In writing, students begin by learning letters, then words, and finally sentences. In time, students learn how to write a paragraph by taking those sentences and organizing them around a common topic. Learning how to write a paragraph can be challenging since it requires knowing how to write a great topic sentence, using supporting details and transitional words, as well as finding a strong concluding sentence. In fiction, writing a paragraph means understanding which ideas go together and where a new paragraph should begin.
At Time4Writing.com, you’ll find plenty of resources to help students learn how to write a paragraph as well as improve their paragraph writing skills, including free writing resources on topic sentences and the different types of paragraphs, such as descriptive, expository, and narrative. Articles will assist you in guiding your students and the activities allow them to practice their skills using printable worksheets and quizzes, video lessons, and interactive games. For further instruction on how to write a paragraph, eight-week writing courses are available for all levels.
A topic sentence needs to grab readers' attention in order to make them want to continue to read. It should also give them an idea of what's to come. As if that weren't enough, the writer must make sure the topic sentence is well written and free of errors. Remember, what makes someone's writing stand out isn't always what they say, but also how they say it. ... Read More »
Without strong and vivid supporting details, it hardly matters what a great topic sentence a writer has created for a paragraph. It's the supporting details, in the form of facts, descriptions, and examples, that back up the claim made in that sentence. The supporting details are important enough that you could think of them as the real meat of any paragraph. ... Read More »
It is important for students to know how to write a strong concluding sentence, whether to drive the final point home or to transition to the next point. A concluding sentence clinches everything mentioned in a paragraph. It may restate the claim in the topic sentence, but now it has all the supporting details behind it. Whether it reinforces the topic or leads into the following topic, a paragraph's concluding sentence plays an important role. ... Read More »
Using connecting words between sentences builds the unity and coherence of paragraphs. Words like next, similarly, or for instance make sentences flow together, showing how supporting details build on each other and relate to the topic. Creating this flow with connecting words builds the paragraph up to a strong concluding sentence. Unity and coherence makes the entire paragraph effective. ... Read More »
Because there are three types of paragraphs—narrative, descriptive, and expository—the paragraph can be used to describe or explain an endless variety of things. It's important to know how to use each type of paragraph for the right purpose, though. Narrative paragraphs tell about a scene or event, descriptive paragraphs give vivid descriptions of one subject, and expository paragraphs provide information. These three types of paragraphs are powerful tools for writers. ... Read More »