- Students will be able to recognize the rationale and purpose of basic paragraph structure, which includes the use of indentation.
- Students will be able to separate paragraph content and identify the location of indentation.
- Using the assorted list of objects, distribute one object per student.
- Invite students to mix and mingle and find students who have similar objects that could form a group.
- After giving the students a minute to create their groups, lead the students in a brief discussion about what they observed.
- Tell the students that just as certain objects fit into certain groups, the content of a paragraph must fit together. A change in a topic usually means a change in the paragraph — specifically, creating a new paragraph.
- Explain that students will be learning how to create cohesive paragraphs that are indented correctly.
Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling(15 minutes)
- Model the process of generating ideas for several different informational paragraphs. For example, you could use a how-to informational essay to show how each different step is contained in a different paragraph. If desired, use two sheets of chart paper: one piece for the brainstorming and the other piece for modeling the paragraph structuring.
- Think aloud, showing students how certain ideas fit together and demonstrating the process of indenting text, which signals a new topic or part of the essay.
- Repeat with the example of narrative text, this time showing the students how different paragraphs could show a change in time, place, or character.
- Note: By the end of this part of the lesson, you will have two samples of writing for students to reference.
Guided Practice(20 minutes)
- Divide students into pairs or small groups.
- Give each group a selection of books, sticky notes, and a roll of highlighter tape.
- Invite the students to go on a search through their books and to identify the beginning of new paragraphs with a small piece of highlighter tape on the first line of a new paragraph.
- Ask the students to use their sticky notes to annotate and make notes that include observations about changes in topics between paragraphs.
- After all students have finished, invite groups to share their findings.
- In the second part of the lesson, challenge the same groups of students to collaboratively write a group of informational paragraphs and a group of narrative paragraphs. (A suggested topic for an informational paragraph is an informational essay about pets. A suggested topic for a narrative paragraph is a story about a person’s challenge and the way that challenge was overcome.)
Independent working time(20 minutes)
- Ask the students to complete the worksheets Informational Indentations and A New Paragraph Narrative.
- Circulate around the room and ask additional probing questions as needed.
- For students who need additional practice in paragraph organization, ask the students to complete the Sentence Grouping worksheet.
- Lengthen the single paragraph on the Informational Indentions worksheet to multiple paragraphs.
- Assign students the task of using a compare-and-contrast approach to write a multiple paragraph essay.
- Invite students to conduct a paragraph search using apps on a tablet or other device.
- Ask students to type their essays and share these with a classmate to get feedback.
- Ask the students to complete the Getting Ready for the Day: Paragraph Writing worksheet.
- Check to ensure that students have indented correctly and grouped similar ideas together.
Review and closing(5 minutes)
- Give students an opportunity to share their writing with the rest of the class in a brief discussion. How did they group the topics in their paragraphs?