Lesson Planning of Guided Paragraph Writing
Subject English
Grade 3rd
Students` Learning Outcomes
- Use appropriate vocabulary and tense to write a simple guided paragraph by giving general physical description of a person / object.
Information for Teachers
- Paragraph is a set of a few sentences written together to highlight one important point.
- A paragraph has a main sentence and then its explanation.
- When we write we must put all the sentences about one thing or idea together in a paragraph i.e. every paragraph talks about just one thing in detail.
- Topic sentence: It is the main sentence or idea around which the development of the paragraph takes place. All the sentences have an idea, the whole paragraph moves around the information related to that idea only.
- During discussion revise the idea of topic sentence or title sentence around which each paragraph develops.
- Allow the students to write about anyone or anything. They can write about a cartoon character, a cricketer, a TV star, a member of their family, the school chowkidar / security guard, shopkeeper, a farmer, or a milk man.
- Don`t limit their choices to ‘Mother’ or ‘Teacher’.
- Describing words are also called adjectives. These are to be used for describing the shape, size, colour and physical appearance of the person they plan to write a paragraph about.
- Shapes: round, oval, heart, rectangle, triangle, square, circle, etc.
- Size: tall, short, small, big, long, thin, tiny, heavy, light, etc.
- Colour: white, dark, fair, fine, shiny, or any other colour for clothes, eyes, hair, etc.
- Physical appearance: It can have size and shape coming into it. