UNIT 1 Introduction to Paragraphs

OVERVIEW
The purpose of this unit is to introduce students to the parts of a good paragraph. Students
will study the basic elements of a paragraph, and they will be exposed to example paragraphs
that will model the elements in context. In addition, students will begin work on grammatical
elements (Grammar for Writing) that appear in all of the units of the text. Students will also be
introduced to peer editing and writing their first original paragraph.
Unit 1 introduces students to Building Better Sentences and Building Better Vocabulary
activities found throughout the text. For further support, you may use the Great Writing 3
Assessment CD-ROM with ExamView® to produce quizzes on the grammar, vocabulary,
editing, or writing that is covered in this unit.

OBJECTIVES
1. Understand the parts of a paragraph. (p. 4)
2. Learn about topic sentences. (pp. 4–13)
3. Become familiar with brainstorming. (pp. 13–15)
4. Learn about supporting sentences. (pp. 15–20)
5. Identify verbs and fragments. (pp. 20–21)
6. Learn about nouns and noun forms. (pp. 21–22)
7. Practice connecting topic sentences and supporting sentences. (pp. 23–26)
8. Learn about concluding sentences. (pp. 27–28)
9. Understand the four features of a well-written paragraph. (pp. 28–32)
10. Write an original paragraph. (pp. 34–35)

TEACHING NOTES
Before beginning this unit, have students make some attempt at writing in order to assess
their writing proficiency and their knowledge about the parts of a good paragraph, namely
indenting, topic sentences, supporting sentences, and concluding sentences.
In Unit 1, the goal of the Grammar for Writing items is to teach students how to identify
verbs and fragments and how to use the correct noun form with certain adjectives.

Unit Opener
Each unit begins with a two-page opening spread featuring a photo, a set of objectives,
and a culminating writing task.
Direct students’ attention to the photo and ask them to tell you what they see. This photo
shows a mountain biker peering over the Colorado River in Utah.
Go over the objectives on the top of page 3. Explain that students will do these in the unit.
Have students look at the question at the bottom of page 3. Tell them you will come back to this
question at the end of the unit.
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What Is a Paragraph? pp. 4–5
This section presents some very important and foundational information on paragraphs
and topic sentences. Before moving onto the activities, carefully go over the explanations and
examples presented here. Encourage students to take notes on this information and reference it as
needed as they write topic sentences.

Activity 1: Selecting a Good Topic Sentence, p. 6

This activity will help the students understand the concept of a good topic sentence. Have
students complete this exercise in class with a time limit. Once they have completed the exercise,
check it as a class. Ask students to share their answers and how they came to each conclusion.
Discuss the answers in order to help students grasp the concept of a topic sentence.

Activity 2: Studying Topic Sentences in a Paragraph, p. 7

Have students discuss their answers to the pre-reading questions before they read the
paragraph. Point out to students that they will see this format (pre-reading questions, example
paragraph/essay, questions to have students analyze the paragraph/essay) throughout the text.
Point out the glossed words and clarify any unfamiliar vocabulary before students begin the
activity.

Five Features of a Good Topic Sentence, p. 8

Review the explanations and examples with students. Encourage students to take notes on
this information and reference it as needed as they write topic sentences.

Activity 3: Recognizing Effective Topic Sentences, pp. 8–9

Clarify that students should: (1) identify the general topic of the sentences and
(2) identify the best topic sentences. Have students refer to the information on topic sentences
presented on pages 4 and 8 as needed. Have students complete the activity individually or in
pairs depending on students’ needs.

Practice with Controlling Ideas, p. 10

Be sure to go over the explanations and examples, as students will need this information
to complete the next activity.

Activity 4: Reviewing Topic Sentences and Controlling Ideas, p. 10

Tell students that while his activity is similar to Activity 1, here they will have to identify
the controlling ideas as well. Have students refer to the information on controlling ideas
presented on pages 4, 8, and 10 as needed. Give students a time frame to complete the activity
and when they are done, have students share their answers and explain how they came to their
conclusions.

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Activity 5: Using Controlling Ideas to Limit or Narrow a Topic, p. 11
Tell students that this activity will give them an opportunity to practice what they have
learned so far. Choose a topic that is of interest to students, such as traveling, and use it to create
a topic sentence that is too general. Write this topic sentence on the board and work with students
to rewrite it by adding or changing the controlling idea. After you have demonstrated this process
on the board, have students complete the rest of the activity on their own.

Activity 6: Writing Topic Sentences, pp. 12–13

Have students each paragraph before writing the topic sentences. Clarify any unfamiliar
vocabulary as needed. Note that teach example paragraph in this activity is a different type of
paragraph. If needed, have students work in pairs to complete this activity.

