UNIT 4: PROCESS PARAGRAPHS

Writing objects
At the end of the lesson, students can
 Understand the features of process paragraphs process to write them.
 Group small specific ideas into a general one to be able to describe a process with an
insight
 Write persuasive process paragraphs.
Linguistics objectives
At the end of the lesson, students can:
 Use time order words and phrases to introduce process.
 ...................................................................................................................
Use the process verbs and instructional sentence structures.
Task 1: Read the model paragraphs and follow the instructions.
1. Underline the topic sentence.
2. How is the topic sentence supported? What is the difference between the two model
paragraphs?
3. What is each subtopic of the main topic about?
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4. Circle the transitional phrases that show when a new subtopic begins.
5. Search for the special language of process paragraphs and divide them into (1) – process
verbs, (2) – process enumerators, (3)- topic sentence wording and (4) – coherence devices

MODEL 1
In his will, Alfred Nobel left specific instructions as to how the winners of the science awards he
endowed are to be selected. First, each year the Swedish Academy of Sciences (physics and
chemistry) and the Caroline Medical Institute (physiology and medicine) solicit nearly 2,000
recommendations from past laureates, university professors, and other experts from all over the
world. The second step is the review of recommendations received and the selections of

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preliminary candidates by special committees within the two Swedish institutions. The
committee members are specifically instructed that those chosen “shall have conferred the
greatest benefit on mankind,” and that no consideration be given to the candidate’s nationalities.
Next, after lengthy investigation and discussion, the final choices are made for each discipline.
Finally, telegrams informing them of their awards are sent to the new Nobel laureates about one
month prior to the award ceremony.
Model 2
Once sleep, we go through four distinct stages. The first stage on sleep is marked by an easing of
muscle tension and a change in brain wave activity. This transitional stage is especially light and
typically lasts about twenty minutes, during which time you may be easily awakened. In stage
two, brain waves slow down and the slumber grows deeper. Even with the eyes taped open, we
are quite literally blind during this phase and would be incapable of seeing anything – even a
hand passing over the face – since the eye-brain connection has been shut off. More than half of
time devoted solely to sleep is spent in stage two, and no dreaming occurs. Stages three and four
are marked by even slower brain waves, but the deepest sleep occurs in stage four. Mysteriously,
the highest levels of the body’s growth hormone are released during this sleep stage. After
cycling back for a few minutes of stage two, dreaming begins. The first dream phase, lasting
only a few minutes, is the shortest of the night. When dreaming is over, the sleeper retraces all
the stages back to lighter sleep and then repeats the deep-sleep stages back to dreaming.
Focus
A process is a series of steps (usually in chronological order) that lead to a
particular result.
In a process paragraph, you explain how something works or tell how to do
something. The topic sentence of your paragraph should identify the process (for
example, “Frying chicken is easy” or “The typical job interview has three distinct
phases”). The rest of the paragraph should discuss the steps in the process, one by
one, in the order in which they occur.
In general, there are two kinds of process paragraphs: process explanation(model
2) and instruction(model 1). In a process explanation, the writer’s purpose is
simply to help readers understand a process, not perform it.

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 Like narrative paragraphs, process paragraphs present a sequence of events.
Unlike narrative paragraphs, process paragraphs describe a sequence that occurs –
or should occur – in exactly the same way every time.

Time clues: verbs Verbs

First Begin/ start
Intermediate Continue/ become/ develop/ transfer/
Final grow/ rise/ fall
End/ finish/ remain/ cumulate/ halt
Process Listing Signals and Common Sentence Structures
First, SEND OUT the recommendations (command form of the verbs)
Second, YOU MUST SEND OUT the recommendations
(Next,) (should, must, can)
(Then, )
Third, The committee SENDS OUT the recommendations
(Next,) (simple present forms)
(Then, )
Last, The recommendations ARE SENT OUT by the committee.
(Finally,) (passive form)
Process Listing Signals and Process Enumerators
Listing signals Process Enumerators
The first STEP is______
The second STAGE
The next PHASE
The third
The last/ The final
Time clues: Adverbs
 Simultaneous actions (while, as)

