Analyzing Paragraph

Students’ Learning Outcomes

· Analyze a paragraph to

o Identify a topic sentence

o Identify sentences carrying supporting details.

Information for Teacher

A good topic sentence:

· Informs the reader of the subject that will be discussed in the paragraph.

· Asserts the writer’s point of view or attitude.

· Intrigues the reader to continue reading.

· Creates a sense of action, and is not vague, rambling, too narrow or too broad.

· Usually in the beginning of the paragraph(the first or the second sentence)

Concept Map

Material / Resources

Chalk/marker, board, duster, textbook

Worm up activity

· It introduces the topic of a paragraph.

· It hooks the reader.

· It provides the main idea.

· It plants questions in the readers ‘mind.

· It uses thought provoking words.

· It is usually the first sentence; however, it can occur anywhere in the paragraph or it can be implied.

Development

Activity 1

· Ask the students to read the following paragraph and underline the topic sentence.

(There are three reasons why Canada is one of the best countries in the word. First, Canada has an excellent health care system. All Canadians have access to medical services at a reasonable price. Second, Canada has a high standard of education. Students are taught by well-trained teachers and are encouraged to continue studying at university. Finally, Canada’s cities are clean and efficiently managed. Canadian cities have many parks and lots of space for people to live. As a result, Canada is a desirable place to live)

Activity 2

· Ask the students to read the following paragraph model,. Identify the topic sentence and the sentences carrying supporting details.

(My first day of college was a disaster. First, I went to the wrong classroom for math. I was sitting in the class, surrounding by people taking notes and paying attention to how to do equations, which would have been okay if I was supposed to be in an algebra class. In reality, I was supposed to be in geometry, and when I discovered my error, I had already missed the first twenty minutes of a one-hour class. When I got to the correct class, all twenty-five students turned and looked at me as the teacher said, “You’re late” that would have been bad enough, but in my next class my history teacher spokes fast I could not follow most of what he said. The only thing I did hear was that we were having a quiz tomorrow over today’s lecture. My day seemed to be going better during botany class, that is, until we visited the lab. I had a sneezing fit because of one of the plants in the lab and had to leave the room. When I finally finished my classes for the day, I discovered I had locked my keys in the car and had to wait for my brother to bring another set. My first day of college was so bad that I know the rest will not be better)

Sum up / Conclusion

· Ask one of the students to repeat the main points of the lesson.

Assessment

· Read the following paragraphs; identify the topic sentence and supporting details from them.

Paragraph 1:

(The forests are very important for all living beings. Trees provide shelter, firewood, tools and food for human. It is a natural habitat for various useful species such as silk worm and honey bee. It reduces the threat of natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and hurricanes)

Paragraph2:

(All insects have three main body parts. The thorax and the abdomen, the head has a pair of antennae, and a pair of compound eyes. The thorax is the middle region of the body and it bears the legs and wings. The abdomen contains many body organs, such as the heart, respiratory system, digestive system and reproductive system. Even though there are many different sizes, shapes and colors of insects, they all have the same body)

Follow up

· Give students a topic sentence and ask them to write a paragraph on it.

· Tell students to include supporting details for the following topic sentence

(Cat is a pet animal)