Unit: ELA – paragraph writing Teacher: Amy Tatro

Grade: 4 Date: November 19, 2019

Paragraph Writing Part 1 – Topic Sentences and Details

OBJECTIVES
GLO’s 1. Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to explore thoughts,
ideas, feelings and experiences.
3. Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to manage ideas and
information.
SLO’s 1.2 Clarify and Extend: Combine Ideas - use talk, notes, personal writing and
representing to record and reflect on ideas, information and experiences
3.1 Plan and Focus: Determine information needs - decide on and select the
information needed to support a point of view
3.3 Organize, Record and Evaluate: Organize Information - record ideas and
information that are on topic.
Learning - Review what makes a good topic sentence
Objectives - Learn how to plan out three details and use those to make sentences within the
paragraph.
ASSESSMENTS
“Looking for” - Understand how to write a paragraph with a single topic
Key Questions - Include at least three details in the paragraph
Products / - Paragraph with proper topic sentence & details
Performances
RESOURCES MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT
- Powerpoint (created by me) - Computer/projector
- Paragraph writing PDF (TPT – from Sophie)
LESSON OUTLINE THINGS TO CONSIDER / NOTES
Intro: Today we are building a paragraph burger, the - I really think this analogy works well,
top bun is the topic sentence. The filling is the especially with the irrelevant details
(1 min) details, and the bottom bun is the closing example further down.
sentence, but we won’t be getting to that today.
Body: So first we are going to review topic sentences. - Might have been a bit antsy going
- Review: Fall, and supermarket paragraphs through paragraphs they had already
(5-10 - Topic sentences RE-WORD the Topic that you seen but I made sure to more through
mins) want to write about. it quickly, emphasizing the main ideas.
- Go over some of the answers that were given - Spent more time blurting out what
on the topic sentence worksheet last week. Show topic question the answer was related
better answers. to, instead of possibly realizing why it
was bad.
- Now, on to the details, the tomato, lettuce, and
cheese & meat.
(~3-5 - We need these details in our burger because
mins) they get us FED, a burger with just bun isn’t a
good burger.
Our details will get us FED, they are Facts, - Not sure I emphasized it as an
Examples, and Describe. Facts give writing true acronym enough: “F.E.D. Fed!” is what
meaning. You can add personal experiences or I should have done.
detailed examples. Or you could describe the - I think they understood but probably
will need reminders of the acronym.
Unit: ELA – paragraph writing Teacher: Amy Tatro
Grade: 4 Date: November 19, 2019

topic by creating imagery, a picture in the

reader’s mind.
- Point out details in Fall paragraph, each relates
to one of FED.

- How about this one, what detail doesn’t belong

(~3-5 in this paragraph? My sister doesn’t like pizza. It - This worked great, was a great way
mins) is related because it’s about pizza, but the whole to make it humorous having irrelevant
paragraph is about my like of pizza, not my info, no one wanted spaghetti in their
sister’s. Putting that detail in is like putting burger.
spaghetti in your burger. It is still a food, but it
doesn’t make sense in the burger.
Another example: I don’t like to eat fish.
Closure: So now, you are going to write out a plan, you - Emphasize planning more!
(1-3 will write your topic and three details in just a
mins) few words, then write them out in sentences for
your paragraph.

Overall, great lesson, so great that my TA said she was going to keep my powerpoint for use in future
years. Everyone understood what was being said, attention was kept for more of it (some drifting when
going over the bad topic sentences, but only because they were thinking of what topic it came from).
The paragraphs we got handed in were good, some even added a closing sentence even though they
didn’t have to. Lots forgot to write up their plan, which isn’t necessary at this point, but it is good
practice for future writing in higher grades. They were all good at not putting spaghetti in their burgers.