SAMPLE PARAGRAPH 1
This is a personal experience paragraph. The topic sentence is supported by relating the events that made the day memorable. Time order has been used to arrange the details logically. The many specific details support the topic sentence by showing the special memories of that particular day. The transitions guide the reader through three main sections of memories. The topic sentence is green, the three main supporting sentences are blue, and the concluding sentence is orange.
A DAY I'LL NEVER FORGET
The day my grandfather died is a day I will never forget. That Saturday Grandpa picked me up at four in the morning to go fishing. I had the bait, as usual, and Grandpa had the poles. We sang old fishermen's songs all the way to Lake Ethan, our favorite fishing hole. After Grandpa parked in his regular spot, we hiked to our fishing hole. By ten o'clock, we had hauled in six or seven hefty bream, so we called it a morning and headed home. When we got home, Grandpa raced me to the sink behind the house where we cleaned our fish. After cleaning my last fish, I excused myself to go to the bathroom, telling Grandpa not to continue without me. We were getting ready for the fun part: building the fire to fry the fish. When I returned, Grandpa was propped against the wall, clutching his chest. I ran to him to see what was wrong, but he waved me away yelling, "Get your mom! Get your mom!" I got Mom, and she called an ambulance. Mom and I followed the ambulance to the hospital. We sat in the waiting room for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the doctor came out and told us that Grandpa was gone. He had suffered a fatal heart attack. We didn't even get to say good-bye to him. Both Mom and Dad started crying, but I didn't cry because I didn't believe Grandpa was gone. When we got home, the fire was still burning, and the fish were still on the slab where Grandpa and I had left them. I realized then that Grandpa wasn't coming home, and my tears started falling. I fried the fish by myself that night, for this was the last catch for Grandpa and me. —Francine Locker