Writing a descriptive paragraph Period 3-4

Writing a descriptive paragraph

Play a quiz

• Answer the following questions about Paragraph and Paragraph structure

• You have 10-45 seconds only to choose A, B, C or type your answer

Multiple Choice

How many parts are there in a paragraph?

• 2

• 3

• 4

Multiple Choice

_________ introduces the topic or subject of the paragraph.

• Supporting sentences

• A concluding sentence

• A topic sentence

Multiple Choice

___________ also gives the controlling idea, which is what you want to say about the topic.

• A topic sentence

• A concluding sentence

• Supporting sentences

Multiple Choice

_____________ clarify, explain, give evidence/ examples or support the controlling idea.

• A topic sentence

• Supporting sentences

• A concluding sentence

Multiple Select

Some signal phrases used in a concluding sentence are ______________

• To sum up,

• In summary,

• In conclusion,

• To conclude,

Multiple Choice

The most important reason / The next important factor / Last but not least ____ are used in a paragraph to show

• an order of time

• an order of importance

Multiple Choice

First / Next / Last or Firstly / Secondly / Finally are used in a paragraph to show

• an order of time

• an order of importance

Practice

• Read the model paragraph on page 18.

• Label the circled parts of the paragraph.

Open Ended

Label the underlined sentences 1-4. Write TS (topic sentence), SS (supporting sentences) or CS (concluding sentence).

(1). Psychologists say that "social proof" influences us. Social proof is how other people's actions infludence us. When we are not sure what to do, we look at what others are doing. The actions of other people are the "proof" of the right thing to do. (2) One example of this is a sidewalk experiment. If you stand still on a busy sidewalk and look up into the sky, no one will copy your actions. As one person, you probably won't influence other strangers. But social researchers discovered something interesting in New York city. (3) When a group of four people looked up at the sky on a busy sidewalk, 80 percent of the passersby looked up at the sky. The passerby thought the four people must know something special. (4) A group of people influences the behavior of others.

Multiple Choice

1. A topic sentence

• summarizes your ideas

• introduces what you will describe

• help the reader understand the topic

Multiple Choice

2. Supporting sentences

• summarizes your ideas

• introduces what you will describe

• help the reader understand the topic

Multiple Choice

3. A concluding sentence

• summarizes your ideas

• introduces what you will describe

• help the reader understand the topic

Multiple Choice

Which sentence is the topic sentence in the paragraph?

Finally, there is the social proof of friends. Friends influence us the most - more than experts, crowds, or other consumers. Our friends are usually more like us than other people, and we trust their recommendations. A quick text message or smartphone photo can show a few purchase. That is perhaps the best advertising of all, and for companies, it is free. It is simply friends talking about purchases. The next time you buy something, think about how you decided to buy it. It was probably a friend’s influence!

• the first sentence

• the second sentence

• the last sentence

Multiple Choice

D1. Circle the best topic sentence of each group of sentences.

• a. For example, torn jeans were popular years ago, but not now.

• b. The most popular clothing is not always popular the next year.

• c. I buy new clothes every year to be fashionable.

Multiple Choice

D2. Circle the best topic sentence of each group of sentences.

• a. The computer lab is open from 9:00 until 2:00.

• b. For example, Brett doesn’t have a computer at home.

• c. Classroom computers are very helpful for students.

Multiple Choice

D3. Circle the best topic sentence of each group of sentences.

• a. Many older adults need a lesson on how to use a smart-phone.

• b. My grandfather can’t send a text message from his smart-phone.

• c. My grandfather keeps forgetting how to download apps.

Multiple Choice

D4. Circle the best topic sentence of each group of sentences.

• a. Many new trends are actually old trends.

• b. TV game shows started over sixty years ago.

• c. Solar electricity was popular in the 1970s.

Multiple Choice

E1. Read the paragraph. Then choose the best topic sentence.

People of all ages are affected by this trend. Some people think that every job will require people to use some kind of technology. Some people even think that soon there will be computers that people actually wear as part of their clothing. Others think that these ideas will never happen. But there is no question that more and more, technology is a part of everyday life.

• a. It doesn’t matter what your age is.

• b. Throughout the world, people are using more and more technology.

• c. Technology is getting smaller all the time.

Multiple Choice

E2. Read the paragraph. Then choose the best topic sentence.

Because of this, people from Africa to Australia are buying the same clothes, eating the same foods, and watching the same television shows. Some people are worried that people are losing parts of their history and culture and becoming more like people in other countries. In France, for example, there is a group that tries to be sure that there are enough TV shows that are made in France, not from other countries.

• a. Most people like the same things.

• b. Throughout the world of technology, people are becoming similar all around the world.

• c. People are the same all over the world.

Well-done!