I T IN G I N F O RM A T I O N A L

WR
PARAGRAPHS F R OM T E X T
S O U R CE S
CE INF O RM AT IV E W R ITIN G
OBJECTIVES: TO INTRODU
AT C H? V= O2 2 B IM AM KP A
PS://W W W.YO UTUB E.C OM/W
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 BASIC PARTS
•TOPIC SENTENCE
•DETAIL SENTENCES
(AT LEAST 3---BUT USE WHATEVER IS NEEDED
TO DO THE JOB CORRECTLY AND COMPLETELY!)

•CONCLUSION SENTENCE
INTRODUCE YOUR TOPIC WITH AN
INTERESTING TOPIC SENTENCE.
• DON’T SAY, “THIS PARAGRAPH IS GOING TO BE ABOUT…”
• REMEMBER THAT EVERY SENTENCE IN THIS PARAGRAPH SHOULD RELATE DIRECTLY
BACK TO THE THIS TOPIC SENTENCE.
• FEEL FREE TO BE CREATIVE HERE TO HOOK YOUR READER AND CREATE INTEREST IN YOUR
TOPIC AS LONG AS YOU ACCOMPLISH THE PURPOSE OF INTRODUCING THE TOPIC.
• REMEMBER THAT IT IS TO BE ASENTENCE, NOT SEVERAL.
WORK WITH IT TO MAKE IT AS INTERESTING AS YOU CAN.
• IRRIGATION, “THE CONTROLLED APPLICATION OF WATER FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES,”
CAN BE DONE IN SEVERAL WAYS (PERLMAN 2016).
NOT VERY INTERESTING!! ----THINK, THINK, THINK! WHY DO WE NEED IRRIGATION??? SINCE IT IS
KIND OF BORING, SHOULD I SAVE THE DEFINITION FOR ONE OF THE DETAIL SENTENCES?

• SINCE FARMERS DON’T ALWAYS GET ENOUGH RAIN TO MAKE THEIR CROPS GROW, IRRIGATION WAS INVENTED.
BETTER, BUT SOMEHOW I NEED TO WORK IN THAT THERE ARE MANY METHODS BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT THIS PARAGRAPH IS ABOUT

• SINCE FARMERS CAN NOT ALWAYS DEPEND ON GETTING EXACTLY THE AMOUNT OF RAIN THEY NEED TO RAISE THE BEST
CROPS, A VARIETY OF IRRIGATION METHODS HAVE BEEN DEVISED.
DON’T REALLY LIKE WORD DEVISED

• SINCE FARMERS CAN NOT ALWAYS DEPEND ON GETTING EXACTLY THE AMOUNT OF RAIN THEY NEED TO RAISE THE
BEST CROPS, A VARIETY OF IRRIGATION METHODS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED.
 TRY IT OUT!
ON THE LINED SIDE OF THE INDEX CARD, CREATE AN
INTERESTING TOPIC SENTENCE FOR THE FOLLOWING.

• THIS ESSAY DISCUSSES THE TOPIC OF DONATING BLOOD.

INTRO SAMPLE
• WHEN YOU WOKE UP THIS MORNING, DID YOU THINK TODAY WOULD BE THE DAY
YOU SAVE A LIFE? IN FACT, IT'S QUITE EASY TO SAVE A LIFE AND IT ONLY TAKES A
LITTLE BIT OF YOUR TIME. YOU DON'T EVEN NEED TO BE A PARAMEDIC OR
FIREFIGHTER. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SET ASIDE APPROXIMATELY ONE HOUR TO
DONATE BLOOD. THIS ESSAY WILL EXPLORE HOW TO DONATE BLOOD, WHOM IT
BENEFITS, AND HOW OFTEN YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THESE LIFE-SAVING
MEASURES.
 Read the article then
write yours
HTTPS://GULFNEWS.COM/UAE/HEALTH/BLOOD-DONATION-BUS-
LAUNCHED-TO-REACH-DONORS-ALL-ACROSS-DUBAI-1.78234290

CLICK ON PADLET LINK AND WRITE YOUR INTRODUCTION

WHEN ADDING DETAIL SENTENCES,
REMEMBER TO…
• USE APPROPRIATE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
• USE VARIETY
• GIVE CREDIT TO YOUR SOURCE(S)
• USE QUOTATION MARKS WHEN YOU COPY WORD-FOR-WORD
• DON’T QUOTE EVERYTHING---PARAPHRASE AND SUMMARIZE TOO

• LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT I MEAN…..

