The Old MacDonalds and the Factory Farm from WSPA Canada on Vimeo.
Paragraphs in English usually have three parts:
(1) A topic sentence. This explains what you want to talk about.
(2) Supporting sentences. These sentences give examples or proof. Try to make sure the sentences fit together and help each other.
(3) A closing sentence. This sentence repeats the ideas of the topic sentence, but uses different words.
Here is an example of a paragraph about Canada (adapted from http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Formal_Paragraph_Writing, CC--BY-SA Wikibooks):
There are three reasons why Canada is a
great country. First of all, Canada has an excellent health care system. Every
Canadian can receive quality medical care for a low price. Secondly, Canada is
a good place to earn a living. Jobs are easy to find, and people are paid well
for their work. Finally, Canada has an excellent system of education. Students
are encouraged to learn and continue studying at university. As a result,
Canada is a highly desirable place to live.
 |
| A paragraph explaining why Canada is a great country (CC--BY-SA Wikibooks) |
Notice how the writer uses a number ("three") and three adverbs/adverbial phrases ("first of all, secondly, finally") to link the topic sentence with each of the supporting sentences. The closing sentence uses the phrase "as a result" to link all three supporting sentences with the topic sentence:
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Remember to take notes when you watch The Meatrix and the Old MacDonalds video you see above. At least six problems are mentioned:
#
|
Problem
|
Description
|
1
|
Animal cruelty
|
The farm companies don’t treat the
animals kindly
|
2
|
Antibiotic resistant germs
|
The water from these farms makes germs
too strong, so some medicines don't work anymore
|
3
|
massive pollution
|
The air and water from these farms makes
the neighbors sick
|
4
|
destroyed communities
|
Rich companies buy off lawmakers and put small
farmers out of business
|
5
|
Artificial hormones
|
These man-made hormones stay in the meat and make
people sick
|
6
|
Mad cow disease
|
To increase their profits, some farm
companies feed dead animals to live animals. This could also make people sick.
|
Procedure:
Write all three sections BY HAND (don't use a computer). Make at least three drafts of your composition on 26-hole looseleaf notebook paper (standard B5 paper). Number each draft #1, #2 and #3.
(1) The first time, don't worry about vocabulary, grammar or spelling. Write as fast as you can, and don't stop to check a dictionary. When you finish, you will see probably see a mess: draft #1. Don't worry! Even professional writers work like this.
(2) Clean up the mistakes and missing words in your first draft. You now have your draft #2. Show it to a classmate or a friend. Ask that person to comment on the ideas and the organization. Is the main idea of the composition clear? Do the different parts (topic sentence, support, closing) seem to help each other?
(3) Use your friend's suggestions to make a cleaned-up version. This is your draft #3. Keep all three drafts to show your teacher.
(4) Use the PC (http://www.gingersoftware.com/grammarcheck) or Android version of Ginger (http://www.gingersoftware.com/android-keyboard-page) to check your grammar and spelling. Upload the final cleaned-up version section by section to the Composition web form: http://tinyurl.com/CUTe-Composition
Better Farming Methods
Young people can make a difference. Growing food using sustainable methods is personally rewarding and very important for society. Something to think about!
GROW! Movie Trailer (2:09) from Anthony-Masterson on Vimeo.