Building Better Sentences, p. 13

Have students turn to the first pages of Appendix 1 (pages 232–233) and go through the
examples of sentence-combining strategies as a class. Demonstrate the steps of combining
sentences on the board. Explain the importance of sentence variety in writing and ask students to
be conscious of the types of sentences they are creating as they write.
For further practice, refer students to Practice 1 on page 233. Have students complete the
activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. While working on Building Better
Sentences activities, it is important that students NOT look at the original sentences. The goal
here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student
combinations match the original. Have students complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in
small groups as needed.

Brainstorming, pp. 13–14

Go over the information and complete the brainstorming activity. If students need further
clarification, provide another topic for students to brainstorm. Write students’ ideas on the board
and organize them. Then, decide which ideas would be the best ones to elaborate on and which
ones should be discarded. Emphasize that during brainstorming, the focus should be on
generating and writing down ideas rather than correct spelling or grammar.

Activity 7: Brainstorming Practice, p. 14

If students completed the brainstorming activity from pages 13 and 14 as a class, have
students complete Activity 7 independently as an extension of the brainstorming strategies they
learned. Clarify that students should brainstorm first. Then they should write a topic sentence
with a good controlling idea below the brainstorming box. Point out that students will use their
ideas from this activity to write a paragraph in the next activity. As students work on this
activity, circulate around the room in order to support students as they complete brainstorming
practice on their own.

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Activity 8: Writing Your Own Paragraph, p. 15
Before the students begin this activity, review the structure of a paragraph: (1) topic
sentence, (2) supporting sentences, and (3) concluding sentence. If needed, have students review
the information about a paragraph on page 4.

Supporting Sentences, pp. 15–16

Go over the explanations and examples of the role of supporting sentences as well as the
types of supporting sentence. Encourage students to take notes on this information and reference
it as needed for future writing.

Activity 9: Creating Questions Leading to Supporting Details, p. 17

As stated on page 15, supporting sentences answer wh- questions about the main idea in
the topic sentence. Go over the model provided and have the class come up with more questions
for this topic sentence using who, when, where, and how. Examples might include questions such
as Who uses pesticides on their products? How are pesticides used? Where do people use
pesticides the most?

Avoiding Unrelated Sentences, p. 17

Emphasize the point that each supporting sentence must be directly related to the topic
sentence. Remind students that the information that is included in a paragraph (supporting
sentences) should be limited by the controlling idea of the topic sentence.

Activity 10: Identifying Supporting Sentences, pp. 18–20

Depending on the needs of your students, do the first one or two items as a class to model
the activity and/or have students work in pairs or groups for part or all of the activity. When
reviewing the answers, be sure to go over students’ explanations for their answer.

Building Better Sentences, p. 20

For further practice, refer students to Practice 2 on page 234. Have students complete the
activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. Remind students NOT to look at the
original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities. The goal here is to see
the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student combinations
match the original. If necessary, have students review the steps of combining sentences on pages
232–233.

Grammar for Writing Checking for Verbs and Fragments, p. 20

Emphasize the importance of avoiding fragments in one’s writing. While including a
subject and verb in each sentence is basic grammatical knowledge, they are not always included
in student writing. Explain that fragments greatly reduce the reader’s perception of the quality of
the writing and that they are an important grammatical point to master.
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Activity 11: Checking for Fragments, p. 21
After completing Activity 11, go over the answers as a class. Remind students that
fragments are both a common and serious error, and encourage them to practice and check their
work for fragments.

Grammar for Writing Nouns and Noun Forms, p. 21

Explain that students must: (1) be able to distinguish between count and non-count nouns
and (2) know which adjectives take plural nouns. Ask students which points they need work on
and provide further explanations and examples as needed.

Activity 12: Editing for Noun Forms, p. 22

Point out to students that this activity will provide them with practice identifying count
and non-count nouns. Discuss as a class why “families” is a better choice than “family.” As a
class, also decide whether “elders” is correct or not and have a student explain why. Have
students complete sentences 2 through 6 independently and if time allows, correct the sentences
as a class to make sure that the students have fully grasped this concept. Encourage students to
ask for clarification as needed.

Connecting Topic Sentences and Supporting Details, p. 23

In good paragraph writing, supporting details have an obvious connection to the topic
sentence and elaborate on that idea.

Activity 13: Brainstorming for Topic Sentences, p. 23

Ask students to refer back to Activity 7, and remind them of what they learned when they
were first introduced to the concept of brainstorming. Quickly review the purpose of
brainstorming with students. Clarify that they first need to brainstorm and then write a topic
sentence. Then have students complete this activity independently. Once students are done
completing this exercise, have them share their answers with a partner.

