English NOTES #18—

Name:_____________________
Date:______________________ Building Blocks of
Section: 6-__________________
Writing
QUICK REVIEW
CREATIVE WRITING
Other examples of Creative Writing include:
1. _______________________________ 3. _________________________________

2. _______________________________ 4. _________________________________

FORMAL WRITING *** ____________________________________________

- Formal writing is writing we do in all of our __________________ classes.

- Formal writing always uses the formal ___________________ paragraph.
Examples of Formal Writing include:
1. _______________________________ 3. _________________________________

2. _______________________________ 4. _________________________________

In school, we should ________________ that writing is formal writing unless told otherwise.

The Building Blocks of Formal Writing

 THE CHAIN OF MASTERY….
Letters (______________________)

Words (______________________)

Sentences ( ______________________)

Paragraphs ( ______________________)

Essays (______________________)

ARE YOU READY TO

BECOME AN EXPERT IN
THE FINE ART OF
WRITING A
PARAGRAPH ????
 Let's begin by asking ourselves this important
question….

Question: What is a paragraph?

Answer: A paragraph is a chunk of writing that
begins on a new, indented line, consists of one or
more sentences, and usually deals with a single topic.

3 Components of a Paragraph
1. _____________________________________
2. ______________________________________
3. ______________________________________

Please Note…
- Paragraphs come in all different _____________________________.
- Some paragraphs can be as short as a single _____________________.
-Other paragraphs can be as long as a _______________________.
- In magazines and newspapers, paragraphs tend to be very __________.
- When you are reading a dialogue in a novel, the paragraphs also tend to
be very __________.

In Creative Writing..
-- Paragraphs can be as long or as short as you would like them to be
(although they should usually be between ____ sentences)

-- Most paragraphs should have a topic sentence that tells the reader
what the paragraph is about. However, you ___________ have to use the
formal paragraph structure.

In Formal Writing…
-- You must ALWAYS use the ____________________________.
-- Most of your writing in 6th grade will use the formal paragraph.
-- The vast majority of your writing in 7th and 8th grade will use the
formal paragraph.
-- Almost all of your writing in high school and college will use the formal
paragraph.
-- SO it's time to become experts!

The Formal Paragraph (Mmmmmmmm…tasty!)

Another name for the formal paragraph is the
_______________________ paragraph.

Every formal paragraph must have each of the following

components:
1. __________________________ 4.
___________________________
2. __________________________ 5.
___________________________
3. __________________________

1. Topic Sentence (AKA ______________):

_________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
**The Topic Sentence usually
_____________________________________

2. Main Points (AKA ______________):

___________________________
_____________________________________________________________
**The Main Points usually
_______________________________________

3. Evidence (AKA ______________):

______________________________
_____________________________________________________________

In Reading class (and on the MCAS), evidence is usually

_________________________
In History, evidence is usually
______________________________________________
In English, evidence is usually
______________________________________________

4. Explanation (AKA ______________):

___________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

**Please note: sometimes in English class "Evidence and

Explanation" are combined.
 ____________________
_____________________________________________________________
Here's a good example of a nice juicy double cheeseburger!
_____________________________________________________________
.

Today's Writing Prompt: Should Roxbury Prep students be required to wear school uniforms
everyday to school?

Step 1: Read the following response to this writing prompt.

Step 2: Put a at the beginning and end of the topic sentence.
Step 3: Put a box around the evidence and explanation.
Step 4: Put a at the beginning and end of the conclusion sentence.

School Uniforms Must Stay in Place!

By: Mr. Grodd

Roxbury Prep students have been wearing school uniforms for over a decade, and they should
continue to be required to wear them. First, Roxbury Prep students should be required to wear school
uniforms because they give the school a professional atmosphere. When students dress professional,
they act professional. When you wear a shirt and tie (or skirt and blouse), it shows that you are taking
pride in yourself and your appearance. When students take pride in their appearance, they also take
pride in their school work. Second, Roxbury Prep students should be required to wear school uniforms
because it would be a big distraction if students could wear whatever they wanted. Can you imagine
what the school would look like if everyone came to school in their freshest gear? Everyone would be
paying attention to what people were wearing, instead of paying attention to their teachers. No
learning would take place. In conclusion, if Roxbury Prep continues to enforce its dress code policy, it
will continue to improve the culture of the school.

Post-Reading Questions (you may answer in sentence fragments)

1. Is the topic sentence a compound or complex sentence? __________________________________
2. Is the conclusion sentence a compound or complex sentence? _____________________________
3. How many main points are there? ___________________________________________________

Main Point #1: _____________________________________________________________________

Main Point #2: ____________________________________________________________________

4. How many sentences of evidence and explanation are there for the first main point? ___________
5. How many sentences of evidence and explanation are there for the second main point? _________
6. What is purpose of this essay? ______________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
7. What is author's tone? A) Shy B) Angry C) Confident