Top ic S en ten ce Tran s it ionM a jo r P o in t

su p p ort

Tran s it ionM a jo r P o in t

su p p ort

Tran s it ionM a jo r P o in t

su p p ort

con c lu d in g p o in t

E ach B od y P arag rap hm u s t con ta in th e fo llow in g :

The ParagraphThe Paragraph

Hook and Background Hook and Background informationinformationStand alone paragraphs may also include a hook or attention getter to stimulate the reader’s interest.

Also, background information explaining a little about the topic might also be required.◦You may combine the background information with the topic sentence.

Topic SentenceTopic Sentence

S ta te Top ic[w h a t p arag rap h is ab ou t]

C on to l th e top ic[exp la in s th e w ay youta lk ab ou t th e top ic ]

E very top ic sen ten cem u s t d o th e fo llow in g

Cuyamaca College: a Good Cuyamaca College: a Good ChoiceChoice

Cuyamaca College is an Cuyamaca College is an excellent choice for many excellent choice for many students because they save students because they save money, get classes they money, get classes they need, and work closely with need, and work closely with their teachers.their teachers.

Develop your paragraph by Develop your paragraph by supporting the topic sentence using supporting the topic sentence using main points or general statements main points or general statements of support:of support:

Cuyamaca College is an excellent choice for many students Cuyamaca College is an excellent choice for many students because they save money, get classes they need, and work because they save money, get classes they need, and work closely with their teachers.closely with their teachers.Save Money (Main Point #1)◦ Students at Cuyamaca College save a lot of

money because of low tuition, easy access to financial aid programs, and free tutoring services.

Get the classes they need (Main Point #2)◦ If you are a student at Cuyamaca, you won’t

have to worry about getting the classes you need.

Enjoy the benefits of close teacher relations (Main Point #3)◦ Small class size and professor office hours

ensure excellent teacher-student relations.

Develop your topic sentences Develop your topic sentences with specific details / examples with specific details / examples [don’t be repetitious][don’t be repetitious]How would you make the following paragraph

more detailed?The food at the cafeteria caused several of

the students to become ill. One girl felt sick after eating some casserole. A boy felt dizzy after eating some casserole. Another student had a more stomach after trying some meat.

Some Tips to Add DetailsSome Tips to Add Details

Give people namesUse adjectives like color, size, shape, weight, texture, taste and smell

Make a word picture

Would you do things Would you do things differently?differently?

How would you make the following paragraph more detailed?

The food at the cafeteria caused several of the students to become ill. One girl felt sick after eating some casserole. A boy felt dizzy after smelling the pasta. Another student had a sore stomach after trying to eat some meat.

Here’s a good example of good Here’s a good example of good detailsdetailsThe food at the cafeteria caused several

students to become ill. First of all, Mary Brant suffered severe cramps and diarrhea five minutes after tasting the orange brick of casseroled tuna flakes. Then Brandon May fell and cut open his head on a table corner. He wasn’t being clumsy; he suffered an attack of nausea and dizziness after smelling the tray of runny green spaghetti surprise. Finally, Brad MacKenzie had to be rushed to the hospital when he began projectile vomiting after trying the fuzzy gray mystery meat called College Loaf.

TransitionsTransitionsPg 19-20

of your handbook gives you some solid examples of transitions to use between your main points

Paragraph on Cuyamaca Paragraph on Cuyamaca CollegeCollege Cuyamaca College is an excellent choice for many students because they save money, get classes they need, and work closely with their teachers. Students at Cuyamaca College save a lot of money because of low tuition, easy access to financial aid programs, and free tutoring services. If you are a student at Cuyamaca, you won’t have to worry about getting the classes you need. Small class size and professor office hours ensure excellent teacher-student relations.