Paragraph Writing 101

Paragraph writing can be hard, but it can be easier! A major part of the battle is that our students just don’t understand how a paragraph works. If you are ready to make that a thing of the past, today’s episode is for you! I am going to share 4 components to paragraph writing that will have your students writing clear, focused paragraphs in no time!

In this episode I share:

• What a paragraph is and how to explain it to your students
• A basic paragraph structure usually is comprised of 5-6 sentences: a topic sentence, 3-4 supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence
• 4 components of a paragraph: unity, order, coherence, and completeness
• The idea of unity – a paragraph needs only one topic sentence
• Order – main focus on organization
• Coherence – main focus on the quality of writing with the use of transition words
• Completeness – the celebration of a well-developed paragraph and the focus is on the concluding sentence to make it complete
• Tip #1 – Allow students to write about what they like and know
• Tip #2 – Do not focus on an entire essay
• Tip #3 – Partner practice
• Tip #4 – Provide paragraph stems for student reference

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About The Literacy Dive Podcast:

Do you find yourself seeking new ideas when it comes to literacy instruction in elementary classrooms? The Literacy Dive Podcast was created to offer actionable steps and to share information for teachers, like you, who are always looking to improve their craft! ELA is our jam and we are excited to dive into all things reading and writing with you!

Your host, Megan Polk, is the creator and owner behind Miss P’s Style. She is a literacy specialist and loves to support students and their teachers with curriculum, literacy instruction, best practices, and engaging literacy activities. Through this podcast, she will share literacy tips and strategies that she has learned from the many years of experience she holds from being an elementary teacher and literacy specialist. Megan has taught all elementary grades (K-5), but an intense passion and love for upper elementary came about!

Dive in with us every Monday for a new episode from Megan! She, and her guests, will chat about various literacy topics and will bring you tips and tricks that can easily be implemented in your classrooms… immediately!

You can tune in wherever you get your podcasts! Listen to The Literacy Dive Podcast on platforms like Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Google, and more! If you find value from listening to this podcast, please rate this show, leave a review, and subscribe!