Once you create a topic sentence, you should develop and support the idea in a paragraph of 150-200 words [that means at least 150 but no more than 200 words]. The paragraph should be organized, effectively incorporating logical transitions that help to unite the ideas. It should also be developed with clear supporting details and examples. Try following this pattern to organize and develop the paragraph:
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- Start by including the topic sentence you have developed. If you choose 1. A family member, your paragraph should be about a specific person and narrowed and focused on one key point about that person. For example, you could have narrowed it down to a specific family member—your mother–and a specific trait of hers that you want to discuss [EX: Ida Long is the best mother anyone could have because of her unconditional love].
- Logically organize the content of the paragraph [i.e. it clearly has a beginning, body, and ending and includes logical transitions].
- Closely proofread it for grammatical errors. Avoid using 1st person [I, me, we, etc.] unless you are including a personal example, and do not use 2nd person [you, your, you’re, yourself/yourselves] at all.
- Give vivid details and examples to discuss the specific topic, and remember to “signal” when you are about to include an example [for example, for instance, to demonstrate, to explain, specifically, etc.].
- Give a concluding statement that reiterates the starting idea of the paragraph [i.e. the topic sentence].
- Format the document/page in MLA style, and give it a title.
The paragraph rubric Download paragraph rubricwill be used to assess this paragraph, and the assignment will close 5 days after the posted deadline [see the weekly course schedule for due dates]. Do not plagiarize–incorporate any content without properly quoting it and citing the source of the content. Write the paragraph in your own words.
Save your document as First_Last_Composition I – Paragraph_FinalCopy [EX: Jane_Doe_Composition I – Paragraph_FinalCopy]. When you upload the file, please take a minute to verify that you have submitted the correct and intended document. Also, take time to view the originality report generated by turnitin.com; if the system is flagging any of your composition as plagiarized, you should take a moment to correct this [i.e. return to the saved Microsoft Word document and either delete the plagiarized content altogether or properly “quote” and (cite) it and create a Works Cited page for the source], and then resubmit the assignment in Canvas.