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WHILE the butter is melting, break three eggs into a bowl.
AS
 Sequential actions (when, before, after, until)
WHEN the eggs thicken, serve them with toast.
AFTER the eggs have thickened, serve them with toast.
The eggs must thicken BEFORE you serve them.
Do not serve eggs UNTIL they thicken/ they have thickened.
Time clues: Participial Phrases
 Simultaneous actions (while)
Clause: While you are melting the butter, break three eggs into a bowl.
Phrase: While melting the butter, ....................................................................................
 Sequential actions (when, after, before)
Clause: When/ After you have beaten the eggs, pour them into the pan.
Phrase: Having beaten the eggs, .....................................................................................After
having beaten the eggs, ....................................................................................................
Clause: You must beat the eggs before you pour them into the pan.
Phrase: .............................................................................................................................before
pouring them into the pan.
Time Clues: Sentence Connectors of Time
Melt the butter in the pan; during this time,beat the eggs.
at the same time,
meanwhile,
Beat the eggs well ; afterwards, pour them into the pan.
point,
Process Paragraph Feature Quiz
Read the following statements and identify whether they are true or false.
1. If a topic for a process paragraph involves too many steps or it too complex for
one paragraph, the writer can identify one specific part of the process to develop
in another process paragraph. ______
2. An effective topic sentence in a process paragraph signals to the reader that a
series of steps to explain a specific process will follow in the paragraph. ______

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 3. The words kind of, procedure, and characteristics are signal words that writers
often use in topic sentences for process paragraph. ______
4. The following topic sentence begins with an effective opening and indicated that
a process will follow in the paragraph. There are four steps to use to pour
concrete. ______
5. In an instructional process paragraph, the writer gives directions to the reader, so
the pronoun you may be used in the paragraph. ______
6. In a process paragraph, the writer needs to pay special attention to his or her
readers by providing the level of details they would need to duplicate the
process. ______
7. An underdeveloped paragraph may lack secondary details for one or more steps,
or it may lack one or more steps that are necessary to duplicate the process.
______
8. Cohesion in a process paragraph can be developed by repeating key words from
the topic sentence and by using spatial order to organize the details. ______
9. For a process paragraph to have unity, each step and all of the secondary details
must support the topic sentence and the controlling idea of the paragraph.
______
10. In process paragraphs, omitting small words such as the, an, and in is an
acceptable practice as long as the reader can understand the directions. Example:
Remove pan immediately. ______
PRACTICE
Practice 1:
Practise writing sentences with the language clues applied to the processes you have
discussed in the lead-in.
Practice 2: order of events
The following group of sentences constitutes a paragraph on the process known as the
culture shock. However, the sentences have been given a disordered sequence – that is, they
have been scrambled. Place them in their correct order and then recopy the reconstructed
paragraph, double-spaced, onto a separate sheet of paper. Circle all repeated words and

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draw lines to connect them. Underline all pronoun forms and draw arrows to the words
they represent.
a. The visitor has usually learned the language and is thus able to laugh at
himself or herself.
b. Having passed through these stages of culture shock, the visitor may even
eventually return home with regret at having lost his or her adopted home.
c. The process of reacting and adjusting to a new society, sometimes termed
culture shock, has four distinct stages.
d. A hostile attitude is typical of the second stage, which develops at that point
when the individual has to cope seriously with the day-to-day problems of
housing, shopping, transportation, and so forth.
e. Final adjustment to a new culture occurs when the visitor is able to function
without anxiety and to accept what he or she finds for what it is – another
way of doing things.
f. During these initial encounters, every aspect of the new society seems
fascinating.
g. The first period, or honeymoon stage, may last as long as several months.
h. The visitor develops a sense of humor about his or her problems on entering
the third stage.
i. The visitor usually begins his or her stay in a hotel and meets sympathetic
and gracious nationals.
j. The visitor soon finds that most people in the new society are indifferent to
these problems, and so seeks out fellow countrymen to support him or her in
criticism of the host country.

