1 level B1.2

1 level B1.2
Let’s join the dots!
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Start up
Hello dear friends!
Hello, apprentices! Nice to see you again!
Today, I came to Professor Brown’s office to show him
the progress I have made in my project.
Now, I need to write a good paragraph explaining all
that I’ve done so far. To do that, we need to study the
following topics:
• Paragraph structure
• Process paragraph
• Transitions, conjunctions and linkers to talk about
processes
Let’s get started!
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Warm up
Mr. Brown: Hi, Anthony!
Anthony: Professor Brown! It’s very nice to see you again.
Mr. Brown: Thank you for coming. How are you doing with your project?
Anthony: The project is going smoothly. Stacey and I collected a lot paper and
implemented one of the recycling processes we were researching about.
Anthony: I came to show you the steps we followed in order to recycle the paper
we had at home.
Mr. Brown: Wow! You have the step-by-step guide written down on your
notebook, let me have a look at it.
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Warm up
Step 1
Tear the paper into small pieces (you can use colored paper too). Paper should not
have food residues.
Step 2
Soak the paper in a vat of water overnight , (use twice as much used paper as the
amount you expect to turn into recycled paper).
Step 3
Mix the wet paper and water in a blender until it reaches the consistency of gravy.
This mixture is called pulp.
Step 4
Place the screen in the large bin, and then slowly pour the pulp onto the frame.
Make sure the pulp is evenly distributed on the screen, so the paper has an even
thickness.
Step 5
Squeeze out the water that remains in the pulp on the screen using a rolling pin.
Be sure to queeze as much water out as possible.
Step 6
Let the frame dry for 24 hours and take the paper off the frame.
Now you have recycled paper!
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Warm up
Mr. Brown: Excellent, Anthony! With this information, I can proceed to teach you
how to write a process paragraph.
Anthony: Thanks!
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Let´s get inside!
Let´s get inside!
Today, I want to show Anthony another paper recycling process that some companies
and government entities have implemented. This will help him to describe different
ways of recycling paper.
In this section, you are going to have a reading comprehension exercise in order to
prepare you for the topics of this material.
Let’s start!
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Let’s get inside
Mr. Brown: After having a tour around this place, I have learned about another
paper recycling process. I decided to write it down for you to learn!
How is paper recycled?
Successful paper recycling requires a set of systematic steps. The first step of the
recycling process is to take your used paper to a local recycling center. At the recycling
center, the collected paper is wrapped (wrap (v.)) in tight packages and transported to
a paper mill, where it will be transformed into new paper. Then, the paper moves to a
big vat called a pulper, which contains water and chemicals. The pulper chops (chop (v.))
the recovered paper into small pieces. After a while, the old paper turns into a mushy
mixture called pulp. Afterwards, the pulp goes through a cleaning process to remove
printing ink and other residues. Now, the pulp is ready to go through a hot press with
water and other chemicals which will turn into a watery sheet. Subsequently, the sheet
moves rapidly through a series of press rollers which squeeze out more water. Next, the
sheet is heated to dry the paper, and finally, twisted into a giant roll and removed from
the paper machine. Recycled paper is ready to use now.
Paragraph Structure
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Let’s Analyze
Mr. Brown: To write a good process paragraph for your project, you need to go over
the following topics:
- Paragraph structure
- Process paragraph
- Transitional words
Paragraph Structure
Mr. Brown: Before we jump into the structure of a paragraph, let’s see what a
paragraph is. Then, let’s check a paragraph example we were working with in the
previous activity.
What’s a paragraph?
“A paragraph is a group of related sentences that discuss one (and usually only one)
main idea. A paragraph can be as short as five sentences or as long as ten sentences.”
(Osima & Hogue, 2006). In spite of the number of sentences, the paragraph should
be long enough to develop the main idea clearly.
For an example of a paragraph, go to (slide 17).
Mr. Brown: All paragraphs have a topic sentence, and some supporting sentences.
Sometimes they may also have a concluding sentence.
Topic sentence
A topic sentence is the most important sentence in a paragraph because it contains
the main idea.
A topic sentence has two parts:
•
Topic: it’s the subject of your paragraph. It’s what you are writing about.
•
Controlling idea: It announces the specific area to be discussed.
Look at these examples
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Let’s Anaylze
Topic
Controlling idea
-
Topic
-
Colombia is the second most diverse country, in terms of species.
Controlling idea
Colombia is the second largest coffee producing country.
As you can see, both sentences talk about Colombia, but they discuss different areas.
Supporting sentences
Supporting sentences develop the topic sentence.In other words, they explain the
topic sentence
by giving more information about it.
