[Insert super cringe here]. That’s how I feel when I see a student’s writing and it has absolutely zero paragraph breaks. Like, none. Literally. It might even have 500 words and yet…zero paragraph breaks. Early in the school year, I make it my mission to stop this from happening ever again.
I am always so surprised at how quickly students grasp the concept of paragraph breaks and begin applying the idea to their writing after we do this super simple but (obviously) highly effective cut-n-paste activity. I originally stumbled on this idea a million years ago from Tim Fredrick’s ELA Teaching Blog and have used it ever since.
I teach 6th grade and, for the most part, students come in with very little knowledge or experience with writing multiple paragraphs. Typically, by the end of 5th grade, they are writing “super fancy” paragraphs that consist of 5 sentences and it’s a really big deal.
For better or worse, I expect them to be able to write multiple paragraphs basically within the first 3 weeks of school. My expectation is extremely high (partially because I forget they are August 6th graders and not May 6th graders but also because I want them to rise to the challenge). And, thanks to scaffolding, they do.
However, when I take away the essay outlines and the “Ways to Start a Paragraph” frames, their understanding and use of paragraph breaks falls apart.
And that’s where this super effective lesson comes in.
Here’s how it works:
First, teach how and when to use paragraph breaks. My students learn 3 of the reasons to start a new paragraph (change in time, place, or idea) and then I taunt them by stating there is a 4th reason (dialogue) but they just “aren’t quite mature enough yet” to learn the specifics. You wouldn’t believe how crazy excited and eager they get to finally (approx. 5 days later) learn that fourth rule. Geez, I love middle schoolers!
Next, the class examines short stories and novels and the students explain why the author put in paragraph breaks where they did. This activity shows them correct examples of paragraph breaks and asks them to apply the rules recently discussed. If you use Mentor Sentences in class, switching to Mentor Paragraphs is super easy. Inevitably, authors don’t follow the rules to a T, and I point this out and explain that when they learn the rules, they can break the rules. So…back to the rules, for now!
Now, locate a story students are familiar with. I usually do this activity in October when we are in the throes of reading scary stories, so I use an excerpt from “Nighttown” by Robert C. San Souci.
Re-type a few paragraphs from the story BUT leave out the paragraph breaks and instead create one super long and absolutely hideous paragraph. You know, the annoying thing we are trying to break students from doing in their creative fiction and essays.
Have students read the story excerpt and decide where the paragraph breaks belong. Armed with a pair of scissors, the students cut out each paragraph, glue them onto an 11 x 17 piece of paper, and, this is the most important part, between each paragraph they explain what changed.
Getting kinesthetic!
Inevitably, students will have paragraph breaks that differ from the original author’s, but that’s okay! As long as the students can justify their thinking (and it’s reasonable, of course!), I accept their answers.
Put those breaks where they belong!
This is consistently one of the most effective activities to get kids thinking about paragraph breaks in a more hands-on way. The difference it makes in their writing is striking and makes me way less likely to cringe when I read their writing because it is not one long and absolutely horrendous paragraph. Plus, they feel super fancy as they break up their writing appropriately.
“This definitely is a change of time!”
If your students are writing incomprehensible “paragraphs” bust out the glue and scissors and get their brains thinking about paragraph breaks in a whole new hands-on way.
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