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Paragraph Building Blocks

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Paragraph Building Blocks

Explore how paragraphs work, then plan, write and check one of your own. For questions with more than one correct answer, select or give all that apply.

How paragraphs work

1.Which description best explains a paragraph?

A set of sentences that develops one main idea
A list of unrelated words
A single word that names a topic
Every sentence on a page

2.Select all the reasons writers use paragraphs.

To group related ideas together
To help readers follow a change of idea
To make information easier to read
To ensure every sentence is the same length

Find the parts

3.Read this paragraph: “A community garden can make a neighbourhood a better place. Neighbours can grow fresh vegetables and herbs together. Children get a chance to learn how plants grow. People also meet and share ideas while they work. A shared garden brings useful things to the whole community.” What is the main idea introduced by the first sentence?

4.Using the community-garden paragraph above, give two details that support its main idea.

5.Match each paragraph part with its job.

Topic sentence
Supporting details
Concluding sentence

Explain or give examples about the main idea
Introduces the paragraph’s main idea
Brings the paragraph to a close

Plan and organise

6.Choose one topic for a paragraph: a place in Aotearoa you enjoy, an activity that helps you relax, or a topic of your own. Write your chosen topic.

7.Plan a paragraph about the topic you chose. Write a topic sentence, three related supporting details, and a concluding sentence.

8.Put these sentences in an order that makes a clear paragraph. Write the sentence numbers in order. Begin with sentence 2, put sentence 4 before sentence 1, and finish with sentence 3: (1) Some people bring a book or a ball to enjoy the break. (2) At lunchtime, the school courtyard becomes a lively meeting place. (3) By the end of lunch, everyone is ready to head back to class. (4) Friends chat together, while others find a sunny spot to eat.

9.In your own words, explain one way good paragraph organisation helps a reader.

Write and check

10.Write a complete paragraph using your plan. Include a topic sentence, supporting details and a concluding sentence.

11.Use the COPS proofreading check on the paragraph you wrote. Fill in the four words represented by C, O, P and S in the blanks below. Then tick each item when you have checked it in your paragraph: C = __________ ☐ O = __________ ☐ P = __________ ☐ S = __________ ☐

Draw a simple visual to show how a topic sentence, supporting details and a concluding sentence connect to develop one main idea.