How to write an effective paragraph
Claim
What is it?
Common Issues
How do we fix it?
• Not specific enough
• Used a fact instead of making an
argument
• Had multiple sentences to make a
point
• Quoted the text (without
quotation marks)
• Use of 1st or 2nd person
• Cut it down to ONE statement
(clear and concise)
• Do NOT use facts from the
article…facts can’t be argued!
• Think about what YOUR answer to
the question is…and use YOUR
OWN WORDS!
Topic and Controlling Factor
• Dogs make wonderful pets because they help
you to live longer.
• Teen pregnancy may be prevented by
improved education.
• My first day of high school was a disaster.
Set Up
What is it?
Common Issues
How do we fix it?
•
•
•
•
• Think about what the reader needs
to know before you drop in the
evidence
• Think background information!
Pretend the reader knows nothing
about your topic and has not read
the article that you did!
Repeated your tie-in
Completely unrelated thoughts
No back ground information given
Not written in your own words
Set-Up
leads into your evidence
• First, I walked into the wrong classroom for
first period.
Evidence
What is it?
Common Issues
How do we fix it?
• No quotation marks
• No lead in
• Evidence did not match the claim
• Don’t forget to put quotation
marks around the text that you
copy (or it’s plagiarism)
• Make sure you lead in the quote
with a transition statement (i.e.
The author states, etc.)
• Make sure you RE READ your claim
and make sure that it matches
your evidence
Evidencespecific example; usually a quote, if text-based
• I was sitting in class where all the other
students were taking notes on how to do
equations, which would have been perfect,
but I was supposed to be in Geometry not
Algebra. I had already missed 20 minutes of
my first one-hour class. When I finally walked
into the correct class, all twenty five students
stared at me and the teacher said “you’re
late.”
Tie In
What is it?
Common Issues
How do we fix it?
• Summary of evidence
• Make sure you are extending or
• Repetition of Set up or some other
explaining the quote. Think about
part of the paragraph
what the evidence means BEYOND
• Use of 1st or 2nd person
what it literally says.
• Think of it as almost a conclusion
statement…what final thought do
you want to leave the reader with?
Tie-In
analyzes and explains the evidence
• This was a horrible, and embarrassing, first
impression to make as a new student and was
only the beginning in a long chain of events
that led to an awful first day of high school.
CSETSETC Paragraph
• To increase the level of rigor and
sophistication of writing, add more SETs.
• In one paragraph, you could add up to three:
CSETSETSETC
the final C = Conclusion
Grammar/Conventions
What is it?
Common Issues
How do we fix it?
• Grammar errors
• RE READ everything.
• Not re-reading work
• Fix errors before turning work in!
• No flow through the sentences (did • Add in missing ideas or thoughts
not read like a paragraph)
and polish work!
• Missing words or ideas
Example of CSET ResponseSocial Studies
• After looking at the following cartoon and
watching the video, CHOOSE a prompt to
answer using the CSET (or CSETSETC) strategy.
1. How does the cartoonist employ satirical
devices to accomplish his purpose?
2. What is the message of the cartoonist and
how is it conveyed?
Peer Edit
1. Switch papers with your shoulder partner.
2. Read their paragraph once for meaning.
3. Read it a second time and use the
highlighters to indicate the necessary pieces
of a paragraph.
4. Use the rubric and assess your partner’s
writing.
5. Provide constructive feedback using TAG
Peer Edit
Highlight using this key:
Claim
Set-Up
Evidence
Tie-In
Example of CSET ResponseScience
• Use your organizer from the Close Read
• Now, respond to one of the following prompts
using a CSET paragraph:
Example of CSET Response
Science
Using this article as a source, how might you
characterize the roles/purposes of the scientific
community when it comes to handling new
information/potential discoveries ?
In his article, Chang uses the words “gatekeeper”
and “overseers.” What is the effect of using these
terms? (Hint: Consider how these terms reinforce
his main idea/primary purpose).
Peer Edit
Highlight using this key:
Claim
Set-Up
Evidence
Tie-In
Action Item
• Select ONE text from your curriculum to use
for a Close Read.
• Write at least ONE prompt for a text that YOU
would like to use from your curriculum for
close reading.
• Write a model CSET paragraph to respond to
the prompts- what are you expecting from the
students?