Sixth graders: Απριλίου 2012

Here are a few very enlightening pages on paragraph writing:

http://www2.actden.com/writ_den/tips/paragrap/index.htm

http://languagearts.pppst.com/paragraphs.html

http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/fwalters/para.html

http://www.paragraphorganizer.com/inner/how_to_write_paragraph.htm

How to Start a Paragraph

Most English language learners struggle with writing, and it often goes beyond being unsure about grammar and vocabulary. More importantly, they might be unfamiliar with the structure of a paragraph or an essay. How to Write a Paragraph includes a sample paragraph and tips that will give your students some guidance. But what about actually starting that paragraph or essay? Sometimes getting started is the hardest part! Below are two common techniques that students can easily use to pull readers into their writing and get their pens moving (or their fingers typing).

Start it with a question…

This is a great technique to grab readers’ interest. Have students come up with a question that’s related to their topic. A question like this helps students think about what they want to answer/address in their paragraph/essay, and lets readers know what to expect from the writing.

Common ways to start such a question are:

· Did you know…?

· What would you do if…?

· Can…?

· Do you think…?

Examples:

· Did you know that some fish can fly?

· What would you do if you won the lottery?

· Can you imagine living on the moon?

· Do you think that we waste food in this country?

Start it with a quote…

Quotes are another common way to bring up the topic in general and to pique readers’ interest. Finding a quote would be great to assign for homework the day before a writing task. Students can choose a topic (or have one assigned by the teacher) and come up with one or two quotes that they can use at the beginning of their paragraph/essay. Make sure you teach them to properly reference the quote. The most common style is to use an em dash (—), with no space after it, followed by the author’s name (as with the Anne Frank quote at the beginning of this blog post). Another option is to use a tilde (~).

Good sites to search for quotes by keyword:

· http://www.brainyquote.com

· http://quotes.dictionary.com

· http://www.goodreads.com/quotes

· http://www.quotegarden.com

How to Write a Paragraph

Whether they love it or hate it, writing is an essential skill for English learners to acquire. Writing also incorporates many other skills: grammar, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, syntax, organization, etc. For teachers, writing can demonstrate whether or not a student has truly understood a grammar target, and a student’s writing can point to specific areas he or she needs to work on (e.g., forgetting to use articles such as a or the, using the simple past when the present perfect is required, etc.).

There are many ways that writing can be incorporated into the classroom. Blogs, journals, essays, and stories are a few common writing exercises to try. At the heart of almost all writing, though, is the need for a good, well-organized paragraph. Learning the structure of a typical paragraph means students will feel like they have a “guide” to follow. Writing can be daunting, so starting with a how-to lesson is an excellent idea!

Paragraph Structure

A typical paragraph involves a topic sentence, four–six body sentences, and an optional concluding sentence. I’ve included an example paragraph that you can print and pass out in class while you’re explaining the structure of a paragraph. I find students catch on more quickly when they can see an example. Download the example paragraph PDF.

1. Topic Sentence: A topic sentence serves as the introduction to the paragraph. The topic sentence must include the topic! It is usually a general statement about what you’ll be discussing in your paragraph.

2. Body Sentences: This is the main part of the paragraph. The body sentences should all relate to the topic of your paragraph. You should try to never go off-topic. Sentences in this section include examples, explanations, or facts about the topic. You can usually include personal examples (except in some academic essays).

3. Concluding Sentence: A concluding sentence isn’t always necessary, but it’s a nice way to wrap up a paragraph, especially if it’s long. A concluding sentence can be a general observation about the topic, a thought toward the future, or a personal opinion.

Correction

Marking endless paragraphs or essays can be very time-consuming for teachers, so luckily there are ways to speed up the process that benefit both the teacher and the student.

· Correction Key: I always mark with a correction key so that students truly have to think about their errors and try to correct them on their own. What a difference from the days when I just corrected it for them directly! Most students will not even go over your corrections, so using a correction key ensures they will try to understand their mistakes—this also helps them remember to not make the same mistake next time. A sample of the key I use is included for you to download and use in class. Feel free to print it out! Download the Writing Correction Key PDF.

2. Peer Editing: They say that the best way to learn a language is to teach it! The same principal applies here. The occasional peer edit means students have to analyze and consider all aspects of another’s writing, including grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. I give students a correction key (such as the one above) that they must use when they correct each other’s writing. Peer editing can also motivate students to be more careful with their writing (in my experience, students are more worried about mistakes that their friends might see).

3. Circulating (during in-class writing tasks): In my classes, I would sometimes allot 15–30 minutes for students to start (and possibly finish) their writing homework. This was valuable for me because as I circulated, I could point out specific errors to students and explain them. Correcting writing on paper doesn’t allow for much explanation, but when you’re correcting verbally, you have the opportunity to explain errors in more detail. Also, students can ask questions (one-on-one) at that time.

While circulating, I would often note down some common errors that several students were making, and then go over them as a class later. This is a good way to correct students without singling anyone out. Even if I marked their writing entirely at home, I’d often bring in a list of common errors into class the next day so that I could explain them in more detail.

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