Student Learning Continuity Program

13th August, 2020: Session 11

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This is the 11th session of the Student Learning Continuity Program for Years 7-9, made possible by MEHRD.

Presenter: Gina Buro Piti

Today’s Session:

What do we expect to know and achieve today? For the take home task on paragraph writing, we expect you, by the end of the session, and after working through the activities, to;

1. be able to connect the topic sentence smoothly with the supporting details or sentences.
2. be able to connect the supporting details with each other smoothly( using connective words and phrases).
3. be able to connect the supporting details with the concluding sentence smoothly.
4. be able to use appropriate joining words and phrases to connect sentences smoothly within the paragraph.
5. explain the importance of paragraph unity
6. explain what paragraph cohesion or unity is and how this could be achieved in a paragraph.
7. identify joining words and phrases. In our last session, we were introducing the importance of unifying all your ideas in the paragraph.

Sample Paragraph:

My family is important to me because of three important reasons. Firstly, when I was growing up, I realised that my father and my mother have been there for me, doing everything they could for me. For instance, they fed me, clothed me, and were teaching me right from wrong. Secondly, in my family, I learned many important skills and ways of behaving. For example, I learned to wash my clothes, cook my food, and treat people with respect at all times. Lastly, my family is my first teacher. I realised that by that time I attended school, I was already prepared to do the right things because I had already learned skills and important community rules and values in my family. This is why my family is important to me.

Steps to paragraph construction and unity:

a. Firstly, let us see how the writer connects the topic sentence to the rest of the supporting sentences.

My family is important to me because of three important reasons.

When the writer begins to explain the three reasons- what word does the writer use to connect the topic sentence to the supporting details? How does the writer connect the first reason to the topic sentence?

Firstly, when I was growing up, I realised that my father and my mother have been there for me, and doing everything they could for me. For instance, they fed me, clothed me, and were teaching me right from wrong. Secondly, in my family, I learned many important skills and ways of behaving. For example, I learnt to wash my clothes, cook my food, and treat people with respect at all times. Lastly, my family is my first teacher. I realised that by that time I attend school, I was already prepared to do the right things because I already learned skills and important community rules and values in my family. This is why my family is important to me.

• What linking words or phrases does the writer use to join the topic sentence to the supporting sentences?

The use of linking words is an important sign in writing as we are telling our reader that the reasons we are explaining are connected closely to our topic sentence.

• Therefore, can you now see how the main idea or topic sentence is supported or expanded in the paragraph?
  How many supporting sentences are there?
• Can you see the ideas that writer is explaining? What are they?
• Can you see how the topic sentence is being supported and expanded?
• What ideas does the writer of this paragraph use to expand the paragraphs?
• The use of examples is an excellent way to support ideas in explanations and discussions.

Concluding sentence

Can you identify the concluding sentence students? Where in the paragraph does it come?

This is why my family is important to me.

How does the writer construct this?

Concluding sentences always sums up the ideas in a paragraph; telling the reader that the discussion is complete, and the writer is ready to move on to the next set of ideas.