[log in to unmask]">For what it's worth, I tell my college freshmen that for a paragraph to have power, it should be like a fist--it has a two-part topic sentence (the thumb: topic and assertion about that topic); 3 MAJOR supports for that assertion (the 3 middle fingers), each of which has at least 2 MINOR supports (the knuckles on those 3 fingers); and a clinching sentence (the pinkie) that touches base with the thumb (topic sentence). Obviously, I illustrate with my own fist.By the end of the semester, they write introductory and conclusion paragraphs as well as this standard expository one. They will often write a paragraph with only two majors or one with 5 majors--but they get the idea. And then the move to a full 5-paragraph paper is pretty simple; it's just an extension of the fist-paragraph.Hope this is helpful.Wanda Van Goor
Professor
English Department
Prince George's Community College
301 Largo Road
Largo, MD 20774-2199To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list"Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
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