2.2: Sample Paragraph and Questions
- Page ID
- 304208
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Sample Paragraph and Questions
Learning Objectives
- To identify the parts of a paragraph: title, topic sentence, supporting sentences with details, concluding sentence, and transitions
- To understand how each part relates to one another within a paragraph through multiple examples
- To learn the key characteristics of a paragraph: format, unity, cohesion, and completion through multiple examples
- To practice writing each part of a paragraph with key characteristics through a variety of exercises
Warm-Up
Read the paragraph “Missing My Childhood Days” below and do the activities that follow.
Missing My Childhood Days
Thanks to two people and one place, my childhood was filled with fun. The first special person was my cousin Hector. I was the only child to my mom, and he was the only child to his mom. We were not lonely because we played and enjoyed family trips together. I loved playing hide and seek with him the most. The running, anticipating [waiting for something to happen], shouting, and laughing will always be in my memories. Secondly, I really miss my best friend Lisandra from my elementary school. Our moms were best friends, so it was easier for us to do many things together. For example, we used to explore the resorts and hotels near our homes. We imagined how we could decorate our own houses as elegantly as the hotels. Additionally, Lisandra had a little sister called Lolanda, and we loved to play with her and care for her as if she were our own baby. We fed her and sang songs to her. Even though I lost contact with Lisandra after she switched to a different school, our time together was very precious to me. Lastly, I really miss my childhood home. It was a big house with a patio decorated with pots of beautiful flowers. The house was large enough for me to ride my bike inside. There was also a pool. We had many family parties there. Playing riddles [a game of guessing the answers] by the poolside was one of the most popular games among us. Nowadays I do not have Hector and Lisandra in my life, and my childhood house has long been sold. However, I am grateful for having them all in my past because they have left me with priceless [very valuable, can't be measured by a price] memories.
By K. P. Checo (student), ESL Writing III, Harper College. Used with permission.
Discuss in groups:
- What are your most unforgettable childhood memories? Why are they unforgettable?
- What three areas of childhood does the author miss the most?
- What is the main idea of the above paragraph? Where do you find it in the paragraph?
- Where is the title?
- How does the author begin the paragraph?
- What is the spacing between one line to the next?
- Does each new sentence start a new line?
- What do you think a paragraph is?
- What do you like about this paragraph?
- How would you improve the paragraph?
- If you could ask the writer a question, what would you ask?
Attributions
- Content on this page was adapted from Building Academic Writing Skills (Cui)(opens in new window), which was shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0(opens in new window) license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Lin Cui(opens in new window).
- Photo: a group of children running and laughing outdoors © Photo by MI PHAM on Unsplash