READ AND ANSWER.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE ORGANIZATIONAL
STRUCTURE OF THIS PARAGRAPH?
• FIRST, RINSE ALL SHAMPOO FROM HAIR. NEXT, POUR SMALL AMOUNT OF
CONDITIONER INTO PALM OF HAND AND THEN MASSAGE IT GENTLY
THROUGHOUT HAIR. FOLLOW THIS, BY WETTING HAIR THOROUGHLY. THEN,
RINSE ALL CONDITIONER FROM HAIR. NEXT, POUR SMALL AMOUNT OF
SHAMPOO INTO PALM OF HAND AND LATHER HAIR THOROUGHLY. LAST, DRY
HAIR AND STYLE AS NORMAL.
SOMETIMES IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW YOU ORGANIZE
YOUR DETAIL SENTENCES, AND SOMETIMES IT DOES!

• CAUSE AND EFFECT

• CHRONOLOGICAL
• STEPS IN A PROCESS
• VARIETY OF WAYS, METHODS, STYLES, TYPES, ETC.
• PROBLEM/SOLUTION
• COMPARISON/CONTRAST
USE VARIETY
Irrigation, “the controlled application of water for agricultural purposes,” (Perlman
2016) can be done in several ways. One irrigation method is gravity irrigation.
With this method, the water just flows out and is dispersed by gravity rather than
being pumped out (Perlman 2016). Another way used by farmers to irrigate is the
traveling gun method, where the irrigation is done by “a single large nozzle that
rotates and is self-propelled.” It is called this because its base is movable (Perlman
2016). The sprinkler method is another type of irrigation, where perforated pipes
or nozzles operated under pressure are used to apply water in a spray pattern. Yet
another system of irrigation is the flood method, “where the entire surface of the
soil is covered by ponded water.”
GIVE CREDIT TO YOUR SOURCE(S)
SINCE FARMERS CAN NOT ALWAYS DEPEND ON GETTING EXACTLY THE AMOUNT OF RAIN THEY
NEED TO RAISE THE BEST CROPS, A VARIETY OF IRRIGATION METHODS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED.
IRRIGATION IS “THE CONTROLLED APPLICATION OF WATER FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES”
(PERLMAN, 2016). ONE IRRIGATION METHOD IS GRAVITY IRRIGATION. WITH THIS METHOD, THE
WATER JUST FLOWS OUT AND IS DISPERSED BY GRAVITY RATHER THAN BEING PUMPED OUT
(BEETLEMAN, 2016). ANOTHER WAY USED BY FARMERS TO IRRIGATE IS THE TRAVELING GUN
METHOD, WHERE THE IRRIGATION IS DONE BY “A SINGLE LARGE NOZZLE THAT ROTATES AND IS
SELF-PROPELLED.” IT IS CALLED THIS BECAUSE ITS BASE IS MOVABLE (JONES & COATS, 2015). THE
SPRINKLER METHOD IS ANOTHER TYPE OF IRRIGATION, WHERE NOZZLES OR PERFORATED PIPES
ARE OPERATED UNDER PRESSURE TO APPLY WATER IN A SPRAY PATTERN. YET ANOTHER TYPE OF
IRRIGATION IS THE FLOOD METHOD, “WHERE THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF THE SOIL IS COVERED BY
PONDED WATER” (SANDERS, 2011). THE DRIP METHOD, RECOMMENDED BY EDWARD JAMES, IS
WHERE WATER IS APPLIED UNDER LOW PRESSURE STRAIGHT TO THE ROOT ZONE OF PLANTS
USING A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF APPLICATORS, LIKE EMITTERS, PERFORATED PIPES, OR
POROUS TUBING, PLACED EITHER ON OR UNDER THE GROUND (2014).
APA STYLE: A QUICK OVERVIEW OF IN-TEXT CITATIONS
Use author’s last name and year of publication in parentheses as in-text reference/citation.
One Author (Jones, 2016)
Two Authors (Wegener & Petty, 1994)
If no author is given, use the first word or two of the title. (“Irrigation,” 2016)

*** If page numbers are given, APA highly suggests you use them in this manner.
(Jones, 2016, p. 845)

Find more specific information about APA Format here:

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10/
BASIC RULES FOR REFERENCE LIST
• ALL LINES AFTER THE FIRST LINE OF EACH ENTRY IN YOUR REFERENCE LIST SHOULD BE
INDENTED ONE-HALF INCH FROM THE LEFT MARGIN. THIS IS CALLED HANGING INDENTATION.

