Strategies to Teach

Paragraph Writing

to

Primary StudentsHandbook 1

Kavita Grover

Introduction

As a part of my research in classroom intervention to accelerate students’ learning the given worksheets are a compilation of worksheets and strategies to teach students from grades 3-5 to write an organised paragraph. I have presented my research work in three parts.

Handbook 1: What is a paragraph and parts of a paragraph

Handbook 2: Types of paragraphs

Handbook 3: Using graphic organisers to teach paragraph writing

These strategies can be used for individual, pair or group work. They are in the form of worksheets with increasing complexity.

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What is a paragraph?

Writing a paragraph is not a natural skill but a learned skill. A paragraph usually

contains a main idea in one sentence and 4-5 supporting sentences which

expand this idea by giving explanation, details and/or examples to support the

main idea. The length of a paragraph can vary.

A paragraph has a

Main idea

Topic sentence- This is the first sentence and expresses the main idea.

Supporting Sentences: details that expand the main idea.

Concluding sentence: a rounding off possibly by summarizing what has

been said or drawing a logical conclusion from it.

Effective writing is a writing which has a logical flow and is cohesive. This

means it holds together well because there are links between sentences and

paragraphs. Writing which is cohesive works as a unified whole and is easy to

follow because it uses language effectively to maintain a focus and to keep the

reader “in track”.

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Summer

Spring

Autumn

Winter

Shirt

Saree

Pant

Frock

Rises in the east

Gives us heat and light

Huge star

Ball of firefire

Sky

Cat

Fat

Hat

Mat

Pat

Rat

Worksheet 1

Topic and main idea of a paragraph

Activity 1: Identify the main idea of each cluster or words, phrases or pictures.

________________________________________ ___________________________

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ReptilesNoun

Adjectives Shapes

Verb

Activity 2: From the main idea given below, make clusters of your own.

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Worksheet 2

What is the main idea?

Write the main idea for each list of words from the given idea bank.

1) Cartoons movies my favourite showMain idea: ________________________

2) Pizza French fries burgersMain idea: ________________________

3) Trains guns basketballMain idea: ________________________

4) Swimming holidays no schoolMain idea: ________________________

5) Money customers clothesMain idea: ________________________

6) Santa Clause gifts treesMain idea: ________________________

7) Animals shed cropsMain idea: ________________________

8) Teacher desk pencilMain idea: ________________________

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Main idea bank

Favourite food Toys Summer Television School Farm Christmas Store

Worksheet 3

1) Write the main idea of the paragraph. One is done for you.a) There are many choices. There’s ice cream, cake, pie and cookies. I think

brownies are my favourite. I wish I could eat only desserts and never vegetables.Main idea: I love eating desserts.

b) I can hear him snoring at night. In the daytime he goes outside and eats my mom’s daisies. H tracked his muddy foot prints into the house. I ask for extra macaroni and cheese to feed my dinosaur.Main idea: ___________________________________

c) They pinch my feet. I can’t wriggle my toes as much as I want. My feet get hot in the shoes. I can’t wait until summer when my feet and come out and play.Main idea: ______________________________________

d) I like to feel the wind go through my hair. Everything passes by you really fast. Then you get out of breath. That’s when I start to walk.Main idea: _______________________________________

e) They like to lie around all day. They walk slowly. Sometimes they like to lick their fur. That’s why some of them get fat.

Main idea: _______________________________________

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Worksheet 4

Read the paragraphs and then select the main idea for each paragraph.

a) Jon held the ball in his hand. He bounced it slowly on the ground. Once, twice. He crouched low and then jumped. The ball flew into the air. Up, up, up, it went. Then down, down, down into the basket. “Yes!” he yelled. “Nothing but net.”The main idea of this passage:

i) How to throw a basketball.ii) Jon liked basketball.iii) Jon could jump.iv) Jon makes a basket.

b) Ann used her chalk to draw lines on the side walk. She marked them into blocks. Then she put numbers in the blocks. Jan and Jill came to play. The girls played hopscotch on the sidewalk.The main idea of this passage:

i) Chalk.ii) Ann drew on the sidewalk.iii)Playing hopscotch.iv) Playing on the sidewalk.

c) The frog sat on the side of the pond. He was very still. His green colour made him hard to see. A bug flew near him. His tongue zipped out, and he gobbled it up. Then the frog was still again. He waited for the next bug.The main idea of this passage:

i) Frogs do not move.ii) Frogs eat bug.iii)Frogs are green.iv) Frogs live in ponds.

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Worksheet 5Topic Sentence

Location of topic sentence fact sheetTopic sentences express the main idea of a paragraph. They are usually stated in the first sentence (Pattern A) or last sentence (Pattern B) of the paragraph, and sometimes they are stated in different ways in both (Pattern C). A topic sentence rarely ever appears in the middle of a paragraph (Pattern D).

A. Spanish is spoken in many countries. It is spoken throughout Latin America. Of course, it is the language of Spain. In some countries, like the Philippines, it is one the official languages. Many people throughout the world use Spanish to communicate.

B. Dogs in the U.S. are treated like humans. People talk to their dogs and buy them special toys and clothing. There are special parks, hotels, restaurants and bakeries for dogs. Some owners take their dog to see a psychiatrist as well as the veterinarian. American dogs are spoiled like children

C. The park is a pleasant place for everyone . Little kids like to play on the swings and slides. Older children can play little league baseball or other team sports at the larger parks. Teenagers often play Frisbee on the grass or volleyball in the sand. Adults enjoy taking walks

D. Some people leave too many lights on around the house. Some aren’t careful about how much water they use. Americans waste a lot of resources. Most people buy products with a lot of unnecessary packaging that isn’t good for the environment.

