In the “Writing with Purpose” section of Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay, students learn to apply their writing strategies to different types (or modes) of writing. It’s quite easy to get students writing paragraphs like the ones below when they have the foundations. In short, all these different types of paragraphs simply involve [...]
If hamburger paragraphs worked, there would be no problem teaching writing and all students would be fantastic writers. Hamburger paragraphs have been around almost as long as paragraphs have been around. If hamburger paragraphs worked, the writing problem would be solved. If hamburger paragraphs worked, there would never have been a writing problem. The title [...]
What is a paragraph and how do you teach children to write a paragraph? “A paragraph is a group of sentences about one main idea or topic. A paragraph usually contains between 5-8 sentences about that one main idea or topic. All of your sentences in the paragraph must be about that one main idea [...]
Paragraphs have unity and coherence. A paragraph has a single minded focus. There must be no information in the paragraph which does not serve that purpose. We call these “good paragraphs.” The best of the best are known as “perfect paragraphs.” But not all paragraphs are good… let alone perfect. In fact, it doesn’t take [...]
A Paragraph Beautifully Defined A paragraph is a collection of sentences with unity of purpose. A paragraph handles and exhausts a distinct topic. Alexander Bain – 1871 This description of a paragraph is about as good as it gets! Alexander Bain is also credited as having been the first person to have formally [...]
(If your children or students are struggling with paragraphs… be sure to read “Teaching Children Paragraph Writing is Hard!) The Different Kinds of Paragraphs 1. How-to Paragraph (Process Paragraph) – First, Next, Then, Finally 2. Compare and Contrast Paragraph – Eggplant is both good…and bad! 3. Descriptive Paragraph – It was a dark and stormy night, yet the [...]