Download Writing Paragraphs 101

Writing Paragraphs 101
Mr. Hill – the English Teacher… I
mean History Teacher
Question
• Who do you believe is the greatest American
President ever? Explain why.
Opening Sentence
• 3 PARTS
– RESTATE
– ANSWER
– STATE A CLAIM
RESTATE!!!
• The greatest American president was….
Answer!!!!
• DO NOT BE SUSPENSEFUL
• PROVIDE YOUR ANSWER IN THE 1ST SENTENCE
• CHOICES
– WASHINGTON
– JEFFERSON
– JACKSON
– LINCOLN
– ROOSEVELT (TR OR FDR)
LINCOLN
STATE A CLAIM
• OS – STATE MAIN ARGUMENTS FOR WHY
YOUR ANSWER IS CORRECT
– JUST NEED TO LIST THEM
• YOU WILL EXPLAIN THEM IN THE BODY OF YOUR
PARAGRAPH
POSSIBLE CLAIMS
POSSIBLE CLAIMS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
LEADER DURING CIVIL WAR
SAVED THE UNION
1ST CIVIL RIGHTS TO AA
GREAT COMMUNICATOR
MADE TOUGH DECISIONS
RAGS TO RICHES STORY
EXCELLENT POLITICAL STRATEGIST
HAD A CABINET OF BOTH DEMS AND REP
PERFECT OPENING
• The greatest American president was
Abraham Lincoln because he saved the Union
during the Civil War, provided the first civil
rights’ laws to African Americans, and was a
brilliant political strategist.
Body
• WHERE YOU WIN OR LOSE YOUR ARGUMENT
• YOUR ARGUMENTS NEED TO BE BACKED UP
AND THOROUGHLY EXPLAINED BY:
– FACTS
– SPECIFIC DETAILS
– EXAMPLES
– ANALOGIES
– CONNECTIONS
BAD
• Lincoln was the only president that could keep
the country together. He also guaranteed
many freedoms to former African American
slaves. Finally, he was able to use his political
savvy to control the politicians that opposed
his policies in the north.
BAD
• Lincoln used McClellan, Meade, Sherman, and
Grant to win major battles at Antietam,
Gettysburg, Atlanta, and at Petersburg.
Furthermore, he constructed the
Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the
slaves in the seceded states. In addition, he
suspended habeas corpus to imprison
anybody in the North that was sympathetic to
the Confederacy.
USE TRANSITITONS
Closing Sentence
REPHRASING OF THE OPENING SENTENCE
DO NOT:
1. END ON A POINT
2. ASK A QUESTION
IF YOU ARE HAVING TROUBLE, THEN JUST KEEP IT
SIMPLE!!!
MODEL CLOSING SENTENCE
• SIMPLE: These are the reasons why Abraham
Lincoln can be considered the greatest American
president.
• Sophisticated: Because of his ability to carefully
keep the Union intact, extend civil rights to
African Americans, and suppress opposition in
the North, qualifies Abraham Lincoln to be the
greatest American president.