Instructor Scripts: Acquisition of Descriptive Paragraph Composition
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LESSON 3
Objective 10: SWBAT see a picture with multiple people (3 people or objects) and write one
sentence for each someone/something.
A
High prompt: Both the teacher and student write.
1. Find part A on your sheet. The instructions say write one sentence about each person.
Remember, when you write a sentence first you name something, then you tell more.
What do you do first? “Name something.”
Then what? “Tell more.”
2. Look at the picture. This picture shows what happened. It gives you the name of each
person: Adam, Ian, and David.
3. Below the picture is a small box of words you can use to tell more: rings, hat, flew,
rabbit, and magic.
4. Look at the first sentence. It starts with Adam.
5. Read the first sentence about Adam.
“Adam held two rings.”
Good. The next sentence starts with He.
What’s another thing He did?
I’ll say: He held one ring higher in his left hand.
We’ll write that sentence.
6. Next sentence begins with Ian. Read that sentence about her Ian.
“Ian made birds fly out of his hat.”
The next sentence starts with He.
What’s another thing He did?
I’ll say: He waved his hand in the air.
We’ll write that sentence.
7. Next sentence begins with David. Read that sentence about David to me.
“David pulled a rabbit out of his hat.”
The next sentence starts with He.
What’s another thing He did?
I’ll say: Held the rabbit above his hat.
We’ll write that sentence.
8. Look at the bottom of the sheet. Let’s do these 3 check steps. First, does each sentence
begin with a capital and end with a period? Second, does each sentence tell what
happened, not what is happening? Third, does your second sentence about each person or
thing begin with he/she/it?
Instructor Scripts: Acquisition of Descriptive Paragraph Composition
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Objective 11: SWBAT see a picture with multiple people (3 people or objects) and write two
sentences for each someone/something.
B
High Prompt: Teacher and student write
1. Find part B on your sheet. The instructions say write at least two sentences about each
person.
2. The picture names Natalie, Sarah, and Shane. We have to write at least two sentences for
each person named.
9. Below the picture is a small box of words you can use to tell more: locker, book,
wheelchair, phone, and walked.
3. First sentence will be about Natalie. Tell me more about Natalie. (Student responses
vary. Pick one and write it).
4. Next sentence. Tell me one more thing about Natalie, but I can call Natalie, She.
(Student responses vary. Pick one and write it).
5. Good. Next person named is Sarah. Tell me more about Sarah. (Student responses vary.
Pick one and write it).
6. Next sentence. Tell me one more thing about Sarah, but I can call Sarah, She. (Student
responses vary. Pick one and write it).
7. Good. Next person named is Shane. Tell me more about Shane. (Student responses
vary. Pick one and write it).
8. Next sentence. Tell me one more thing about Shane but I can call Shane, He. (Student
responses vary. Pick one and write it).
9. Look at the bottom of the sheet. Let’s do these 3 check steps. First, does each sentence
begin with a capital and end with a period? Second, does each sentence tell what
happened, not what is happening? Third, does your second sentence about each person or
thing begin with he/she/it?
Medium Prompt: (THE STUDENT is the only one to write.)
1. Look at number 3. We need to write at least two sentences about everyone in this picture.
2. The picture names Harold, The dog, and The newspaper boy.
3. Below the picture is a small box of words you can use to tell more: balloon, jumped,
flew, bag, and walked.
Instructor Scripts: Acquisition of Descriptive Paragraph Composition
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4. First sentence. I need to tell more about Harold. (Student responses vary. Pick one and
write it).
5. Next sentence. Tell me one more thing about Harold, but I can call Harold, He. (Student
responses vary. Pick one and write it).
6. Good. Next is The dog. Tell me more about The dog. (Student responses vary. Pick one
and write it).
7. Next sentence. Tell me one more thing about The dog but I can call The dog, It. (Student
responses vary. Pick one and write it).
8. Good. Next is The newspaper boy. Tell me more about The newspaper boy (Student
responses vary. Pick one and write it).
9. Next sentence. Tell me one more thing about The newspaper boy but I can call The
newspaper boy, He. (Student responses vary. Pick one and write it).
10. Let’s do these 3 check steps. First, does each sentence begin with a capital and end with a
period? Second, does each sentence tell what happened, not what is happening? Third,
does your second sentence about each person or thing begin with he/she/it?
Low Prompt: Student completes the next paragraph independently, with no help. The teacher
reviews.
11. Look at the next picture. Go ahead and write a paragraph describing the picture.
Remember to look at the 3 checks at the bottom. We’ll checks answers after you’ve
finished.
Answer key: Paragraphs will vary across students. However, look for complete sentences.
Complete sentences:
1) Start with a capital letter and end with a period.
2) Have at least 2 parts: Subject and predicate /Noun and verb / someone and tell more
a. Can be simple, complex, or compound.
3) Grammatically correct and consistent with overall paragraph
4) If used, pronoun is accurate
Incomplete sentences:
1)
2)
3)
4)
No capital letter at beginning or end mark.
Does not have both parts of a sentence (i.e., subject and predicate) or is a run-on
Not grammatical correct or inconsistent with overall paragraph
If used, pronoun is not accurate or without a clear reference point.
Instructor Scripts: Acquisition of Descriptive Paragraph Composition
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------CHECKOUT FOR LESSON 3
1. I want to see how well I taught you today’s lesson. You will write some sentences describing
each person in this picture.
2. The instructions say write a paragraph describing the picture.
(To finish lesson 3, student need to have no more than 1 incomplete sentence. E.g., 4 of 5
sentences need to be complete and only 1 can be incomplete. If they score below, repeat lesson 3
the next day).
Answer key: Paragraphs will vary across students. However, look for complete sentences.
Complete sentences:
1) Start with a capital letter and end with a period.
2) Have at least 2 parts: Subject and predicate /Noun and verb / someone and tell more
a. Can be simple, complex, or compound.
3) Grammatically correct and consistent with overall paragraph
4) If used, pronoun is accurate
Incomplete sentences:
1)
2)
3)
4)
No capital letter at beginning or end mark.
Does not have both parts of a sentence (i.e., subject and predicate) or is a run-on
Not grammatical correct or inconsistent with overall paragraph
If used, pronoun is not accurate or without a clear reference point.