All the Broken PiecesName:

Supported Paragraph

  • topic sentence with a clear claim (what the paragraph will argue with a preview) - YELLOW
  • support/evidence (set-up and textual evidence) - BOX AROUND
  • elaboration (explains how the textual evidence supports your claim) – ORANGE
  • closing sentence (wraps up argument) - GREEN
  • transitions (words and phrases in between ideas that help the reader move to a new idea) - UNDERLINE

PART 1 Directions: Highlight the paragraph below with the appropriate colors.

Piano helps Matt because it allows him to focus on something other than Vietnam, and it is something he can always count on to stay the same. To begin with, Matt’s now mother explains to his now father how music can help Matt, saying “maybe music will help soothe his monsters” (28). Matt’s mother says this because she knows Matt wakes up in the middle of the night with nightmares about Vietnam, and she understands that music will help him to get his mind off of the horrible things he witnessed there. Sometimes when someone is dealing with a traumatic experience, having a distraction such as music helps a person to feel better and become less depressed. Another way piano helps Matt becomes clear when he explains how he likes practicing piano. He reflects, “some kids complain about practicing piano, but not me. Notes are like numbers, never changing” (33). Matt likes the fact that music notes always remain the same because Matt’s life is completely the opposite. Matt’s life is full of change: he was airlifted out of Vietnam to live in a new country, he has to learn to speak a new language, and he has to get used to a new family. Having a routine or having something that is constant in one’s life can help someone to feel less stressed and able to accept changes in other parts of his or her life.To Matt, Piano is soothing because it is something that is not American or Vietnamese, and he can count on music to be constant and predictable even when everything else in his life has changed.

PART 2: MATT’S SIGNIFICANT TIMELINE EVENTS

Part 2 Directions: Now it is your turn! As a group, choose one event in your section of the novel that you feel had the most significance on Matt.

Together, write a supported paragraph with two pieces of textual evidence. Write and highlight your paragraph below. Use the example paragraph on the front to help you remember how to cite your evidence and keep your paragraph organized.

Remember the format: The paragraph order is topic sentence, supporting detail, elaboration, transition, supporting detail, elaboration, closing sentence.

DON’T FORGET TO HIGHLIGHT/LABEL YOUR PARAGRAPH AFTER YOU WRITE IT !!!!!!!!!!

GOAL SETTING: WHAT DO YOU WANT TO IMPROVE WHEN YOU WRITE YOUR PARAGRAPH?

Part 2 Directions: Now it is your turn! Write a supported paragraph with two pieces of textual evidence. Write and highlight your paragraph below. Remember the format (and the chart I gave you to help you last time.) Use the example paragraph above to help you remember how to cite your evidence and keep your paragraph organized.

The paragraph order is topic sentence, supporting detail, elaboration, (transition) supporting detail, elaboration, closing sentence.

Question: Does baseball help or hurt Matt?