Our third grade team has decided that we need to "kick things up a notch" when teaching paragraph writing because at this point, we were requiring our third graders to write ONE fully detailed paragraph. However, the 4th gr. teacher require THREE paragraphs, so we decided we need to bridge that transition by teaching students to write TWO fully detailed paragraphs. My problem is that I am having difficulty coming up with prompts that directly lend themselves to a two paragraph response. This is the one I have for this week: You have just woken up and discovered that you have become a wild animal. In one paragraph, explain what animal you've become and describe in detail what you look like. In a second paragraph, describe an adventure you go on as that animal. Use many details to explain your experiences.
We are trying to be explicit in explaining to the children what to write in ea. paragraph, as this 2 para. thing is new to them. Any prompts you can share or think of would be MOST APPRECIATED! Thank you!
The 3 paragraph is easy b/c it's beginning, middle and end. Maybe you could do the first paragrah tells the whole story and the 2nd paragraph tells a summary.
You could create a 2 part prompt like. Tell about a time you went to the zoo and an animal escaped. What did your family and friends do?
That's a bad prompt, but something that has 2 parts. I can upload a graphic organizer I used for a 3 paragraph one. We also started using a hook.
This site is great. The writing promts are done as a single worksheet with the prompt at the top and a lined page. I print out several of these to use as time fillers when I sub. There are loads of different topics. The kids love them.
My 3rd graders are required to write 3 paragraphs, and we are now slowly working toward 5. For one assignment, I printed a coloring sheet of a cat- just a simple one, but I copied it on ledger size paper. The kids happily spend 1 whole writing period coloring, creating a background, "pimping" their cats! (vampire fangs, robot eyes....you name it!) Then the next day they wrote a story about the cat- they were some of the best stories I have gotten all year! Great descriptions and details- I think the visual helped them. Of course, that is not writing to a prompt. One prompt they loved was when they wrote about having a super power- they did really well with that one as well. I don't know what the k-2 teachers have done with these kids, but 90% of the time, they LOVE to write and especially share! It is wonderful- not perfect or anything, but the enthusiasm is there, and I think that a lot of the time, that matters the most.
Have your students write non-fiction texts. They lend nicely to three or five paragraphs which is what my 3rd graders are doing.
Persuasive Writing: Pick a topic (ex: I should be allowed to watch tv everyday). Introduction (1st paragraph), 1st reason and fact/example, 2nd reason and fact/example, 3rd reason and fact/example, closing paragraph.
Procedural Writing: Introduction, List of Materials, Steps, Closing Paragraph -(only 4 paragraphs)
I appreciated your suggestions and web site referrals. I pulled one from one of the websites where 1st para. had children explaining getting a superpower: how they got it, what it is, and how it works. The 2nd para. was them describing an event where they were able to help using their superpower. This worked very well. I printed off a superhero graphic from the computer and glued little photos of their faces on the superhero and posted each of their stories in the hall with their faces. It went really great. Thanks to all of you!
We have used Comparative Writing to teach our 3rd graders how to write 2 paragraphs. Our in-class example was comparing cats vs. dogs. We made a T-chart with "similarities" on the left and "differences" on the right. We chose 3 best similarities and differences before group writing on this topic. Then, you can have students compare Ritz crackers and Oreos on their own or in pairs. I gave students one of each cookie/cracker and then we used our 5 senses to find ways that they were similar and different and wrote them on our T-chart. (No eating until after writing about how it looks, smells). Then students had to create their own draft. the first paragraph was about similarities and the second was about differences. We even used colored contruction paper slips after writing the first draft so that students could see that they need to add details because typically, their paragraphs were just lists of ways they are the same and different. (green slips of construction paper for intro sentence and concluding sentence; yellow paper for similarities and differences. they goal was for students to add details on red slips of paper). I hope that this gives you an idea on adding 2-paragraph pieces to your curriculum.
04-09-2007, 08:30 AM
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