1.____ 2.____ 3.____ 4.____ 5.____ 6.____ 7.____ 8.____ 9.____ 10.____
Practice 3
Read the following sentences, decide whether they are effective topic sentences for a
process paragraph.
1. I did not plant the cherry tree and the filbert tree; they are volunteers.
2. To apply for the scholarship, students must complete three important steps.

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 3. The eruption of volcanoes begins with a process that occurs under the earth’s surface.
4. A leaky pipe can cause multiple problems for homeowners.
5. You can add memory to your computer by following three simple steps.
6. A procrastinator can learn three steps to use to combat this self-defeating behaviour.
7. Annoying background noises tend to break a person’s level of concentration.
8. The lawsuit cited the driver’s negligence to yield as the cause of the accident.
9. Native American dancers perform a ritual with a specific set of steps whenever an
eagle’s feather drops to the ground.
10. The website guides home buyers through the necessary steps to qualify for a
homeowners’ loan.

1. Choose one of the topics below (or one in Practice 3) as the subject of a process
paragraph. On a separate sheet of paper; list as many steps as you can for the topic
you have chosen.
a. The stages of a puppy’s development
b. A scientific process
c. A baby’s first six weeks
d. How to create a popular hairstyle
e. The stages of a relationship
f. A process you have observed in nature
2. List the steps that can best help you develop a process paragraph on the topic you
have chosen. (You may come up with more steps than you can actually use. Later
you will select the ones that are the most important.)
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3. Reread your list of steps. Then draft a topic sentence that identifies the process you
will discuss and communicates the point you will make about it.

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4. Choose the most important steps you have listed. Write them down in
chronological (time) order, moving from the first step to the last.
1. ............................................................................................................................ 4.
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2. ............................................................................................................................ 5.
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3. ............................................................................................................................ 6.
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5. On a separate sheet of paper, write your process paragraph. Then, use the Self-
Assessment Checklist, revise your paragraph for unity, development, and
coherence.
6. On a separate sheet of paper, write the final, edited draft of your process
paragraph.

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 SELF – ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST
Writing process paragraph
Unity
______ Does your topic sentence identify the process you will discuss and the
main point you will make about it?
______ Is your topic sentence specifically worded?
______ Have you eliminated information that doesn’t relate directly to the process
or that might confuse readers?
Development
______ Have you included all the steps that readers need to know in order to
understand the process?
______ Do you need to explain any steps in greater detail?
Coherence
______ Do you need to add transitional words or phrases?
______ Do you need to rearrange any steps?

UNIT 5: NARRATION PARAGRAPHS

“I kept always two books in my pocket: one to read, one to write in.”
— Robert Louis Stevenson

OBJECTIVES
Writing objects
At the end of the lesson, students can
 Understand the features of narration paragraphs and the process to write them.
 Be confident to write a logical narration paragraph.

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Linguistics objectives
At the end of the lesson, students can:
 Use time order words and phrases to organize ideas.
 ...................................................................................................................
Master the use of past tenses and various structures to narrate.
Task 1: Read the model paragraph and answer the questions below
MODEL 1
Bigfoot
Most people laugh at the idea that a Bigfoot roams the rugged Northwest mountains, but I
hesitate to laugh. Ten years ago, I went bow hunting for deer. My friends dropped me off at one
of the four corners of the area that we were going to come. The idea was that we would beat the
brush and walk toward the centre of the land that we plotted. We would force the deer to move to
the center, which was an open field. I beat the brush and steady progress. Then I heard loud
breaking of branches. I thought of my friends was trying to scare me. When no one responded to
my calls, I got scared. Horrid thoughts raced through my mind. I pictured myself getting beaten
up or abducted by a stranger. For my own safety, I crouched behind some bushes. Looking
through the low-lying brush, I saw two enormous, thick, black furry legs scrambling through the
brush and stomping everything in sight. My heart pounded so fast that I could not breathe. I
froze. I did not dare to stick my head up to see what kind of animal had such enormous stride or
power. Worried that I had not shown up in the center, my hunting buddies came looking for me.
They called my name, but I was so frightened to respond. They finally found me crouched in the
bushes and shaking uncontrollably. I told them what happened. Together we gawked at the path
of broken limbs and puzzled over the distance between each section of crunched brush in unison,
our eyes widened in disbelief, and we hollered our lungs out as we ran for the main logging road.
Our interest in deer hunting waned. We retreated willingly from this rugged terrain, the roaming
ground of Bigfoot or some unknown creature.
7. What is the topic sentence? Is this an effective topic sentence for a narrative? Explain
your answer.
8. What is the concluding sentence? Is this an effective concluding sentences for this
paragraph? Explain your answer.
9. Does this paragraph have unity? Explain.

