PARAGRAPH PIE

PARAGRAPH AND PIE??

Paragraph Structure: Putting the P.I.E. TogetherA paragraph is a group of sentences that work together to

advance aparticular idea through detail and support. You may already

know how torecognize a paragraph visually; it begins with an

indentation that marks it apartfrom the paragraph before it.`

When you are writing, indent by leaving roughly two “finger spaces” before

beginning your first sentence. To keep your writing looking neat and easy to

read, make sure your indentations line up. When typing, hit the “Tab” key to

indent each paragraph. If the paragraph before ends mid-line, hit “Enter” and

then “Tab” to make sure your paragraph starts on a new line. Do not leave an

additional extra space between paragraphs. Just double-space the whole

document.

Now you know the format of a paragraph, you must still learn its structure.

Although an effective paragraph may look randomly put together, it is far from it.

A paragraph is a specific unit of thought that begins with a main idea and is

followed by supporting details. One way to understand and remember paragraph

structure is to think of the word P.I.E.

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF A PIE??

P = PointI = Information

E = Explanation / Examples

Which is the most important part of a pie? The crust, the filling or the

whipped cream topping? Perhaps you will agree that you need all three for it to be a really good pie. Let’s now

explore each of the components of a P.I.E.paragraph to see how they fit together and create the

structure of a paragraph.

PointThe point is the overall idea or opinion that gives us the topic of thE paragraph.

For this reason, the point is often called the “topic sentence.” The point should be stated directly rather than projected.

Mother Teresa School is one of the best schools in Grande Prairie.

Don’t write,I will tell you about things at Mother Teresa School

YOU WOULD NOT RIGHT

The point should also be a general idea or opinion that leaves the reader withquestions or a desire for details. If you make your point too specific, there isnowhere left to go for the rest of the paragraph.For example,

The Computer Lab at Mother Teresa school is open from 12 to 3 pm.(This statement is too specific for a topic sentence; it leaves nothing to explain).

Mother Teresa is the best school in Grande Prairie because the teachers are so incredible.

Take each of the following topics and write it as a topic sentence so that its point is not too general or too specific.

My best friend

Mother Teresa School

My Language Arts Class

The point is followed by information that expands upon the main idea. Think ofthe information as sub-points that stem from the main point.Example:

POINT

Information Information Information

INFORMATION

The information breaks the point down into a series of facts or a range ofdescriptions.Example:Mother Teresa has a broad range of student services with convenienthours. Its Writing Center is open from Monday to Thursday, 8am to 9pm, and onFridays from 9am to 3pm. The Math Lab keeps similar hours and is even openon Sundays from 12 to 5pm. Furthermore, the Computer Technology Center onthe lower campus is open through the week and on Saturdays so that studentsmay complete their homework on school computers.

Explanation / ExamplesThe explanation or examples further elaborate the information to make itabsolutely clear to the reader. Without the explanation, a reader can feeloverwhelmed with too much information or frustrated with information thatdoesn’t answer some crucial questions.

Mother Teresa School has a broad range of student services withconvenient hours. Its Writing Center is open from Monday to Thursday, 8am to 3pm. It is a place where students can go for help with any part of the writing process. The Math Lab keeps similar hours and is even open on Sundays from 12 to 3pm. Students at the Math Lab enjoy having 3 peer tutors who understand many of their struggles having been through it themselves. Similarly, the Computer lab on the lower floor if the school is open through the week so that students may complete their homework on school computers. It is equipped with thirty MAC computers and Mrs. Malone is there to assist you.

Let’s review the overall structure of a paragraph:

POINT

Information Information Information

Example Example Example

Using the example above, write a descriptive paragraph about a favorite place—your bedroom, the beach, your friend’s house, a city you like to visit. . . . Make itspecific. For the point, give a general idea or feeling about the place.Follow it up with a description of the memories you have of this place. Then, to clarify the experience, add explanations to make it clear for the reader.Hear is a clue: use the five senses

My Favorite Place to Go

Do you have a favorite place to go—a place with family, good weather, and fun things to do like crabbing? I’m glad I do. New Jersey is my favorite place for many reasons.

The first reason is my family. Over half of my family lives in New Jersey. When I visit, my cousins and I laugh and play all day and night. My uncles and aunts take me to the boardwalk where we ride tall, long roller coasters. We devour juicy caramel-covered apples and foot-long hot dogs. My family is fun to be with.

The second reason for New Jersey being my favorite place is the weather. Instead of being hot and sweaty, it’s always cool and moist. When I think about my visits, I can just feel the crisp fall breeze in my hair. I can just see the white, fluffy winter snow. I can just hear the soft spring trickles of rain splashing on the sidewalks. I can just feel the warm summer sun on my face. The weather is great!

The third reason for New Jersey being my favorite place is crabbing. If it’s crab season, we crab. We keep the blue crabs and the snow crabs, and we let the others go. Sometimes we catch crabs on hooks, and sometimes we lower crab cages into the bay. Then we pull them out later. One time my brother caught a crab so big that it got stuck in the crab cage! The crab finally got out, but it hurt one of its legs and broke the cage trying. Poor crab!

For all these reasons, New Jersey is my favorite place to go. If you don’t have a favorite place, I think you should search for one. It’s good to visit a favorite place—a place where you can make special memories. By the way, if you crab at your special place, be sure to get a big crab cage.

I have a place I love to go. It’s a fort, or a clubhouse, where I can go with friends. We can hang out there, plan neat stuff, eat, and rest. Shadow Fort is my favorite place for lots of reasons.

There is plenty of room for a few kids in the Shadow Fort. It’s large (gargantuan to me). The fort is 3 ft. 8 in. high, 5 ft. 3 in. long, and 3 ft. 6 in. wide. There’s a place in back (we call it the pantry) for crackers, grapefruit, avacadoes, potatoes, carrots, berries, and Spanish moss. The roof is made of 4-ft. palm leaves and smaller fronds.

This fort is the first structure I ever built, with the help of my friend Kevin. We built it during a light shower. It was only a few vines that tangled together to make a kind of cave that we could crawl under. We worked fast to put palm fronds and leaves over the vines. “Quick! Let’s get inside!” I shouted to Kevin. We got inside in the nick of time. It began to rain powerfully, and oh how the wind blew! But our fort kept us safe and dry. Later we named it Shadow Fort because it sits in a shady area.

Shadow Fort is my favorite place because it has everything we need. We keep food in the pantry, a small cot to sit on, and we even have a plywood door. One time Kevin fell out of a tree and hurt his ankle. I helped him back to Shadow Fort where he rested on the cot. Then I made some “dinner”—crackers, carrots, and berries for dessert.

Can you see why Shadow Fort is my favorite place? I hope so. When I’m there, I feel happy as a cat with cream!