A 60 minute lesson in which students will correctly construct an informative paragraph.
Constructing a Paragraph - Modelled Writing
60 mins
|
Suitable for years:
3 - 4
Tuning In
- Watch the Paragraph Structure for Information Reports video on YouTube. Encourage the students to read the text on the screen as it appears. After watching, ask the students:
- What is a topic sentence?
- What is the purpose of a topic sentence within an informative paragraph?
- Why are paragraphs so important when writing informative texts?
Teacher Instruction
- Discuss the structure of informative paragraphs, as outlined on slide 16 of the Imaginative, Persuasive and Informative Paragraphs Teaching Slides. Read the example paragraph on slide 17, then display and discuss the annotations on slides 18-19.
- Ask the students to revisit their anchor charts from the previous lesson. Choose one category from one of the topics from the sorting task e.g. the size and appearance of sharks.
- Project the Information Report Planning Template on the board. Using the relevant facts from the chosen topic and category, jointly construct an informative paragraph with the students. Model how to write an appropriate topic sentence, supporting sentences and concluding sentence. Encourage the students to suggest appropriate language features, such as subject-specific vocabulary.
- Once completed, ask a student to volunteer to read the completed paragraph to the class. Encourage the students to make any further suggestions to improve the quality of the paragraph.
Guided/Independent Learning
- Provide the students with a copy of the same template. Allow the students to work in pairs or individually to write an informative paragraph about a different aspect of the same topic e.g. the diet and eating habits of sharks. Encourage the students to follow the same process as the one used for the joint construction. Display the Paragraphs in Informative Writing Poster while the students are writing as a visual reminder of the correct paragraph structure.
Wrapping Up
- Encourage each pair to share their informative paragraphs. Allow the class to provide positive feedback, as well as suggesting helpful ideas for improvement.
Differentiation
Extending Students
- Encourage more confident writers to work independently on their informative paragraph, rather than in pairs.
Supporting Students
- Allow students who find writing challenging to work with a teacher or teacher aide during the pair activity.
Suggested Assessment Strategies
- used strategic whole class or individual questioning
- observed student participation during learning activities
- recorded student progress on a checklist
- annotated student work samples
- collected and reviewed student work samples
- facilitated whole class or peer feedback sessions
- encouraged student self-reflection
- administered formal assessment tasks.
Select a download
Curriculum
ACELA1479
Understand that paragraphs are a key organisational feature of written textsElaborationsnoticing how longer texts are organised into paragraphs, each beginning with a topic sentence/paragraph opener which predicts how the paragraph will develop and i...
AC9E3LA04
Understand that paragraphs are a key organisational feature of the stages of written texts, grouping related information together
VC2E3LA04
Understand that paragraphs are a key organisational feature of the stages of written texts, grouping related information together
EN2-CWT-02
Plans, creates and revises written texts for informative purposes, using text features, sentence-level grammar, punctuation and word-level language for a target audience
Author
Teach Starter Publishing
We create premium quality, downloadable teaching resources for primary/elementary school teachers that make classrooms buzz!