The Jane Schaffer Writing
Strategy
How to Write an Effective
Paragraph
Created by Hollie Gustke and adapted by Andrea Wright
The Prompt
Before writing anything, know
your assignment— READ THE
PROMPT! What are you being
asked to do?
Get Ready to Color Your World!
• Materials: When we write, we will use
blue, red, and green pens to code the text.
BLUE is for Topic Sentences (TS)
and Concluding Sentences (CS).
RED is for Concrete Details (CD).
GREEN is for Commentary Sentences (CM).
Step 1: TOPIC SENTENCE
• A Topic Sentence (TS)
is like the top bun of a
hamburger.
• TS = first sentence of the paragraph.
• It shows the main idea.
• Usually the writer’s opinion
statement—something you have to
prove.
Example Topic Sentence (TS)
In the folktale “The Three
Little Pigs,” the third pig is
extremely clever.
Step 2: CONCRETE DETAILS
• Concrete Details (CD)
are the “meat” of the
hamburger.
• CDs = Support for your TS. These are
facts, quotes, examples, from the text or
resource.
• CDs can’t be argued with—a CD is
evidence that supports your point!
Example Concrete Detail (CD)
Remembering his mother’s
warning about a “big bad
wolf,” he builds his house out
of brick to avoid being killed.
Step 3: COMMENTARY
• Commentary Sentences
(CM) are like the “extras”
on the hamburger—the
avocado, tomato, onion,
cheese, lettuce—that make
it delicious!
• CMs = your analysis,
interpretation, explanation, or
insight into the text.
Example Commentary Sentences
(at least 2 CMs)
The wolf fails to destroy the house
because the pig carefully selects
sturdy building materials. This
shows that the third pig is smarter
than his brothers, who were both
eaten by the wolf. Their houses
were flimsy and easily blown over.
Step 4: CLOSING SENTENCE
• A closing
sentence (CS) is
like the bottom
bun.
• A CS wraps up the paragraph.
•It rephrases the main idea.
Example Closing Sentence (CS)
Therefore, the third pig
outsmarts not only his
brothers but the “big, bad”
wolf as well.
CHUNKING
A combination of CDs and CMs is
called a chunk.
For a literary response, we will often
use a combination (or “ratio”) of 1:2.
That is, for every 1 CD, you will
have 2 CMs.
One Chunk = 1 CD + 2 CM
Remembering his mother’s warning about
the “big bad wolf,” the third pig builds his
house out of brick. The wolf fails to destroy
the house because the pig carefully selects
the best and most sturdy building materials.
This shows that the third pig is smarter than
his brothers, who were both eaten by the
wolf.
Ratio = 1:2
Step 5: TRANSITIONS
• A good paragraph will also use
transitions. These are words or phrases
that help readers connect your ideas.
• Transitions are like the
condiments on the
hamburger—that secret
sauce that ties all of the
flavors together.
Example Transitions:
Thus,
For example,
In summary,
For instance,
Because of this,
Hence,
Consequently,
As a result,
Therefore,
Step 6: A Whole Paragraph
In the folktale “The Three Little Pigs,” the third pig
is extremely clever. For instance, remembering his
mother’s warning to “beware of the big bad wolf,” he
builds his house out of brick. As a result, the wolf fails
to destroy his home, which is constructed out of well
chosen, sturdy materials. The third pig is clearly wiser
than his two brothers, who were each eaten because of
their folly in using flimsy materials. The third pig
survives because he heeded his mother and chose
wisely. Ultimately, the third pig outsmarts not only his
brothers but the wolf as well.
Now you know how to write a
“one- chunk paragraph”…
LET’S EAT!