• AUTHORS' NAMES ARE INVERTED (LAST NAME FIRST); GIVE THE LAST NAME AND INITIALS FOR
ALL AUTHORS OF A PARTICULAR WORK FOR UP TO AND INCLUDING SEVEN AUTHORS. IF THE
WORK HAS MORE THAN SEVEN AUTHORS, LIST THE FIRST SIX AUTHORS AND THEN USE
ELLIPSES AFTER THE SIXTH AUTHOR'S NAME. AFTER THE ELLIPSES, LIST THE LAST AUTHOR'S
NAME OF THE WORK.

• REFERENCE LIST ENTRIES SHOULD BE ALPHABETIZED BY THE LAST NAME OF THE FIRST
AUTHOR OF EACH WORK.

• SEE OWL PURDUE FOR SPECIFIC ENTRY FORMATS.

USE QUOTATION MARKS WHEN YOU COPY WORD-FOR-WORD

•SINCE FARMERS CANNOT ALWAYS DEPEND ON GETTING EXACTLY THE AMOUNT OF RAIN THEY NEED
TO RAISE THE BEST CROPS, A VARIETY OF IRRIGATION METHODS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED.
IRRIGATION IS “THE CONTROLLED APPLICATION OF WATER FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES” (PERLMAN
2016). ONE IRRIGATION METHOD IS GRAVITY IRRIGATION. WITH THIS METHOD, THE WATER JUST
FLOWS OUT AND IS DISPERSED BY GRAVITY RATHER THAN BEING PUMPED OUT (PERLMAN 2016).
ANOTHER WAY USED BY FARMERS TO IRRIGATE IS THE TRAVELING GUN METHOD, WHERE THE
IRRIGATION IS DONE BY “A SINGLE LARGE NOZZLE THAT ROTATES AND IS SELF-PROPELLED.” IT IS
NAMED THIS BECAUSE ITS BASE IS MOVABLE (JONES & COATS 2015). THE SPRINKLER METHOD IS
ANOTHER TYPE OF IRRIGATION, WHERE PERFORATED PIPES OR NOZZLES OPERATED UNDER PRESSURE
ARE USED TO APPLY WATER IN A SPRAY PATTERN. YET ANOTHER TYPE OF IRRIGATION IS THE FLOOD
METHOD, “WHERE THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF THE SOIL IS COVERED BY PONDED WATER” (SANDERS
2011). EDWARD JAMES RECOMMENDS THE DRIP METHOD WHERE WATER IS APPLIED UNDER LOW
PRESSURE STRAIGHT TO THE PLANTS’ ROOT ZONES USING A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF
APPLICATORS, LIKE EMITTERS, PERFORATED PIPES, OR POROUS TUBING, WHICH ARE PLACED EITHER
ON OR UNDER THE GROUND (2014).
USE QUOTATION MARKS WHEN YOU COPY WORD-FOR-WORD

