Paragraph Writing Using the Smartboard

Summary

The paragraph is the foundational building block of all other types of writing. This lesson focuses on how to write a paragraph.

Materials

Smartboard, smartboard software, student journals or writing paper, student pencils to write

Student Prior Knowledge

Students will need to know how to write a basic and complete sentence that includes a subject and a predicate. They will need to punctuate their sentences!

Intended Learning Outcomes

1. SWBAT write a 5 sentence paragraph that includes a topic sentence, 3 detail sentences, and a conclusion. 2. SWBAT follow the rules of writing and edit for conventions and overall readablility of wriiten work.

Instructional Procedures

1. Use the attached smartboard lesson. It is best to preview this lesson before presenting to students:) 2. Using student journals (where they keep all of their writing together) have students practice writing their own paragraphs. I usually set an amount of time for writing, rather than an amount of writing so that all students are writing the whole time. For instance, in a 15 minute writing time frame some students may write 3 paragraphs while others may only be able to write 1.

Assessment Plan

Students will have 15 minutes to write a paragraph. This paragraph will be assessed 3 times. 1. Students will do a 5 finger check (thumb equals the indented topic sentence, pointer equals 1st detail, middle equals 2nd detail, ring equals 3rd detail, and pinky equals the conclusion). They will write their score out of 5 (1 point for each sentence that makes sense!) 2. Students will pass their paragraph to a neighbor and the neighbor will then do the same 5 finger check and write a score out of 5. 3. Students will turn in their paragraph to me, and I will do the 5 finger check and write their score out of 5 with constructive feedback.

Bibliography

Original lesson adapted from: What is a Paragraph? (Smart Exchange Notebook)by Christine Schuj. Authored by: Christine Schuj