Writing Paragraphs
Developing a shared approach and a
shared language
Why start with paragraphs?
• To give students “the best chance” in written
tasks
• To improve school data – Naplan and VCE
• To support all teachers in implementing a
common approach to teaching paragraphs.
• To support students as they write paragraphs
using a common model across the Domains
Learning Focus for this session
• All teachers have a clear understanding of how to
develop a paragraph that stands on its own and
forms a short answer response
• All teachers have shared language in relation to
topic sentences, supporting details, clinchers,
transition words and phrases
• All teachers have a shared language in relation to
unrelated ideas and fragmented vs. complete
sentences (Avoiding common errors.)
What is a paragraph?
Is it just a bunch of sentences you are
supposed to group together?
A paragraph is a division of a written work that
makes a complete thought.
A paragraph has
• A topic sentence
• Supporting details/proof
• Clincher
The structure of a paragraph, which stands on
its own and forms a short answer response, is
very exact. If you leave out any of these, you
do not have a paragraph
In this session we are attempting to reinforce
the process of paragraph writing and to do
this we have used simple, student oriented
examples, which are non-Domain specific.
Topic sentence
Topic sentence – always comes first. It states the
main idea of the paragraph.
“My little brother is a pest.”
Supporting ideas
•
•
•
•
We expect the rest of the paragraph to tell us how or
why he is a pest. Supporting ideas give reasons and
examples.
He is always hitting me for no apparent reason
When I’m with my friends, he follows me around and
bothers me
He sneaks into my room and searches through my
wardrobe, leaving an absolute mess
Probably the most annoying thing he does is to make
up stories accusing me of hitting him – and, of course,
mum believes him
The clincher
Clincher. This lets the reader know that the
paragraph is finished.
You can end a paragraph in a number of ways
• Echo the topic sentence
• End with an amusing thought
• Ask a question (use rarely)
Can little brothers be traded in on a new model?
The paragraph
My little brother is a pest. He is always hitting
me for no apparent reason. When I’m with my
friends, he follows me around and bothers
me. He sneaks into my room and searches
through my wardrobe, leaving an absolute
mess. Probably the most annoying thing he
does is to make up stories accusing me of
hitting him – and, of course, mum believes
him. Can little brothers be traded in on a new
model?
Planning the paragraph
Topic sentence
• Supporting detail/proof
• Supporting detail/proof
• Supporting detail/proof
• Supporting detail/proof
Clinch/round off
A sample plan
Topic sentence: My son’s bedroom is a mess.
• Clothes on the floor
• His bed is never made
• Food crumbs and dust are under the furniture
• Magazines all over
Clinch: The room is a real disaster
The paragraph
My son’s bedroom is a real mess. He always
leaves dirty clothes on the floor. His bed is
never made. He leaves food crumbs on the
floor and the dust under the furniture is an
inch thick. The room is a real disaster area.
How to avoid some
common mistakes
Watch out for unrelated ideas!
•
•
•
•
An unrelated idea will spoil the paragraph. It does
not specifically tell about the topic sentence. It
does not prove or explain it. You might think of
them when thinking about your other points.
He did clean it last week for once
Sometimes I clean it for him
I guess I’m the only ‘clean’ person in the family
My room is always kept clean
None of these ideas is related to “My son’s
bedroom is always a mess”.
You try...
My favourite class is maths.
A. The work is just challenging enough that I
enjoy it.
B. I like my teacher
C. There is a little too much homework
D. I’m learning the skills I need in later life
Answer: C
• There is a little too much homework
Another try
The School Captains have important duties
A.
B.
C.
D.
Emma was the best school captain we’ve had
Attend school council meetings
Speak at information nights
Participates in YAC meetings
Answer: A
Emma was the best school captain we’ve had
Watch out for repetition
My favourite sport is soccer. It’s fun. I enjoy it.
I like to play. It’s a really great game. Soccer is
one of the greatest games ever invented.
Avoid repetition
• Be careful not to repeat the same idea over
and over, even if you use different words. If
you do repeat yourself, your writing will be
dull.
• In the previous example the writer didn’t
really say anything. It was all implied when he
said it was his favourite game.
Try again
Topic sentence: My favourite sport is soccer
Give some specific reasons.
• Playing requires skills and intelligence
• Playing is good exercise
• There’s excitement, like scoring a goal
• There’s the feeling of winning
Write a plan.
Pair and share
Here is the topic sentence
“Kids watch too much television.”
Think of four supporting ideas/details and a
clincher
Is this good enough?
What’s wrong with it?
Kids watch too much television. Actually I like
to watch TV and maybe a lot of kids don’t
really watch too much. There are some good
shows that all kids should watch. Even though
kids shouldn’t watch too much, it’s ok if they
watch a little.
What’s wrong with it?
The reasons don’t back up the topic sentence
and actually contradict the topic sentence.
The writer changed sides.