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 10. The writer gives background information before the main action of the narrative begins.
Underline the sentence that begins the main action of the narrative.
11. What emotional response do you think the reader wanted to evoke in you? Was the
writer successful? Explain your answer.
12. What techniques does the writer use to capture your interest and move the action along
quickly?
13. Effective word choice in a narrative is important. Which words from the following
excerpt created a vivid image in your mind?
Horrid thoughts raced through my mind. I pictured myself getting beaten up or abducted by a
stranger. For my own safety, I crouched behind some bushes. Looking through the low-lying
brush, I saw two enormous, thick, black furry legs scrambling through the brush and stomping
everything in sight. My heart pounded so fast that I could not breathe. I froze. I did not dare to
stick my head up to see what kind of animal had such enormous stride or power.
14. Who may be the reader the writer aims at?

Model 2
When the Fourth of July came, there were fireworks going off all over the neighbourhood. It was
the most exciting time of year for me next to Christmas. Being born on the exact same day as my
country I thought was really great. I was so proud. And every Fourth of July, I had a birthday
party and all my friends would come over with birthday presents and we’d put on silly hats and
blow these horns my dad brought from the A&P. We’d eat lots of ice-cream and water-melon
and I’d open up all the presents and blow the candles on the big red, white and blue birthday
cake and then we’d all sing “Happy Birthday” and “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy.” At night,
everyone would pile into Bobby’s mother’s old car and we’d go down to the drive-in, where
we’d watch the fireworks display. Before the movie started, we would all get out and sit up on
the roof of the car with our blankets wrapped around us watching the rockets and Roman candles
going up and exploding into fountains of rainbow colours, and later after Mrs. Zimmer dropped
me off, I would lie on my bed feeling a little sad that all had to end so soon. As I closed my eyes
I could still hear strings of firecrackers and cherry bombs going off all over the neighbourhood.
1. Underline the topic sentence.
2. List below some of the things that happen in the story.

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3. Underline the words that help the paragraph coherent.
4. What are the similarities and differences between Model 1 and Model 2 as narrative
paragraphs?
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5. Who may be the reader the writer aims at?
Focus
Narration is writing that tells a story.
In a narrative paragraph, you relate a sequence of events. The sequence may lead
in a climax (like in model 1) or not (like in model 2)
A narrative paragraph usually has a topic sentence that tells the readers (who?)
what the point of the paragraph is – that is, why you are telling this particular
story, what you are going to tell (subject) and how you feel about it (attitude). It
may also be a moral or lesson you learn from the story. Not all narrative
paragraphs have topic sentences. Sometimes a writer uses a narrative just to tell
an interesting story, not to make a point. Even so, the events in the paragraph all
contribute to a single idea – that an excursion was exciting or unusual, for
example.
The rest of the paragraph develops the main points, with ideas arranged in time
order.
NARRATION TIME ORDER
When you write a narrative paragraph, you write about events in the order that
they happened. In order words, you use time order to organize your sentences.
Notice the kinds of words and phrases used to show time order. These are
called time order words and phrases because they show the order in which

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evens happen.
Time order words and phrases are usually followed by a comma if they come at the beginning of
a sentence. Then and now are usually followed by a comma.

