From second year in high school, students attend my writing class. This class takes places over the course of 2 years. It's only once a week, but with the eventual writing assignments, work is more than just one hour a week.
Paragraphs is the first part of this 2-year course. I explain the anatomy of paragraphs to students, why it's important, and how understanding how to write paragraphs this way also makes reading paragraphs easier, too.
The structure of a paragraph has 4 components: Unity, Coherence, Order, and Completeness. From there, we zoom out and look at essay composition with the introduction and conclusion. Below is each section of the class. After completion, we begin writing longer fuller essays.
Update: Ironically, this being a course about writing, students don't actually do too much of it. So, these days, much of the back half of this course is cut for students to start writing sooner, and learning these ideas as we go.
| Contents | Materials |
| 01 | Unity - The paragraph must have one main idea.
- Main Idea - This is what the paragraph is about.
- Topic Sentence - One sentence that either explains or introduces the main idea.
(topic sentences must come within the beginning of the paragraph)
(topic sentences start the contents of the main idea) | Agatha Christie
Plastic Bottle Schools
White Rhinoceros Hero
The Bluenose |
| Previous Tests: 2019 / 2020 / 2021 |
| 02 | Coherence - All sentences within the paragraph must support the main idea. If a sentence doesn't support the main idea, or breaks the flow of the paragraph, then it's unnecessary.
- Unnecessary Sentence - a sentence that doesn't support the main idea. | Lake Eyre
Festival in Siberink
London's Bicycles
Carnival in Uruguay |
| Previous Test: 2019 / 2020 / 2021 / 2022 / 2024 |
| 03 | Order - Sentences within the paragraph must follow an order. They are not randomly written.
There are 3 kinda of orders.
- Chronological Order - Order of Time - Sentences are written in the order they happen.
- Logical Order - Order of Thought - Sentences follow a logical flow of explanation.
- Order of Importance - Sentences are written with the most important ideas first. | Sally Ride
Challenges for Children
A Children's Toy
A Popular Ride |
| Previous Tests: 2020 / 2021 / 2020 |
| 04 | Completeness - The main idea should be explained completely. This is not so easily defined, so here are 3 tips.
- Show, Don't Tell - When using adjectives, like difficult, explain the difficulty. Don't just say "difficult"
- Be Specific - Don't be vague or nebulous. When details are available include them in your description.
- Connect Ideas - A paragraph isn't a list. Each component should naturally connect to the next, without gaps. | Explanation
Cars in Cities
Cashless Society
School Trips Abroad
Farming with Chemicals |
| Previous Tests: 2019 / 2020 / 2021 |
| 05 | Introduction - The introduction of an essay introduces the reader to the topic.
1. General Statement - You want to start the essay general and narrow into your topic
2. Thesis Statement - This is like the topic sentence, but for the whole essay.
3. Supporting Points - These are the main ideas of your following paragraphs.
Conclusion - The ending of the essay reinforces your ideas with a positive future outlook.
1. Thesis Statement, again - After explaining the ideas, state your essay's purpose.
2. Future, Positive Statement - What good things will happen in the future with your idea. | Cars in Cities
Cashless Society
School Trips Abroad
Farming with Chemicals |
| Previous Tests: 2019 |
| 06 | Full Essay Composition
Using all the ideas thus far, complete an essay from start to finish. | Takayama Tourism
Part-time Jobs
Laptops in Schools
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| Previous Tests: 2019 / 2020 / 2020 |
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Grading
Each section has various assignments and exercises. Grades are created with 20% participation and 80% final test score. Participation grades are created from homework assignments of previous year's tests.