How a Paragraph Is Built
Aligned to RI.8.5 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
Within a paragraph, each sentence plays a role: one introduces the key concept, others give detail, and one may refine or qualify it. Analyze how the sentences work together to develop the idea.
Worked examples
Example 1
A paragraph opens with 'Recycling helps,' then adds data, then narrows with 'but only if items are clean.' That final sentence refines the concept rather than repeating it.
Example 2
A paragraph that ends by narrowing its own claim is doing honest work. One that ends by repeating its first sentence has not moved.
Example 3
The last sentence of a paragraph usually carries the weight. If yours could be deleted with nothing lost, the paragraph stops one sentence early.
Practice questions
- Label the sentence that states the paragraph's key concept.
- Explain the job of a supporting sentence.
- Find a sentence that qualifies or limits the main idea.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Cómo Se Construye un Párrafo
Dentro de un párrafo, cada oración cumple un papel: una presenta el concepto clave, otras dan detalles y otra puede matizarlo o precisarlo. Analiza cómo las oraciones trabajan juntas para desarrollar la idea.
Ejemplo 1: Un párrafo abre con 'Reciclar ayuda,' luego agrega datos y después precisa con 'pero solo si los objetos están limpios.' Esa oración final matiza el concepto en vez de repetirlo.
Ejemplo 2: Un párrafo que termina acotando su propia afirmación está haciendo un trabajo honesto. Uno que termina repitiendo su primera oración no se movió.
Ejemplo 3: La última oración de un párrafo normalmente carga el peso. Si la tuya se puede borrar sin perder nada, el párrafo termina una oración antes.
More Reading: Informational lessons
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