Lions! Developing
paragraphing skills
AF4 – construct, cohesion
AF7 – select appropriate and effective vocabulary
Learning Objectives
 To be able to categorize information
appropriately into relevant topics
 To understand what a paragraph is and when to
start a new one in a piece of writing.
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Facts about Lions
Habitat
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Appearance
Behaviour
Diet
Deadly 60
Lions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_9m5k15rEc
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Your task!
Using the facts you have been given, you are going
to write a magazine article for young people about
lions. Your article will contain four paragraphs, one
on each of these topics:
1. Habitat
2. Appearance
3. Behaviour
4. Diet
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What is a paragraph?
 When you write your facts down, it is important to
put your ideas them in an ordered and clear way.
This helps your reader understand them easily.
 A paragraph is a section of a piece of writing.
 A new paragraph marks a change of focus, a change
of time or, in dialogue, a change of speaker.
 A paragraph should begin with a topic sentence.
This sentence introduces the main idea of the
paragraph, making it clear to the reader what the
paragraph will be about.
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Starting a paragraph…
 Choose a topic sentence for the paragraph
 I am starting with a paragraph about the lions’
habitat, so my first sentence would be:
Lions are found in savannas, grasslands, dense
bush and woodlands.
 My next sentence would be more specific:
Most lions now live in eastern and southern
Africa.
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Making the facts
interesting…
 Fact: Lions usually drink water daily but can go
four or five days without it.
 Making it interesting:
Lions usually drink water daily, but they can go an
incredible four, or even five, days without it!
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Indicating that you have started a new
paragraph in your books
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Let’s return to the
Learning Objectives
 To be able to categorize information appropriately
into relevant topics
 To understand what a paragraph is and when to start
a new one in a piece of writing.
Peer Assessment:
- is each paragraph about one of the specified topics?
- does each paragraph include a suitable topic sentence?
- are the facts explained in an interesting way?
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