Paragraph Development

4 Steps

Cycle of Development

1 Make a statement = Topic sentence

Explain it.

Give an Example

Relate the example.

4 2

3

¶

Cycle of Development

1 What is your point?

What do you mean by that?

Can you give an example(s)?

How does your example relate to the topic?4 2

3

Go for the Gold

1 I deserve a gold medal for ________.

What do you mean by that?

Can you give an example(s)?

How does the example relate to the topic?4 2

3 W W W W W H?

Go for the Gold

I deserve a gold medal for my continuous determination to plan a summer family vacation.

Make a statement = Topic sentence

1

Because I have long summer vacations, my kids and I would pile into our old rusty van and head either north, south, east, or west for a 5-week adventure. As they got older, it became much harder to get everyone together because of summer commitments – baseball, soccer, church camp, and swimming at Pottawatomie. Sometimes, the kids would resist going at all because they wanted to stay home with their friends. However, I insisted that they reserve at least 1 week in the summer to go on a family vacation.

2

Explain it.

For example, one summer we drove straight west to San Francisco, then turned north to Vancouver, then east through Mt. Rushmore and the South Dakota Badlands. The next year, we started out going east to Maryland and Washington, D.C, then north to New York and Boston, west through Canada, then back to Illinois. The last 3 years, we have traveled together to Hawaii, Mexico, and Breckenridge in Colorado, and this summer, we all spent a week at Lake Tahoe in Nevada.

3

Example

Relate the example.

4

When they were young, my kids often objected to leaving their friends during the summer, but now that they live all over the country, they look forward to meeting together for 1 week as a family. It is challenging for me to make all of the arrangements - plane flights, reservations, and activities. Though we used to be a family of 6, my oldest daughter is now married and the other 3 kids have significant others. Yet even if the size of our group keeps increasing, I will remain determined to continue our tradition of having a family summer vacation.

Go for the Gold 1 I deserve a gold medal for my continuous determination to plan a summer

family vacation. 2 Because I have had long summer vacations, my kids and I would pile into our old rusty van and head either north, south, east, or west for a 5-week adventure. As they got older, it became much harder to get everyone together because of summer commitments – baseball, soccer, church camp, and swimming at Pottawatomie. Sometimes, the kids would resist going at all because they wanted to stay home with their friends. However, I insisted that they reserve at least 1 week in the summer to go on a family vacation. 3 For example, one summer we drove straight west to San Francisco, then turned north to Vancouver, then east through Mt. Rushmore and the South Dakota Badlands. The next year, we started out going east to Maryland and Washington, D.C, then north to New York and Boston, west through Canada, then back to Illinois. The last 3 years, we have traveled together to Hawaii, Mexico, and Breckenridge in Colorado, and this summer, we all spent a week at Lake Tahoe in Nevada. 4 When they were young, my kids often objected to leaving their friends during the summer, but now that they live all over the country, they look forward to meeting together for 1 week as a family. It is challenging for me to make all of the arrangements - plane flights, reservations, and activities. Though we used to be a family of 6, my oldest daughter is now married and the other 3 kids have significant others. Yet even if the size of our group keeps increasing, I will remain determined to continue our tradition of having a family summer vacation.

Cycle of Development

1 What is your point?

What do you mean by that?

Can you give an example(s)?

How does your example relate to the topic?4 2

3

Cycle of Development

1 State it.

Explain it.

Example (and citation)

Relate it.

4 2

3

Cycle of Development

1 Claim

Explain

Support

Conclude

4 2

3

Now it’s time to REVISE!

• Additions – What else would your reader like to know?

• Deletions – What fluff can you get rid of?• Cut and paste – How can words and sentences be

re-arranged to make more sense to your reader?• What transitions can you add to guide your reader

from one idea to the next?