Classification Paragraphs
Making points clear for the reader.
Would you rather….
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Make a phone call
Have more time
Have a life rewind button
Know all the world’s languages
Have world peace
Go to dinner alone
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Send a message
Have more money
Have a life pause button
Speak with animals
Stop world hunger
Go to a concert alone
Classification Basics
• It makes sense of a group of people or things by sorting them out into
useful categories.
• It has purpose for sorting
• It includes categories that follow a single organizing principle for
example, to sort by size, by color, by price and so on.
• It gives detailed examples or explanations of things that fit into each
category.
What is a Classification Paragraph?
• Classification paragraphs aim to inform
readers by presenting and explaining
groups or categories.
• A clear topic is needed as a starting point
for classifying.
• For example: Music ( This is a broad
category, so it needs to be narrowed
down.)
• Types of Music: Pop, Country, Dancehall,
Soca, Calypso
• Choose one of the above and further
classify. E.g. Country
• Types of country music: Blue Grass,
Country Pop and Country Rock
Let’s Classify
the types of
cellphone users.
Sample
• Over the past several years, three kinds of diets have been very popular in this
country. The first one was the low-fat diet. Dieters had to limit their fat intake, so
they stayed away from foods like nuts, fatty meats, ice cream, and fried foods. They
could eat lots of low fat foods like pasta, bread, fruits, and vegetables as well as lean
meat, fish and chicken. The second kind of diet was the low carbohydrate plan. The
first low-carb diet was the Atkins plan. Under this plan, dieters could eat all the fatty
meats, butter, cheese, and nuts they wanted. Some people were eating a whole
pound of bacon for breakfast with eggs and butter. However, they could not eat
bread, pasta, or most fruits. On this plan, people lost a lot of weight quickly, but
many found that they could not stick with a diet that did not allow carbs. The South
Beach diet was also a low carb plan, but not quite as strict as the Atkins diet, at least
for the first two weeks. The third diet plan, one that has been around for a long time,
is Weight Watchers. It requires that dieters eat smaller portions of food– everything
in moderation. Points are assigned to foods, and dieters must stay within a certain
number of points each day. High – calorie foods have a high number of points, and
many vegetables have no points. Americans have spent millions on these diet plans,
but the obesity rates continues to increase. It seems that the “right” kind of diet, one
that allows people to lose weight and keep it off, has yet to be invented.
Guided Practice 1 – Trio Work
• Topic Sentence: In my high school, there were ____ groups of students.
• First Category: One group was ________________________.
• Examples: These kids were kids who ____________________ .
• Second Category: Another group was ____________________.
• Examples: The kids in this group______________________________.
• Third Category: A third group, the most memorable, was __________.
• Examples: In this group, ________________________________.
• Concluding Sentence: I was part of the ____________, but I am glad that
_____________.
Guided Practice 2 – Solo Work
• Topic Sentence: Like most people, I have several different kinds of _____________
( collections/clothes/co-workers/moods/friends/video games/social media sites)
• First Category: The first type is ________________________.
• Examples: ____________________ .
• Second Category: Secondly, I also have ____________________.
• Examples: Here, ______________________________.
• Third Category: Lastly and most interestingly, is __________.
• Examples: ________________________________.
• Concluding Sentence: Even though my ____________, are different, they are all
_____________to me.
Writing Practice:
• Pre-write for a classification paragraph.
• Choose one of the following:
A. Kinds of Students
B. Kinds of Social Media Sites
C. Kinds of Drivers
D. Kinds of Attitudes
• Develop your paragraph outline:
Topic Sentence:
Type 1: _____
Examples:
Type 2: _____
Examples:
Type 3: ____
Examples:
Concluding Sentence: _____________