Lesson Plan of Analyzing Paragraphs-IV
English Grade VIII
Students Learning Outcomes
· Analyze paragraphs to identify sentences that support the main idea through
v Definition
v Example
v Evidence
v Illustration
v Cause and effect
v Comparison and contrast
Information for Teacher
· Each paragraph must have a topic sentence and supporting details to compliment it.
· The topic sentence contains the central idea about which a paragraph is established.
· A good paragraph has the following characteristics:
1. It introduces the topic of sentence without announcing it.
2. It has modifiers to hold the attention of reader.
3. It makes the reader think.
· Features of effective topic sentence:
1. Specific words
2. Verbs
3. Modifiers(Adverbs, Adjective)
Concept Map
Material / Resources
Chalk/marker, board, duster, worksheets, textbook
Worm up activity
· WRITE THE FOLLOWING SHORT PARAGRAPH ON THE BOARD.
· ASK STUDENTS TO WORK IN PAIRS, READ THE PARAGRAPH AND SOLVE THE QUESTIONS GIVEN AT THE END.
THE RULES OF CONDUCT DURING AN EXAMINATION ARE CLEAR. NO BOOKS, CALCULATORS OR PAPERS ARE ALLOWED IN THE TEST ROOM. PROCTORS WILL NOT ALLOW ANYONE WITH SUCH ITEMS TO TAKE THE TEST. ANYONE CAUGHT CHEATING WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE THE ROOM. HIS OR HER TEST SHEET WILL BE TAKEN. THE INCIDENT WILL BE REPORTED TO THE PAPER AUTHORITY. AT THE END OF THE TEST PERIOD, ALL MATERIALS WILL BE RETURNED TO THE PROCTOR. FAILED TO ABIDE BY THESE RULES WILL RESULT IN A FAILING GRADE FOR THIS TEST.
Questions:
Q1. What is the main idea of the paragraph?
Q2. Find out the topic sentence?
Q3. Can you find some details which are related to the main idea of the story?
Q4. Can you find an example and give an evidence to prove your answer?
Development
Activity 1
· Give students the following story to read. Then ask the given questions from the students.
· Appreciate the students if they answer correctly and encourage them to re-read the story if they couldn’t answer correctly.
· In the end give students the multiple choice questions.
A cold day
It is a frigid January day in Quetta. The temperature is below freezing. Snow is starting to fall. Dr. Ali turns on the television to check the weather. He must leave for his work at the hospital soon.
“Today is going to be very cold”, says the TV weatherman. “Be sure to wear very warm clothes when you go outside. Also, be careful driving on the roads. Snow fall will make them slippery. In fact if you can stay home today, do it!”
Dr. Ali can’t stay home. Very sick people are waiting to see him at the hospital. He goes to his closet. He takes out the warmest clothes he has. He puts on a sweater, jacket, gloves, socks, boots and a hat. He opens his front door to off to work. A gust of cold air blows inside.
“Wow, it is very cold outside,” Dr. Ali says. He is from Karachi and doesn’t like the cold. “The weatherman was right!”
Before he can drive to work, Dr. Ali must clear the snow off his car. He does this very fast. He hops in the car. He shivers. His neck feels especially cold.
Dr. Ali droves slowly to work, everyone else are driving slowly, too. There is a lot of traffic on the road. There are cars in front and behind. Suddenly, the cars in front of Dr. Ali come to a stop. There has been an accident! Dr. Ali hurries from his car to check on the driver of the car that has swerved off the road. “Is everyone okay?” Dr. Ali asks.
“Yes, yes we are fine. We slipped on a patch of ice,” the driver says. “This would have been a good day to stay home in bed”.
Questions:
Q1. What do you know about the term ‘main idea’?
Q2. What is this story about?
Q3. Find out the topic sentence?
Q4. Can you find some examples which are related to the main idea of the story? Tell any two.
Q5. Find out a sentence which has a cause and effect relationship.
MCQ,s (Tick the correct answer)
1) What does it mean if the weather is frigid?
A. It is very cold
B. It is very rainy
C. It is very windy
D. It is very slippery
2) In which city does this story take place?(cause and effect)
A. Quetta
B. Karachi
C. Lahore
D. Multan
3) Why doesn’t Dr. Ali stay at home today? (cause and effect)
A. There are sick people waiting for him.
B. He doesn’t believe the weatherman.
C. He has to clear the snow off his car.
D. He must help the people in the accident.
4) What could Dr. Ali have put on his neck to keep it warm?
5) What does Dr. Ali do before he leaves for work?
A. Dresses warmly
B. Calls the hospital
C. Watches the weather
D. Clears the snow from his car
6) What is most likely true about Karachi?
A. It is a hot place
B. It is a rainy place
C. It is a windy place
D. It is a place where people drive slowly.
7) How are people driving today?
A. Badly
B. Slowly
C. Very fast
D. Carelessly
8) What does it mean if the roads are slippery?
A. The roads are full of cars.
B. The roads are easy to slide on.
C. The roads are very long and curvy
D. The roads lead to a place with lots of snow.
9) Why does Dr. Ali clear the snow off his car quickly?(cause and effect)
A. He is very cold
B. He is late for work
C. He knows his patients are waiting
D. He knows he will have to drive slowly.
10) There is a lot of traffic on the road. Choose another way to write this sentence.
A. There is a lot of snow on the road.
B. There are a lot of cars on the road.
C. There are a lot of accidents on the road.
D. There are a lot of people walking on the road.
11) Why did the car have an accident? (Cause and effect)
A. Because it was snowing outside.
B. Because Dr. Ali hit the car.
C. Because it was so cold outside.
D. Because the car slipped on a patch of ice.
12) What is an accident?
A. Something that happens only in the snow.
B. Something that happens only with cars
C. Something that happens that has not been.
D. Something that happens because other people want it to.
13) Why does Dr. Ali hurry from his car after the accident?
A. He is very cold.
B. He wants to get to the hospital.
C. He is worried about his patients.
D. He wants to make sure the people in the car are okay.
Answer key:
1. It is very cold
2. Quetta
3. He must help people in the accident.
4. Scarf
5. Clears the snow from his car.
6. It is a hot place.
7. Slowly
8. The roads are easy to slide on.
9. He knows his patients are waiting.
10. There are a lot of cars on the road.
11. Because the car slipped on a patch of ice.
12. Something that happens with cars.
13. He wants to make sure the people in the car are okay.
Sum up / Conclusion
· Conclude the lesson by repeating the main points of the lesson.
Assessment
· Ask the students to read carefully the following paragraph and then answer the question given at the end.
Whales, one of nature’s largest mammals, can be divided into two categories. Baleen whales are one kind of whale. Baleen whales have a type of keratin called baleen that hangs in their mouths and sifts food from the ocean waters. Baleen whales can consume up to 9,000 pounds of fish a day. The toothed whale is the other type of whale. The toothed whales have teeth instead of baleen. They gnaw and chew on their meals. Like the baleen whales, the toothed whales consume large portions of food each day. Though many varieties of whales exist in our oceans, they are all categorized according to whether they have baleen or teeth inside their gigantic mouths.
Q1: which sentence is the main sentence?
Q2: is it an effective topic sentence? Why or why not?
Answer key:
A1: Whales, one of nature’s largest mammals, can be divided into two categories.
A2: yes it is because it tells about the whales and its categories which is later on discussed in the passage.
Follow up
· Ask the students to find a topic sentence, a supporting detail and at least two evidences from any paragraph of a newspaper, magazine or a story book.