Activity 14: Asking the Right Questions, p. 24

Have students refer back to Activity 9 and remind them that asking wh- questions is an
effective way to generate the supporting details. Clarify that students should use one of the topic
sentences from Activity 13 for item #2 in this activity.

Activity 15: Writing Supporting Sentences, p. 25

Have students continue practicing by continuing with the ideas that they have developed
in previous activities. Remind students that they should use the topic sentence and questions they
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wrote in Activity 14 and develop appropriate supporting sentences by answering the wh-
questions they invented.

Activity 16: Writing a Paragraph, p. 26

Emphasize to students that the most important point of this series of exercises is for
writers to see the connection between having a topic sentence with good controlling ideas and,
subsequently, a paragraph that includes solid supporting sentences.

Concluding Sentences, p. 27
Go over the information on concluding sentences, including the features of a concluding
sentence and transitions with concluding sentences. Encourage students to take notes on this
information and reference it as needed for future writing. Also, point out the note at the bottom
of the page about connectors and transitions that are presented in the rest of this text. They
should review pages 220–222 in the Brief Writer’s Handbook with Activities for more
information on connectors and transitions.

Activity 17: Writing Concluding Sentences, p. 27

Have students write a concluding sentence for Paragraphs 2 and 5 (pages 12 and 18).
Keep in mind that concluding sentences have been intentionally omitted from these two
paragraphs so that students could add them at this point.

Four Features of a Well-Written Paragraph, p. 28

While most of this information has been presented in this unit already, these four points
concisely sum up the key features of a good paragraph. Be sure to point out the third feature and
direct students to examples in the book of paragraphs that are indented. Encourage students to
take notes on this information and reference it as needed for future writing.

Activity 18: Analyzing the Features of a Paragraph, pp. 29–30

At this point students should be familiar with the parts of a paragraph. To keep students
from feeling intimidated by this task, have them work with a partner on this activity for a limited
amount of time. Then have the different groups share their ideas and if appropriate, record their
ideas on the board or screen so that later, you can decide as a group what the best option is.

Building Better Sentences, p. 30

For further practice, refer students to Practice 3 on pages 234 and 235. Have students
complete the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups as needed. Remind students NOT
to look at the original sentences while working on Building Better Sentences activities. The goal
here is to see the combinations that result and how they are different, not just to see if the student
combinations match the original. If necessary, have students review the steps of combining
sentences on pages 232–233.
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Activity 19: Bringing it All Together, pp. 31–32
As with all paragraph or essay reading in this book, provide some type of previewing
work, even if it involves just a simple question such as Can someone explain to us what a
natural disaster is? (This is an example for the first paragraph in this activity.) Have students
reference the information on concluding sentences on p. 27 as needed.

Building Better Vocabulary Activity 20: Word Associations, pp. 32–33

Explain to students that learning word associations will help enrich and expand their
vocabulary by building connections to more words. By increasing their vocabulary, students will
have more options in communicating their ideas, which will help improve their writing. Point out
to students that this activity is about word associations, not definitions. The task is to choose the
word or phrase that is most closely associated with the target word. It may be beneficial for
students to complete this activity with a partner and with a dictionary. Have partners take turns
looking up the meaning of the words they do not know.

Activity 21: Using Collocations, pp. 33-34

Make sure that students understand what collocations are (words or groups of words that
naturally and that frequently co-occur with a target word). Explain that learning collocations will
help students build on their bank of commonly used phrases and that incorporating these phrases
in their writing will help it sound more natural and advanced.
Model how to select the correct answer by completing several of the items together as a
class. Have students complete the activity individually or in pairs. Encourage students to keep a
list of the most common or useful collocations and ask them to review them on their own for
reinforcement.

Original Student Writing Activity 22: Writing Your Own Paragraph, pp. 34–35
Tell students that in this activity, they will have an opportunity to combine everything
they have learned and have practiced. Read the directions as a class and encourage students to go
back to their recent work to use as guidelines. Encourage your students to use the Useful
Vocabulary for Better Writing on pages 226–229 to enhance their writing.
Use this activity as an opportunity to evaluate students in terms of how well they are
developing their writing skills. By evaluating your students at this point, you will also know if
there is an area or areas in particular with which some students are struggling and require
additional review.
Activity 23: Peer Editing, p. 29
The website, NGL.Cengage.com/GW3, provides a series of peer editing sheets that
students can use for each original writing assignment. Remind students that peer editing is a
process that provides a writer with feedback and suggestions from a classmate and that can help
the writer find out if her or his writing is clear.
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 Before students begin, you may want to present the tips for peer editing on page 36.
Remind students to download and print Peer Editing Sheet 1 the website before completing this
activity. Have students exchange papers with a partner and use the sheet to edit each other’s
work. If necessary, remind students that peer editing is a process that provides a writer with
feedback and suggestions from a classmate and that can help the writer find out if her or his
writing is clear.

