Module 2

Module 2 Overview and Objectives

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

Module 2 Readings - Read About Topic Sentences

The first step of the writing process is beginning with a point. As we learned in Module 1, effective writing must also contain specific details. In a paragraph, this means creating a topic sentence, usually the first sentence, which provides the focused topic and the writer’s attitude about that topic. This is then followed by specific evidence to support the topic sentence.

Read about paragraph development and topic sentences from the following resource: Paragraph Development and Topic Sentences (Links to an external site.) from The Guide to Grammar and Writing, sponsored by the Capital Community College Foundation

Read from your textbook, English Skills with Readings, 9th edition:

Chapter 3 - "The First and Second Steps in Writing"
Chapter 15 - "Narration," first part, pages 293-299
Narration "From Father to Son, Last Words to Live By" essay on pages 664-667

View this presentation: Chapter 3 (PDF)

Module 2 Discussions - Analyze a Paragraph's Topic Sentence and Support

 Part 1

Locate and analyze a paragraph from the Internet. The paragraph can be from a website, article, blog, or other source as long as it is appropriate, has a minimum of five or six sentences, and contains a topic sentence.

To analyze the paragraph you have chosen, follow the detailed instructions listed below.

After learning the concepts for each paragraph development pattern, go back to the 2.2 - Analysis a Paragraph's Topic Sentence and Support discussion and post the pattern for the paragraph you selected. Explain why you believe your paragraph fits that particular pattern. Reply to your original post and add your comments about paragraph development.

Review examples of the nine paragraph patterns in this file.

Nine Patterns of Paragraph Development (PDF)

Module 2 - Compose a Narration Paragraph 

Submit Assignment

Opportunities to use different patterns of development will be provided throughout the remainder of the course, beginning with narration. Narration involves writing a personal story about something that has happened. It is one of the few contexts where personal pronoun usage (I, me, etc.) is acceptable.

Part 3

Compose a narration paragraph that supports a point made in your first sentence. Include vivid details so that your reader can visualize the experience as you did. Since you are only writing one paragraph, your topic should be limited in scope. If you include quotations, be sure to consult the section on quotation marks, pages 468-473 of the textbook.

Select one of the following topics and compose an effective narration paragraph:

Using a document, your paragraph should contain the following:

Use the “Checklist for Narration” on page 300, when writing and revising your paragraph.