Northstar Unit 2

Organizing & Planning a Paragraph

Complete Unit 2, Section 6B in your textbook before you begin this section.

Now that you have generated ideas and narrowed your topic, you still need to organize your ideas before you write your paragraph. Follow the steps on pages 11 and 12 to help you organize your ideas. Also, remember that you can change the information in your paragraph at any point in the writing process.

Step 1: Developing the controlling idea for the paragraph and write a topic sentence.

When you develop a controlling idea for your paragraph, make sure that it answers the question asked in the assignment. For this assignment, the controlling idea will be your opinion about the topic. The topic sentence states the controlling idea.

1. Reread the assignment. Now read the following topic sentences. Put a check next the topic sentences that do not answer the question. Discuss your choices with the class.

Assignment: Do you think teens should be tried and convicted as adults? If so, why and under what circumstances? If not, why not?

Topic sentences

__ 1. I think that teenagers should be tried as adults in some circumstances.

___2. Teenagers commit fewer crimes than adults.

___3. Juvenile criminals should not be treated like adults in the courts.

___4. I believe that the courts should do more about juvenile crime.

___5. Parents should pay a penalty if their child commits a crime.

___6. Teenage criminals can change and should not be punished as adults

2. Write a topic sentence that expresses your opinion about the writing assignment you chose.

Step 2: Develop details and examples that will support your topic sentence

Look at your free writing and circle ideas you will use for your paragraph. Think of new ideas. Make sure all the ideas relate directly to your topic sentence.

3. Read the topic sentence and the list of supporting ideas. Cross out the ideas that do not support the topic sentence.

Topic Sentence: Teenagers under the age of eighteen should not be tried and convicted as adults.

Supporting Ideas

1. Teenagers are still children and do not understand the consequences of their actions.

2. Parents should be more involved with their children.

3. Teenagers can change and learn to be better citizens.

4. Many teen criminals need psychological help, not punishment.

5. Education is very important for young people.

3. Under your topic sentence, make a list of possible supporting ideas for your paragraph. Review this list and decide which ones best support your topic sentence. Cross out the ideas you will not use.

Step 3: Arrange the supporting ideas in a logical order

There are many ways to organize the ideas in a paragraph. For example, you can use your strongest argument first.

4. Look at the supporting ideas you selected in step 2.

Number them in the order you think they should appear in the paragraph.

5 Look at your list of supporting ideas.

Rewrite them in the order you think they should appear in your paragraph.