Underline the topic sentence.a) Joseph and Tom are friends. They walk to school in the morning.

After school, the boys ride their bikes and play games together. Sometimes they sleep at each other’s houses. The boys like to be together.

b) This is how you make a peanut butter and jam sandwich. First you get two slices of bread. Next you spread peanut butter on one slice of

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bread. Then you spread the jam on the other slice of bread. Last you put the two slices together, and eat.

c) Dogs are wonderful pets to have. They know how to do tricks and love to run and play. They are furry, and very cute. They love to lick you when you hug them. They are fun to have.

d) My favourite holiday is Christmas. I like decorating my tree with lights. Santa Claus brings us nice presents. In the morning, we get to open presents and play with our toys. Then our family eats a big dinner for Christmas. I love Christmas with my family.

e) I love to go shopping with my mom. She lets me buy my own clothes. I get to go to different shops. My mom takes me to eat lunch. Then we look at toys at the toy store. When we leave, she lets me help bags and we go home.

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Worksheet 6Read the following passages. Write the main idea and identify the topic sentence for each paragraph.a) Alice’s adventure in wonderland is a good book. It is a story of a girl who

dreamt the she went down a rabbit hole and had many adventures. She drank something from a bottle to get smaller. Then she ate a little cake to get bigger. She went to a mad party where she met a Marsh hare and quarrelled with him. It was a curious dream. She told her sister about the dream.Main idea: ___________________Topic Sentence: ______________________________________

b) Owls are well equipped to do their hunting at night. The animals that they like best to eat are those that are active at night. The feathers of an owl are so soft that it can swoop down upon a mouse or a rat without being heard. The big eyes of an owl help it see well even at night.Main idea: ___________________Topic Sentence: ______________________________________

c) Fins are a great help in swimming. A fish pushes itself forward by moving its tail from side to side. It’s others fins help it to keep its balance and also guide it.Main idea: ___________________Topic Sentence: ______________________________________

d) Wind is simply moving air. Of course, at the same time the air moves faster than other times. The wind may be only a gentle breeze, it may be a very strong breeze, or it may be a gale.Main idea: ___________________Topic Sentence: ______________________________________

e) Scientists know what causes eclipses. The moon travels around the earth. An eclipse of the sun is caused when the moon passes between us and the sun. An eclipse of the moon is caused when the moon travels into the earth’s shadow. Main idea: ___________________Topic Sentence: ______________________________________

f) People used to tell time by looking at the shadow on sundials. For some sundials it was the length of a shadow that told the time of the day. For

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other sundials, it was the position of the shadow. Some sundials are still in use.Main idea: ___________________Topic Sentence: ______________________________________

Answer key

Question no.

Main idea Topic sentence

a Alice in Wonderland

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a good book.

b Owls Owls are well equipped to do their hunting at night.

c Fins Fins help to guide fish in water.

d Wind Moving air is called wind/Wind moves at different speeds.

e Eclipse Scientists now know what causes eclipses.

f Sundial People tell time by looking at the shadows on sundials.

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Worksheet 7Sequencing of sentences in a paragraph

COCUNUT TREEi) Draw /show a picture of a coconut tree on the blackboard and ask the

students to say one sentence each associated with coconut.

ii) Write their responses/sentences on the blackboard. iii)Brainstorm with the students by asking “What will be the

starting/topic sentence, the supporting sentences and the concluding sentence?” Number the sentences according to the students’ responses

iv) Next ask the students to sequence the sentences in the correct/organised manner.

v) They can also join two sentences with a connector. Or add new sentences.

Some of the students’ responses:

a) Coconut is a tree.b) Coconut grows in coast areas.c) I like to eat coconut sweets.

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Note: This activity is modelled in front of the whole class. Sequencing the sentences can in groups/pairs.

d) Coconut shell is hard.e) Coconut grows on trees.f) We make baskets/nets/ropes/chutney out of coconut.g) Every part of coconut is useful to us.h) Coconut can float on water.

Exercise: Sequence the above sentences in the correct order.

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Worksheet 8

Given below are some samples of students’ responses when asked to write a paragraph describing about their favourite tree. Read the paragraphs carefully and underline those sentences that do not support main idea and complete the table below.

a) APPLE TREE: My favourite tree is the apple tree. It grows in the Himalayas. Its fruits are very juicy. It does not have more leaves but more fruits. Its wood is used for making furniture. It does not have many seeds.

b) MANGO TREE: My favourite tree is the mango tree. I like this tree as it gives shade. Trees give us many useful things. Jasmine flowers give us perfume. They give us tasty food to eat.

c) MANGO TREE: I like the mango tree because it gives us juicy mangoes. I like the strawberry tree as it gives us shade. I like the neem tree as it gives us medicines. I like the tulsi tree as it gives us smell.

d) BANANA TREE: I like this tree very much because it is so we are healthy. The wood helps in studying by the table. This tree is wonderful tree by which we can live very well. It is vital for energy.

e) BANYAN TREE: I like the banyan tree very much. It is large strong and sturdy. The banyan tree has attractive roots growing down from the branches. We can climb on it and play. The banyan tree gives us lots of shade.

Self-assessment of paragraphs

Para no. Main idea

Total no. of sentences

Topic sentence (yes/no)

No. of correct supporting sentences

a)b)c)d)e)

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What did you learn from the above activity?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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COW

Worksheet 9

Mind mapping: Using a mind/word map to write a paragraph

i) Have the students brainstorm and recall the words associated with the word Cow.

ii) Arrange the words in a column____________________________________

iii)Write one sentence with each word._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

iv) Choose the topic sentence._______________________________________________________

v) Now sequence the sentences to make a meaningful paragraph.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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____________________________________________________________

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