Words Phrases
First (second, etc) At first
Then At exactly 5:04 p.m.
Next After a while
Finally After that
Afterwards In the morning
Meanwhile In the meantime
Etc. Etc.
PRACTICE
Practice 1: Time order
Read the following paragraph and fill the blanks with these time order words: when (2),
while, then (3), first, by this point, it was time to, upon

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Working as a baby-sitter was the most frustrating job I ever had. I discovered this fact
when my sister asked me to stay with her sons for the evening. I figured I would get
them dinner, let them watch a little TV, and then put them to bed early. The rest of the
night I planned to watch TV and collect an easy twenty dollars. It turned out to be
anything but easy. (1)…….., right before we were about to sit down for a pizza dinner,
Rickie let the parakeet out of its cage. This bird is really intelligent and can repeat
almost any phrase. The dog started chasing it around the house, so I decided to catch it
before the dog did. Rickie and Jeff volunteered to help, following at my heels. We had
the bird cornered by the fire place (2)…….. Rickie jumped for it and knocked over the
hamster cage. (3)……..the bird escaped again, and the hamster began scurrying around
their cage like crazy creatures. The dog had disappeared. (4)…….. so I decided to clean
up the hamster’s cage and tried to calm them down. (5)…….. I was doing this, Rickie
and Jeff caught the parakeet and put it back in its cage. (6)…….. return to the kitchen
and eat cold pizza. But (7)…….. entering the kitchen, I discovered why the dog had
lost interest in the bird chase. What was left of the pizza was lying on the floor, and
tomato sauce was dripping from the dog’s chin. I cleaned up the mess and (8)……..
served chicken noodle soup and ice-cream to the boys. Only at nine o’clock did I get
the kids to bed. I (9)…….. returned downstairs to find out that the dog had thrown up
pizza on the living room rug. (10)…….. I finished cleaning the rug, my sister returned.
I took the twenty dollars and told her that she should take someone else the next time.

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Practice 2: order of events
The following set of sentences is not in correct time order. Number the sentences in the
correct order.
.......................................................................................................................................... Our
vacation in Florida last month was a real disaster.
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On the way to the airport, the taxi broke down.
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got a new hotel room after arguing with the manager.
.......................................................................................................................................... When
we arrived back home, we found that water had flooded our house because of a broken pipe.
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All in all, we should have stayed at home.
.......................................................................................................................................... We
had to wait several hours for the next flight.
.......................................................................................................................................... When
we arrived at our hotel in Miami, our reservation had been cancelled because we were late.
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It rained the entire week, we couldn’t go to the beach at all.
.......................................................................................................................................... We
missed our plane to Miami.
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The second we were in Miami, someone broke into our hotel room and stole all of our clothes.
Practice 3
Following are six possible topic for narrative paragraphs. After each topic, list four events you
could include in a narrative paragraph to support the main idea.
1. Your happiest moment
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2. An embarrassing situation
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3. A frightening experience that caused your knees to shake or your stomach to churn
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4. A memorable experience as a child
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5. An experience that forced you to make some kind of change in your life or your goals.
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6. Experience that moved your tears
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Practice 4: Arrange the sentences in a correct order. Write a topic sentence for this
paragraph.

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 a. When John Kennedy was at Harvard University, he injured his
back playing football.
b. In August 1943, Kennedy’s boat was destroyed when it was cut
in half by a Japanese destroyer.
c. Kennedy graduated with honours.
d. Kennedy joined the Navy in 1942.
e. His back was reinjured when the two boats collided.
f. Kennedy graduated from Harvard in 1940.
g. Kennedy’s back injury kept him out of the remainder of the war.
h. Kennedy swam for 5 hours to an island.
i. For many years, Kennedy’s back caused him pains.
j. While Kennedy was recovering from his operation, he wrote Profiles in Courage.
k. In 1954, Kennedy went to the hospital for a spinal operation.
l. His book won a prize for biography in 1957.
1.____ 2.____ 3.____ 4.____ 5.____ 6.____ 7.____ 8.____ 9.____ 10.____ 11.____ 12.____
Topic sentence:
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Practice 5: choose one of the topic in Practice 3 and write a 150 word narrative paragraph.
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