Never take a different point of view after you
have written the topic sentence. If you want
to express a different idea, write it in another
paragraph.
Another plan
Topic sentence: My favourite subject in school is
Woodwork
• Get to make useful items
• Learn to operate machines
• Learn to measure, cut and sand
• Recognise different types of wood.
Writing the paragraph
• “My favourite subject is Woodwork because I
have the opportunity to make useful items.
Also I learn to measure, cut , sand and glue...”
STOP! HOLD IT! You have made a very
common error.
What is the topic sentence?
You have added the first supporting idea to
the topic sentence. It’s a tiny mistake but it
has ruined the whole paragraph because now
none of the ideas in your plan tell why
woodwork gives you the opportunity to make
useful items.
Try again
“My favourite subject is woodwork. I have the
opportunity to make useful things. Learn to
cut, measure, sand and glue. Recognise
different types of wood. Even tell the
difference...
• STOP!!
What’s wrong with this attempt?
• He has copied from the plan without writing
complete sentences.
• You write the plan in fragments or parts of
sentences, just to help you remember.
• In a paragraph, you must write in complete
sentences.
• Each idea in your plan must be expressed as a
complete thought.
Fragment vs. Complete sentences
• Fragment – Learn to cut, measure, sand and glue
• Sentence – I learn to cut, measure, sand and glue
• Fragment – To recognise different types of wood
• Sentence – I learn to recognise different types of
wood
Writing better
paragraphs
The Woodwork paragraph
“My favourite subject is Woodwork. I learn to
make useful things. I learn to operate
machines. I learn to measure, cut and sand. I
learn to recognise different types of wood.“
How can we improve this paragraph?
How to make your writing better
When you turn your plan into a paragraph,
add more detail, using vivid or technical
language.
Remember, put your supporting ideas in a
logical order. Think about which arrangement
makes the most sense and reads most
smoothly.
Add some vivid, technical language to
your supporting details.
• Get to make useful items, like lamps,
breadboxes and tables.
• Learn to operate machines. The sentence
becomes more technical when you add
“professional saws and tools”, for example.
• Learn to measure, cut and sand correctly.
• Recognise different types of wood, including
rosewood and mahogany.
Transitions – a link or connections.
They hold separate parts of the writing
together, like glue. They help the reader move
smoothly from one sentence to another.
However, be careful about their correct use.
Examples
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
For example
For instance
First, second
On the other hand
After that
Meanwhile
In conclusion
In general
However
Indeed
In fact
The Woodwork class paragraph.
My favourite subject is Woodwork. One of the
main reasons I enjoy it is that I have the
opportunity to make useful items, such as lamps,
tables and breadboxes. I not only learn to
measure and cut, but I also learn correct methods
of sanding. Because I learned to recognise
different types of lumber, I can identify different
types of wood, such as rosewood and mahogany.
In addition, I learn to operate professional saws
and tools. If I had to give up my Woodwork class I
would be very disappointed.
Ending the paragraph.
The Clincher
• Ending the paragraph
• The purpose of a summary statement is to let
the reader know that the paragraph is
finished. It makes the paragraph come full
circle.
A clincher must
• Relate to the whole paragraph
• Be very general
The topic sentence begins the circle, the
supporting sentences continue it by always
referring to the topic sentence and the
clincher brings the reader back to the support
ideas and the topic sentence.
Is this a complete paragraph?
It would be amusing to be invisible. Not only
could I sneak into rock concerts without
paying but I could get on any plane and fly to
the ends of the earth. Besides that, I could get
away with outrageous things in class without
ever getting caught. Scaring my friends and
making my enemies think they were going
crazy would be really entertaining.
Clincher choice
• Restate or reword the topic sentence. Add one
or two words to make it different from the
topic sentence.
• You can also use a question but don’t make a
habit of this. It is an effective technique if not
overused.
• You could use an amusing thought.
• Restate/reword
“It would be really fun to be invisible.”
• Question
“Is there any other way I could be so
mischievous without being caught?”
• Amusing thought
“Not only would I have a great time if I was
invisible, I would never have to comb my hair.”
Applying the knowledge
• Pairs
• Plan and write a paragraph.
The best holiday destination.
Topic sentence
Support detail/proof
Supporting detail/proof
Supporting detail/proof
Supporting detail/proof
Clincher/Round off
Has the learning focus been met?
• All teachers have a clear understanding of
how to develop a paragraph that stands on its
own and forms a short answer response
• All teachers have shared language in relation
to topic sentences, supporting details,
clinchers, transition words and phrases
• All teachers have a shared language in relation
to unrelated ideas and fragmented vs.
complete sentences
How will I use this in my
classroom in the next
week?
Fabulous Paragraphs
Week
A display of great paragraph writing across all
Domains.
Stay tuned...
Developed by Jenni Kyval and Sue Slater.
Adapted from “Writing the Perfect Paragraph”,
published by Science Press