Competency

Identify and illustrate steps of the writing process in composing written exercises. 

Instructions 

Compose a single body descriptive paragraph in formal written English. Be sure to include the following: 

*Topic sentence that provides the main idea for the descriptive paragraph.                                         *Body sentences that discuss the main idea for the descriptive paragraph using explanation, examples, details, and of course, descriptive elements.                                                                           *Transition sentence: Your descriptive paragraph must include the use of at least one or more              transitions that move the paragraph along.                                                                                    *Conclusion sentence: Your descriptive paragraph must end with a concluding sentence that wraps up and refers to the main idea of the topic sentence and signals to the reader that the paragraph is over.                                                                                                                                                          *Your descriptive paragraph needs to contain a minimum total of five complete sentences. 

Reminder: Descriptive refers to a style of writing. Choose your sentences for your descriptive paragraph from the following sentences, and use them together to construct your descriptive paragraph. They will not all be appropriate for this paragraph, so choose only the sentences that result in a complete descriptive paragraph as listed above. Use a topic sentence that provides the main idea for a single well-organized paragraph using the steps of the writing process. 

Choose the best sentences to construct your descriptive paragraph, and put them together to make ONE well-organized descriptive paragraph. Remember that not all sentences need to be used. 

1. It’s a soft, blue-sky break before the gray skies of winter begin to reflect the steely cold waters the lake becomes with the first freeze.                                                                                                         2. Dogs are sometimes fierce protectors that can attack anyone they feel is threatening a family.       3. In the old days, dogs were not considered companions, but seen more as working animals.           4. That’s what we can all call a red-letter day!                                                                                       5. My dog, Bosco, is a Harlequin Great Dane that outweighs our. 10 year old brother, and to the other dogs in our neighborhood he must look like a tall spotted monster because they avoid him at all cost. 6. Do you think dogs are smarter than people?                                                                                     7. Sometimes our dog seems to know when we are laughing at him because he tucks his head down and appears to shrink into a small ball resembling a lumpy soccer ball.                                               8. On a beautiful fall day, my family enjoys picnicking at a quiet beach we know that has a blue lagoon surrounded by rustic picnic tables and tall, green pines.                                                            9. I really like dogs.                                                                                                                              10. The whole family grabs sweaters and corduroys, Mom packs a cheese sandwich picnic basket with all the junk food we never get to taste otherwise, and we jump into Dad’s old blue jalopy and head out for one last day of fun before all the hub-bub of school gets into swing.                                                  11. My brother is a great Jayvee football quarterback, my older red-headed sister is a cheerleader complete with red pom-poms, and I play cymbals and drums in the school pep band, so we are usually very tied up in school activities soon after school starts.                                                         12. That dog can open the refrigerator and grab a can of soda!                                                          13. I really enjoy the pep band; it’s fun to get all dressed up in my red band uniform and beat those shiny drums during a game.                                                                                                                 14. Our big dog needs to stay at home with the cat because he attracts sand and fleas. 14. Our big dog needs to stay at home with the cat because he attracts sand and fleas.                                         15.On one hand, it is hard to get everything ready for the day trip; on the other hand, nobody in our family wants to miss such a day of fun.                                                                                                16. My brother thinks he is smarter and more well-dressed than the rest of us because he is the oldest.                                                                                                                                                   17. For example, cats can be really pretty, but they don’t seem to love everyone in the family.             18. At the end of a great day of flying kites, chasing each other around the lagoon, and eating great junk food, we all go home extremely tired and extremely happy.                                                                         19. A day with my dog.                                                                                                                         20. My family comes in all shapes, ages, sizes, and hair colors, but no matter what we look like, we ALL love to eat.                                                                                                                                                21. As night falls and my father drives the old beat-up car towards home, most of us finish up the cheese sandwiches and chips and doze off after a day of fun.