•SINCE FARMERS CANNOT ALWAYS DEPEND ON GETTING EXACTLY THE AMOUNT OF RAIN THEY NEED
TO RAISE THE BEST CROPS, A VARIETY OF IRRIGATION METHODS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED.
IRRIGATION IS “THE CONTROLLED APPLICATION OF WATER FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES” (PERLMAN
2016). ONE IRRIGATION METHOD IS GRAVITY IRRIGATION. WITH THIS METHOD, THE WATER JUST
FLOWS OUT AND IS DISPERSED BY GRAVITY RATHER THAN BEING PUMPED OUT (PERLMAN 2016).
ANOTHER WAY USED BY FARMERS TO IRRIGATE IS THE TRAVELING GUN METHOD, WHERE THE
IRRIGATION IS DONE BY “A SINGLE LARGE NOZZLE THAT ROTATES AND IS SELF-PROPELLED.” IT IS
NAMED THIS BECAUSE ITS BASE IS MOVABLE (JONES & COATS 2015). THE SPRINKLER METHOD IS
ANOTHER TYPE OF IRRIGATION, WHERE PERFORATED PIPES OR NOZZLES OPERATED UNDER PRESSURE
ARE USED TO APPLY WATER IN A SPRAY PATTERN. YET ANOTHER TYPE OF IRRIGATION IS THE FLOOD
METHOD, “WHERE THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF THE SOIL IS COVERED BY PONDED WATER” (SANDERS
2011). EDWARD JAMES RECOMMENDS THE DRIP METHOD WHERE WATER IS APPLIED UNDER LOW
PRESSURE STRAIGHT TO THE PLANTS’ ROOT ZONES USING A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF
APPLICATORS, LIKE EMITTERS, PERFORATED PIPES, OR POROUS TUBING, WHICH ARE PLACED EITHER
ON OR UNDER THE GROUND (2014).
DON’T QUOTE EVERYTHING---PARAPHRASE AND SUMMARIZE
Original Wording TOO.
Drip: A planned irrigation system in which water is
applied directly to the Root Zone of plants by
means of applicators (orifices, emitters, porous
tubing, perforated pipe, etc.) operated under low
pressure with the applicators being placed either
on or below the surface of the ground.
Paraphrase
Edward James recommends the drip method
where water is applied under low pressure
straight to the plants’ root zones using a variety of
different types of applicators, like emitters,
perforated pipes, or porous tubing, placed either
on or under the ground (2014).
DON’T QUOTE EVERYTHING---PARAPHRASE AND SUMMARIZE TOO.
Original Wording
Sprinkler: A planned irrigation system in
which water is applied by means of perforated
pipes or nozzles operated under pressure so
as to form a spray pattern.
Paraphrase
The sprinkler method is another type of
irrigation, where nozzles or perforated pipes
are operated under pressure to apply water
in a spray pattern.
DON’T QUOTE EVERYTHING---PARAPHRASEOriginal
AND SUMMARIZE
Wording TOO.
Traveling Gun: Sprinkler irrigation system
consisting of a single large nozzle that rotates
and is self-propelled. The name refers to the
fact that the base is on wheels and can be
moved by the irrigator or affixed to a guide wire.

Paraphrase & Quotation

Another way used by farmers to irrigate is the
traveling gun method, where the irrigation is done
by “a single large nozzle that rotates and is self-
propelled.” It is named this because its base is
movable (Jones & Coats 2015).
LET’S PRACTICE PARAPHRASING!
ORIGINAL TEXT PARAPHRASE
• SUPPLEMENTAL: IRRIGATION TO
ENSURE INCREASED CROP
PRODUCTION IN AREAS WHERE
RAINFALL NORMALLY SUPPLIES MOST
OF THE MOISTURE NEEDED.
PAIR AND COMPARE: EVALUATE YOUR
PARTNER’S PARAPHRASE.
DID HE/SHE USE MORE THAN FOUR OF THE ORIGINAL
WORDS IN A ROW?
DID HE/SHE FAITHFULLY RENDER THE INFORMATION?
LET’S PRACTICE PARAPHRASING!
ORIGINAL TEXT
• SUPPLEMENTAL: IRRIGATION TO
ENSURE INCREASED CROP
PRODUCTION IN AREAS WHERE
RAINFALL NORMALLY SUPPLIES MOST
OF THE MOISTURE NEEDED.
PARAPHRASE
• IN AREAS WHERE RAIN USUALLY
PROVIDES ALL THE NEEDED WATER,
SUPPLEMENTAL IRRIGATION IS USED
TO MAKE SURE CROP PRODUCTION IS
WHAT IT SHOULD BE.
WRAP UP THE PARAGRAPH WITH A
CONCLUSION SENTENCE
A CONCLUSION SENTENCE…
• PULLS TOGETHER OR SUMMARIZES THE MAIN IDEA OF THE PARAGRAPH
• PROVIDES A DEFINITE ENDING POINT FOR THE PARAGRAPH
• TRIES TO BRING THE PARAGRAPH “FULL CIRCLE” BY REFERENCING THE IDEA USED IN
THE TOPIC SENTENCE.
EXAMPLE: A MULTITUDE OF METHODS FOR IRRIGATION HAVE BEEN
DEVELOPED BECAUSE THE UNIQUE WATER NEEDS OF FARMERS VARIES SO
SIGNIFICANTLY.

PULLS TOGETHER OR SUMMARIZES THE MAIN IDEA OF THE PARAGRAPH

PROVIDES A DEFINITE ENDING POINT FOR THE PARAGRAPH

TRIES TO BRING THE PARAGRAPH “FULL CIRCLE” BY REFERENCING THE IDEA USED IN THE
TOPIC SENTENCE.