Writing

It’s important to give your paragraph a title. What did you choose to write about? That will help you come up with a title.

Do you remember the example opinion paragraph we looked at together? The topic was getting a family dog. The title was "A Family Dog."

Give your paragraph a title.

We need to begin our paragraph with a topic sentence. This sentence states the topic--your opinion. Let’s take a look at the topic sentence from "A Family Dog."

Our family needs a dog.

It’s your turn! Introduce your opinion by writing your topic sentence.

Now, it’s time to add the reasons and explanations that you wrote on your graphic organizer. You should have at least two reasons. These will help you build the body of your paragraph.

Let's take a look at the dog paragraph again.

First, a dog would provide hours of entertainment. Imagine all the fun we would have walking him and playing with him in the yard. Having a dog would also teach us kids some responsibility. We would feed him and make sure his water bowl was always full. We would make sure he gets exercise every day.

It’s your turn! Write the body of your paragraph. Use the information you wrote on your graphic organizer to help you. Remember, this is your rough draft, so it doesn’t have to be perfect yet.

Let’s wrap up your opinion paragraph by writing your closing sentence. You are reminding the reader what your paragraph was about and telling them why they should agree.

Take a look at how the dog paragraph was closed.

Getting a dog would bring our family closer together.

The closing sentence reminded us that the paragraph was about why the family needed a dog. The reader hopes to convince his family to get a dog by saying that their family will become closer if they get one.

Think about how you want to end your paragraph, and add your closing sentence.