Tips for Peer Editing, p. 36

Explain that peer editing is an effective strategy in the writing process and that both the
editor and the writer benefit from the process. Remind students that the student who is editing
should also compliment the writer on his/her strengths and should also make some corrections
and suggestions in areas that need improvement. It is important for students to see the value in
this activity so that they will do it in a serious and respectful way.

Additional Topics for Writing, p. 36

Included in this section is a list of descriptive essay writing prompts. Point out to students
that in order to become better writers, they need to write as much as possible. You may choose to
assign these topics a daily, weekly, bimonthly, or voluntary basis. Remind students to refer to the
seven steps in the writing process in the Brief Writer’s Handbook with Activities (pages191–
198).

Timed Writing, p. 37
Timed writing is a valuable skill for students to work on since many standardized tests
include a timed-writing section. Students might feel varying levels of anxiety due to this time
limit, which can result in a greater number of errors than they normally make. Explain to students
that timed-writing practice can help them feel more comfortable and confident in other timed-
writing situations where they will need to write quickly and accurately.
Before beginning the writing task, review the writing prompt and the paragraph
guidelines provided. If necessary, teach the term writing prompt.

EXPANSION ACTIVITIES
Students will find many new vocabulary words in the paragraphs that they read. You may
want to pre-teach these words before students read the paragraph or address them within the
context of the paragraph. Be sure to check students’ understanding of vocabulary, whether it is
explicitly or through informal comprehension checks on an ongoing basis. Encourage recycling
of vocabulary and let students know ahead of time that they may be informally or formally tested
on the vocabulary. Survey students in order to find out about their areas of academic interests
and goals. Based on students’ interests or majors (e.g., business, chemistry, literature), integrate
vocabulary related to these areas, possibly even from subject area textbooks. Have them create

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their own subject area journals that they can use to add more vocabulary related to their specific
areas of interest and studies.

VOCABULARY ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

Because vocabulary is such an important point in moving to a higher proficiency level,
instructors may want their students to maintain a vocabulary journal to correspond to the
vocabulary, which is something that we strongly advocate.

Making a Vocabulary Journal

An easy way to accomplish this is to do the following:
1. Ask students to separate a piece of paper into two sections vertically. The column on the left
should be approximately 2 inches wide.
2. In the left column, students will write the vocabulary word and its part of speech.
3. In the right column, students will write either a definition, a synonym, or a native language
translation of the word.
4. Underneath the definition in the right column, the student will create a sample sentence using
the word, but a BLANK SPACE will be used instead of the vocabulary word.

Using the Vocabulary Journal

Explain to the students that this type of vocabulary journal can be used in different ways:
a. By covering up the vocabulary word, students must look at the clues (definition and sample
sentence) and recall the vocabulary word.
b. By covering up the vocabulary word and the definition (across both columns), students must
use the sample sentence with context clues to recall the vocabulary word.
c. By covering up the vocabulary word and the sample sentence, students must recall the
vocabulary word by using its definition as a clue.

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Sample Vocabulary Journal
vocabulary word, part of definition/synonym/translation sample
speech sentence

1. routine, n. custom; habit

My daily is getting up, going to work, and coming home to
make dinner.

2. glamorous, adj. exciting attractiveness; stylish

Movie stars usually have lifestyles.

3. task, n. assignment; job

The maid did not finish all her for the day.

Suggested Words for the Vocabulary Journal

Below is a list of vocabulary words from the paragraphs in the unit. We suggest that
students begin with these words and add other words to their vocabulary journals as necessary.

Paragraph 1, p. 7
jack lug nut
wrench spare to
elevate the
strength to be
stuck to screw to
make sure
tightly fastened
in no time

Paragraph 2, p. 12
fuel
to skip metabolism
Paragraph 3, p. 12
résumé to
highlight
persistence

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Paragraph 4, p. 13
venue regardless
of to appreciate
craft

Paragraph 5, p. 18
courteous
customer quality
imported
atmosphere
decor

Paragraph 6, p. 19
arrival elaborate
dizzy impressive
immense obelisk

Paragraph 7, p. 29
illegal to plague
professional
overdose
controversy
(side) effect

Paragraph 8, p. 31
tsunami
phenomena
landslide eruption
to shake-up
to subside

Paragraph 9, p. 26
acoustic bass
appropriately to
plug melodic
variety
deep

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