Paragraph Writing
Andrew P. Johnson · 2024
A paragraph is a group of sentences organized around a similar idea. Large blobs of text without paragraphs are difficult to read. Paragraphs enable readers to see the structure of the text. When starting a new idea, start a new paragraph. Older students can use headings and subheadings to further delineate the text structure. Not all paragraphs have a topic sentence, but all paragraphs have a central idea. Five strategies for teaching paragraphs are described here (a) find the paragraph, (b) paragraph puzzler, (c) support-a-statement, (d) web and brainstorm, and (e) narrative text graphic organizer. Concluding paragraphs should be kept short.