Do your students have great ideas, but lack the organization needed to communicate their ideas clearly? Try these quick, in-class exercises to promote better order in the paragraph!
CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER PARAGRAPH
Most paragraphs are arranged chronologically, or time ordered. Chronologically ordered paragraphs discuss facts in the order in which they occurred. To demonstrate this type of organization to your class, try the "Cookie Exercise."
1. Jot down the steps one would follow to mix the cookie dough, to make and to bake the cookies, and to put them on the cooling rack.
2. Then, type up the steps into a "How-To" paragraph, except completely mix up the order.
3. Make enough copies of the mixed-up "How-To" paragraph so that each student has a copy.
4. Hand out the copies, asking each student to rewrite the paragraph in the correct order on a separate sheet of paper. Be sure to indent the first line!
5. For "weekend" homework [optional] , have students write their own "How-To" paragraph on another topic of interest explaining how to do something that they like to do!
* Plan to have students practice their public speaking skills by presenting their papers/activities to the class, complete with props, photos, etc.
SPATIAL ORDER PARAGRAPH ACTIVITY #1
Pass out photos of places [ie: a room, a garden, a gymnasium, a group photo, a city street] and have the students write a rough draft of a paragraph to describe the scene either from front to back, east to west, or from north to south. Remind students to use descriptive adjectives [not just colors!] that appeal to the senses.
NOTE: if the activity is done with a junior high group, or a group needing to hone their writing ability, do the activity in pairs.
SPATIAL ORDER PARAGRAPH ACTIVITY #2
This activity can be done after Activity #1, or independent of it.
Have the students write a paragraph using spatial organization to describe their favorite spot [their bedroom, favorite restaurant, a treehouse, etc.]. This activity can be altered to having the students describe the classroom, for uniformity, but the students usually prefer to describe a spot that is meaningful to them. You might even want to have the students include a photo, sketch, or collage to illustrate their work.
NOTE: These activities are a perfect tool to develop descriptive writing techniques, like the use of concretely descriptive adjectives. You might even want to begin the activities by showing two samples of spatial paragraphs...one with the adjectives omitted, one with the adjectives intact.
Most paragraphs are arranged chronologically, or time ordered. Chronologically ordered paragraphs discuss facts in the order in which they occurred. To demonstrate this type of organization to your class, try the "Cookie Exercise."
1. Jot down the steps one would follow to mix the cookie dough, to make and to bake the cookies, and to put them on the cooling rack.
2. Then, type up the steps into a "How-To" paragraph, except completely mix up the order.
3. Make enough copies of the mixed-up "How-To" paragraph so that each student has a copy.
4. Hand out the copies, asking each student to rewrite the paragraph in the correct order on a separate sheet of paper. Be sure to indent the first line!
5. For "weekend" homework [optional] , have students write their own "How-To" paragraph on another topic of interest explaining how to do something that they like to do!
* Plan to have students practice their public speaking skills by presenting their papers/activities to the class, complete with props, photos, etc.
Pass out photos of places [ie: a room, a garden, a gymnasium, a group photo, a city street] and have the students write a rough draft of a paragraph to describe the scene either from front to back, east to west, or from north to south. Remind students to use descriptive adjectives [not just colors!] that appeal to the senses.
NOTE: if the activity is done with a junior high group, or a group needing to hone their writing ability, do the activity in pairs.
Have the students write a paragraph using spatial organization to describe their favorite spot [their bedroom, favorite restaurant, a treehouse, etc.]. This activity can be altered to having the students describe the classroom, for uniformity, but the students usually prefer to describe a spot that is meaningful to them. You might even want to have the students include a photo, sketch, or collage to illustrate their work.
NOTE: These activities are a perfect tool to develop descriptive writing techniques, like the use of concretely descriptive adjectives. You might even want to begin the activities by showing two samples of spatial paragraphs...one with the adjectives omitted, one with the adjectives intact.
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