Composition Skills for Writing
Lesson Plan
10-­20 Minutes
Grade Level: 4-­5
Composition Skill: Basic Paragraphing
Core Standard: W4.2a, W5.2a, W4.5, W5.5 Materials: * Markers, paints, or SMART board colored pens
Phase of Writing Process: Drafting
Development and Organization:
● Task: A well developed informational paragraph
● Audience: Classmates
● Purpose: Describe the differences in adaptations of the big cat family
Method of Instruction:
o I do
o I am going to show you a way to think about the job of each sentence in a paragraph. When we write a paragraph that explains the reasons why we want or believe something, or why something is true, that paragraph begins with a topic sentence. We’ll code that sentence blue because it is the overarching “sky” sentence under which everything else goes.
o For Example: Big cats are each amazingly adapted to their own individual environment.
o Next, we want to add another sentence that restates and explains the topic sentence further. This sentence will be green because it has some blue in it but it adds a little more information. o ADD: Although they are from the same family and have similar body structures, they are unique in many ways.
o Next, we want to add some details or some reasons why the first sentences are true. We want to tell the reader more about this topic and explain why parks are important. We’ll code these sentences yellow because they shine light on the topic. o ADD: The cheetah is literally built for speed. Every part of its body helps it run through the grasslands. Jaguars are built for hunting on land and in the water . The snow leopard is uniquely designed to live in colder environments.
o These sentences still need more meat. We’ll add even more detail under each of our yellow sentences, and we’ll use red to code the sentences with the new detail because this is meat on the bones of our paragraph!
o ADD: The cheetah is literally built for speed. Every part of its body helps it run through the grasslands. Its lean body, small head, light bones, long legs, flexible spinal cord and sliding shoulder joint help it reach speeds of up to 70 miles per hour. Jaguars are built for hunting on land and in the water . Their heavily built body and short legs make them great climbers and swimmers. They are especailly skilled at catching fish. The snow leopard is uniquely designed to live in colder environments. Their long fur and wooly undercoats keep them warm in the high mountains. Their eye pacement and fur color also help them to stay low and under cover when stalking prey. o Now we need to add an ending sentence. It will have the same topic sentence in it, but the words are not exactly the same. Because we are going to wrap it up by restating the main idea in different words it is coded blue-­green. o ADD: Jaguar’s, cheetah’s and snow leopard’s are all uniquely adapted to survive in their own environment. o Now let’s look at the complete paragraph. o Big cats are each amazingly adapted to their own individual environment. Although they are from the same family and have similar body structures, they are unique in many ways. The cheetah is literally built for speed. Every part of its body helps it run through the grasslands. Its lean body, small head, light bones, long legs, flexible spinal cord and sliding shoulder joint help it reach speeds of up to 70 miles per hour. Jaguars are built for hunting on land and in the water . Their heavily built body and short legs make them great climbers and swimmers. They are especailly skilled at catching fish. The snow leopard is uniquely designed to live in colder environments. Their long fur and wooly undercoats keep them warm in the high mountains. Their eye pacement and fur color also help them to stay low and under cover when stalking prey. Jaguars, cheetahs and snow leopards are all uniquely adapted to survive in their own environment. o Now let’s go back and polish it up. We can add transition words that connect the ideas and change or add some words to make the sentences sound better together. o Big cats are each amazingly adapted to their own individual environment. Although they are from the same family and have similar body structures, they are unique in many ways. First, the cheetah is literally built for speed. Every part of its body helps it run through the grasslands. Its lean body, small head, light bones, long legs, flexible spinal cord and sliding shoulder joint help it reach speeds of up to 70 miles per hour. The next amazing cat, the Jaguar, is perfectly built for hunting on land and in the water . Their heavily built body and short legs make them great climbers and swimmers. They are especailly skilled at catching fish. Finally, the snow leopard, another cool cat, is uniquely designed to live in colder environments. Their long fur and wooly undercoats keep them warm in the high mountains. Their eye pacement and fur color also help them to stay low and under cover when stalking prey. It is very clear that jaguars, cheetahs and snow leopards are all uniquely adapted to survive in their own environment. o We do
o Practice together on another paragraph and topic. Give the students colored pencils, markers, etc to build their own coded paragraphs. This may look more like a shared or interactive writing experience at this point. o You do
o Encourage students to develop their own coded paragraphs as you have taught and practiced together using a different topic. Monitor individual work. Guide and scaffold as needed. Intended Outcome: Students will be able to write well developed
paragraphs on a given topic that include a topic sentence, transition
sentences, detail sentences, elaborated details and a conclusion.
The Structure of a Paragraph (Step Up To Writing, by Maureen
Aumann)
* Topic sentence: (the overarching idea) = blue (like the sky)
* Transition sentence: = green (between blue and yellow)
* Detail sentences: = yellow (shining light on the topic)
* Elaborated details = red (like meat)
* Conclusion = different shade of blue