. The little piebald foal stepped away with fear in his charming eyes. (Piebald = brown with white spots) The cow ran away when the hunter shot the gun. The stinky shrewd racoon quickly escaped to the creek border. The big brown bear escaped from the cars’ noise.

20. Homework For Next Monday Review of Sentence Types - Online Lesson and Practice Read Organizing and Connecting Evidence, p. 84-88 (English Skills)