Writing the Beginning Paragraph

Start your essay with a lead that gets readers' attention and orients them to the piece of literature you will analyze. Then provide background information that leads to your thesis statement.

1. Name the work and author and summarize its importance.

   Ghost by Jason Reynolds tells the story of a middle-schooler running toward a better future.

2. Ask a compelling question about the character or theme.

   Have you ever tried running away from a problem?

Revising to Cite Evidence

As you revise your first draft, search for and replace general ideas and unsupported opinions with factual evidence from your sources.

• General Idea: Sally Ride did some important things in space.

• Factual Evidence: Sally Ride spent six days in space, where she helped place satellites in orbit.

• Opinion: I bet Ride was surprised to see an advertisement from NASA.

• Factual evidence: It was the first time that women were invited to apply to astronaut program (Smith).

1. General idea/opinion:

Specific evidence:

2. General idea/opinion:

Specific evidence:

3. General idea/opinion:

Specific evidence:

Revising for Paragraph Unity

Focusing on one idea in a paragraph is called unity. For example, the sentences in each paragraph in your essay should focus on the category mentioned in the paragraph’s topic sentence. A paragraph lacks unity when it includes ideas that do not relate to its topic sentence. In the example paragraph below, the topic sentence is in bold type, and an unrelated idea is deleted.

1. Poison ivy is an enemy of campers and other nature lovers. It contains an oil that irritates the skin. The oil gets onto the skin when the plant’s leaf is crushed. Walking through or on top of poison ivy can release the oil. You can easily recognize poison ivy because it usually grows as a vine and has compound leaves made up of three leaflets each. Poison sumac is also a problem for campers. Poison ivy is an enemy of campers and other nature lovers. It contains an oil that irritates the skin. The oil gets onto the skin when the plant’s leaf is crushed. Walking through or on top of poison ivy can release the oil. You can easily recognize poison ivy because it usually grows as a vine and has compound leaves made up of three leaflets each. Poison sumac is also a problem for campers.

Revising for Depth of Detail

Each middle paragraph should fully explain the specific cause or effect identified in the topic sentence. If a paragraph lacks support, you need to add details to the paragraph.

Middle Paragraph 1

Middle Paragraph 2

Middle Paragraph 3

Middle Paragraph 4

Revising for Focus

You can revise paragraphs for focus by developing one main idea and cutting unrelated details.

Unfocused paragraph (includes too many ideas and unrelated details)

One major cause of erosion is water. Over time, rainfall splashes against rock, causing it to wear away. Strong wind is another major cause of erosion. Crashing waves produce a similar impact. Huge waves can be dangerous for swimming. Lastly, powerful floods lead to rapid erosion.

Revised paragraph (one main idea developed in detail)

One major cause of erosion is water. Over time, rainfall splashes against rock, causing it to wear away. Crashing waves produce a similar impact. Lastly, powerful floods lead to rapid erosion.

Writing the Beginning Paragraph

Your beginning paragraph starts with a lead that gets your reader's attention, includes detail sentences that explain the cause-effect relationship, and ends with a focus statement that tells readers just what your essay will be about.

1. Ask a question.

   What did you eat for lunch today?

2. Relate the topic to your own experience.

   Last year, school lunches changed in a big way.

3. Start with a thought-provoking fact or statement.

   School districts are taking a closer look at school lunches.

Lead Sentence

Detail Sentences

Focus Statement

Assessing with an Explanatory Rubric

Test graders will use a rubric to judge the quality of your writing for assessment. By using the following rubric to judge your own writing, you can become aware of what testers are looking for and can improve your scores in the future.

Writing an Essay for Assessment

Some tests ask you to write an essay response to articles you have closely read. The following activity will help you practice.

1. Read the writing prompt.

Imagine that your teacher has assigned you to write an explanatory essay about the lives of monarch butterflies. You will be using the sources in this unit. Focus your thinking about monarch butterflies and create an essay. Include details from the sources to support your ideas.

2. Answer the PAST questions.

Purpose?

Audience?

Subject?

Type?

Writing a Paragraph for Assessment

Some tests ask you to write a paragraph in response to sources you have read or viewed. The following activity will help you practice responding.

1. Read the writing prompt.

You have just read three articles and watched a video about monarch butterflies. Write a paragraph that explains how the additional sources expand your understanding from Source 1. Include at least two examples, naming the title and author of each source that you use.

2. Answer the PAST questions.

Purpose?

Audience?

Subject?

Type?