How do you write a good
concluding sentence for
a paragraph?
SPI 601.6.7 Select an appropriate concluding
sentence for a well-developed paragraph
What do you picture for the
word conclude?
A concluding sentence is
the last sentence of the
paragraph.
• Sometimes it restates the main idea of
the paragraph
• It can also be a sentence that leaves
the reader with a thought or feeling
about the topic
What is the thesis
sentence?
• (1) Whales, one of nature's largest mammals, can be
divided into two categories. (2) Baleen whales are
one kind of whale. (3) Baleen whales have a type of
keratin called baleen that hangs in their mouths and
sifts food from the ocean waters. (4) Baleen whales
can consume up to 9,000 pounds of fish a day. (5)
The toothed whale is the other type of whale. (6) The
toothed whales have teeth instead of baleen. (7) They
gnaw and chew on their meals. (8) Like the baleen
whales, the toothed whales consume large portions of
food each day. (9) Though many varieties of whales
exist in our oceans, they are all categorized according
to whether they have baleen or teeth inside their
gigantic mouths.
What are the detail sentences?
Locate them with your NHP
• (1) Whales, one of nature's largest mammals, can be
divided into two categories. (2) Baleen whales are
one kind of whale. (3) Baleen whales have a type of
keratin called baleen that hangs in their mouths and
sifts food from the ocean waters. (4) Baleen whales
can consume up to 9,000 pounds of fish a day. (5)
The toothed whale is the other type of whale. (6) The
toothed whales have teeth instead of baleen. (7)
They gnaw and chew on their meals. (8) Like the
baleen whales, the toothed whales consume large
portions of food each day. (9) Though many varieties
of whales exist in our oceans, they are all categorized
according to whether they have baleen or teeth inside
their gigantic mouths.
What is the concluding sentence?
Locate it with your NHP
• (1) Whales, one of nature's largest mammals, can be
divided into two categories. (2) Baleen whales are
one kind of whale. (3) Baleen whales have a type of
keratin called baleen that hangs in their mouths and
sifts food from the ocean waters. (4) Baleen whales
can consume up to 9,000 pounds of fish a day. (5)
The toothed whale is the other type of whale. (6) The
toothed whales have teeth instead of baleen. (7)
They gnaw and chew on their meals. (8) Like the
baleen whales, the toothed whales consume large
portions of food each day. (9) Though many varieties
of whales exist in our oceans, they are all categorized
according to whether they have baleen or teeth inside
their gigantic mouths.
Time for a video 
• http://www.brainpopjr.com/readingandwriting/writing/writingapara
graph/
Now it’s your turn 
• Read the following paragraph and choose the best
concluding sentence.
• Remember, a concluding sentence is not a new
detail. It needs to restate the main idea of the
paragraph or leave you with a thought or feeling
about the topic.
What would be the best concluding sentence for this
paragraph?
• 1) The letters WWW do not stand for the "Wide World of
Wrestling" as hooked wrestling fans may guess. (2) Nor do
they stand for something, such as widow, related to a world
war. (3) The letters WWW refer to the World Wide Web, more
commonly referred to simply as the Web. (4) As millions of
people worldwide access the Web on a regular basis, the
letter W in triplicate is typed millions of times on a daily basis.
(5) Many web site addresses begin with the letters WWW,
which basically indicate to the user that he or she will enter
the World Wide Web in order to locate the web address.
A.
Technology has made the three letters WWW into possibly the
most frequently used and most commonly known letter pattern in
the world.
B. WWW is considered an acronym.
C. The internet is cool.
D. Technology is a fast way to communicate and that is why everyone
sees WWW.
WWW is considered an
acronym.
• This answer is incorrect.
This answer is correct!
• Why is it correct?
Choose the best concluding sentence
.
Humans have known that earthworms have been vital to enriching
Earth's rich soil all throughout history. Egyptian Queen Cleopatra
called earthworms sacred. The Greek philosopher Aristotle said
earthworms were the intestines" of the soil. In 1881 Charles Darwin
stated, "It may be doubted whether there are many other creatures
which have played so important a part in the history of the world."
a) Could Earth support mankind without the earthworm?
b) People throughout history have understood that
earthworms are extremely important.
c) Charles Darwin was a scientist.
d) Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and scientist.
Choose the best concluding
sentence.
Earthworms may be divided into three categories.
The Endogeic or soil dwellers live in the top foot of
soil. The Epigeic or litter dwellers live on the
decomposing plant material in wooded area. The
third type is the Anecic or the deep burrowers. The
Anecic worm lives several feet under the ground.
They drag organic matter from the surface to their
burrows.
a) These three types of worms have been given Greek names
meaning "up from the earth", "within the earth", and "upon the
earth".
b) Earthworms live anywhere the climate is not too hot or too cold,
or too wet or too dry.
c) Earthworms vary greatly in size.
d) During cold months worms become dormant or move to warmer
Choose the best concluding
sentence.
Have you ever bitten into a nice juicy apple only to
find that a worm had already been there? The apple
worm is really the caterpillar of the codling moth. The
young hatch from eggs the size of pin heads and
feast on apples for about a month. When the
caterpillar is about a half-inch long it leaves the apple
and spins a cocoon. After a month the adult moth
emerges.
a)
Apples are an extremely healthy food to eat.
b) Moths and butterflies are different in several ways.
c) Sometimes three generations of the codling moths
may live in the orchard in just a year.
d) The codling moth is a pesky varmint.
Choose the best concluding
sentence.
a)
b)
c)
d)
The codling moth is native to Europe. Settlers brought the
moth to North America with apples in about 1750. The moth
moved westward across the United States and finally reached
California in 1874. The moth damages apples, pears and even
English walnuts.
Several harmful insects have reached North America by
transporting plants across the Atlantic Ocean.
Farmers have lost millions of dollars in crops due to the codling
moth.
The only thing worse than biting into an apple and finding a
worm, is biting into an apple and finding only half a worm.
Moths are attracted to the light.
Choose the best concluding
sentence.
The symbol of the worm may be found in several figurative
language phrases. When you are referring to a controversial
issue you may say, "Don't open that can of worms." A person
whom you do not respect may be called a worm. When you are
in an awkward situation you may try to "worm your way out of it".
One type of computer virus is known as a worm.
a) Americans use many figurative language phrases that do not
have literal meanings.
b) Once my computer was attacked by a worm that came through
on an e-mail.
c) On one television show I watched, the team had to try to figure
out which person playing the game was the worm.
d) In each of these phrases the word worm has a negative
undertone.
Answer Key
•
•
•
•
•
1. b
2. a
3. c
4. b
5. d