The following are some of the supporting sentences that explain the topic sentence
of Professor Brown’s paragraph:
-
The first step of the recycling process is to take your used paper to a local
recycling center.
-
At the recycling center, the collected paper is wrapped in tight packages and
transported to a paper mill, where it will be transformed into new paper.
Concluding sentence
The concluding sentence signals the end of the paragraph and leaves the reader
with
important points to remember.
Concluding sentences are normally used for single paragraphs that are not part of
bigger texts like essays or projects. However, paragraphs that are parts of a longer
piece of writing don’t need concluding sentences.
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Let’s Anaylze
A process paragraph
Explains how to do something, or describes how something is done. The process
should be described in a series of steps that follow a logical time order.
Mr. Brown: Now that we know the structure of paragraphs, it is time to learn the
characteristics of a process paragraph, so we can help Anthony write his.
Steps to write a process paragraph
Mr. Brown: To write an excellent process paragraph, we need to take into account
the following steps. Click on each step to learn more about it.
Step 1. Write a solid topic sentence.
Use the topic sentence to tell the process that will be explained in the paragraph,
and then, what your opinion about the topic is.
Don’t write: This is how you ride a bike.
Write: If you want to ride a bike, there are some important steps you should follow.
Step 2. Write sentences to explain the process.
The body of the process paragraph is all about the steps. The sentences should
give the directions to perform a task. It will give the reader a set of instructions in
time order.
Tip: it is helpful to make a list of all the steps that need to be followed, and use
transitional words, like connectors and linkers for good flow of ideas.
Step 3. Write a concluding sentence.
The concluding sentence should remark on the important
points of the paragraph you want your readers to remember.
Transitional words
Mr. Brown: Today, we are going to learn some transitional words and conjunctions
which are used to connect our sentences and turn them into paragraphs.
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Let’s Anaylze
Transitional words, also called linkers or adverbial conjunctions, are phrases
or words used to connect one idea to the next. They are used in paragraphs to
connect sentences.
There are different kinds of transitional words depending on the kind of relation
the author wants to establish between sentences.
Today, we are going to learn some transitional words that will come in handy to
write our process paragraph.
Additive Transitions
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Let’s Anaylze
Sequential Transitions
Now, you can move on to the next section and have some practice.
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Let´s practice
I hope you enjoyed this material. Now, it’s your turn to join the dots and write
some paragraphs of your own!
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References
References
• BOARDMAN, C. & FRYDENBERG, J. (2002). Writing to communicate: Paragraphs and essays (2nd Ed.). NY: Pearson
Longman.
• CAMPBELL, G (1994). Transition Words. Retrieved on October 22th 2013, from: https://www.msu.edu/user/
jdowell/135/transw.html#anchor1701138
• FOREHAND, M. (2005). Bloom’s taxonomy: Original and revised. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning,
teaching, and technology. Retrieved on October 18th 2013, from: http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
• HAYDEN, K. (2012). How to Write a Process Paragraph. Retrieved on October 23th 2013, from: http://www.
brighthubeducation.com/help-with-writing/47341-how-to-write-a-process-paragraph/
• NAYLOR, H. & MURPHY, R. (2007). Essential Grammar in Use: Suppletary Excercises. Cambridge University Press.
• OSHIMA, A. & HOGUE, A. (2006). Writing Academic English (4th Ed.). NY: Pearson Longman.
• SADDINGTON, M. (1993). Making Paper at Home. Retrieved on October 21st 2013, from: http://www.
motherearthnews.com/diy/making-paper-zmaz93djzraw.aspx#axzz2iNGEP8LF
• SCARRY, S. & SCARRY, J. (2011). The writer’s Workplace with readings: Building College Writing Skills (7th ed.). Boston:
Cengage Learning
• SUKALICH, K. (2013). Simple Steps to Recycle Your Own Paper. Retrieved on October 21st 2013, from: http://
earth911.com/news/2013/03/08/recycle-your-own-paper/
• N/A. (2012). Recycle Your Own Paper! Retrieved on October 21st 2013, from: http://spark.ieee.org/april-2012/athome-activityrecycle-your-own-paper/
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Credits
Credits
Pedagogical Direction
Paul Cifuentes
Carlos Javier Amaya
Direction of Art
César Páez
ICT Leadership
Yeison Ospina
Quality management
Ingrid Carolina Flórez
Script Composition
Rosa Isabel González Moreno
Content Support
Rosa Isabel González Moreno
Multimedia Development
Yenny Moiina
Elvis Acosta
Katherine Gómez
Voices
Equipo Regional San Andrés
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