Throughout a student’s educational journey they are tasked with a wide range of writing assignments. Whether it is a book report, research paper, or college application essay, understanding the structure of a basic paragraph is the first step in becoming a better writer.
Here are the three parts of a basic paragraph:
- Topic Sentence-usually the first sentence, this is written to introduce the main idea of the paragraph. Crafting the topic sentence is an important step to clearly introduce your topic and draw in the reader.
- Supporting Sentences-sentences that come after the topic sentence, make up the body of a paragraph, and provide details that support the paragraph’s main idea. Supporting sentences can range from 2 to 4 sentences, depending on the level of writing and the assignment. These sentences are key to explaining and backing-up your topic.
- Concluding Sentence-the last sentence of the paragraph; typically restates the main idea. Your last sentence should pull all your ideas together and present your overall message to the reader.
During the writing process, it is important to make sure you:
- Understand the assignment-meeting the requirements and presenting your ideas in an organized and clear manner.
- Follow basic writing skills including spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and sentence structures.
- Form the content with relevant vocabulary, details and concepts.
Additionally, here are 5 tips to compose better organized and grammatically correct assignments and improve your writing.
- Practice-Improve your writing skills by journaling, blogging, or even writing emails to friends and family.
- Read–Reading will help to improve your writing-it allows you to experience how other writers form sentences, use grammar, and tell stories. It can also help inspire you in your own writing!
- Outline-Start the writing process by gathering your thoughts so that you have a clear idea of what you want to say.
- Proofread-After writing your first draft, go back and review what you wrote: check for typos, sentence structure, and grammar. Try setting aside your work for a few hours, or even a day, and then proofread the draft.
- Edit-It’s ok to make changes. Making changes can help you improve your work before submitting it for grading or teacher review.
Reviewing the basics of writing and following these writing tips are essential to understanding all the components of a well-written paragraph. Once students have the basics, they have the tools to build paragraphs to complete any assignment.
Team Tutor offers a variety of tips to become a better writer:
- https://www.teamtutor.com/building-writing-skills-for-21st-century-learning/
- https://www.teamtutor.com/tips-on-improving-your-creative-writing-skills/
- https://www.teamtutor.com/tips-for-essay-writing-for-test-prep/
Check out these recommended steps to complete a writing assignment from the experts at Team Tutor:
https://www.teamtutor.com/become-better-writer-writing-tips/
Team Tutor offers a full range of academic tutoring, test prep, and study skills services-including executive functioning support- for students in Kindergarten through 12th grade. Call us today at 215-657-1981 or visit www.teamtutor.com.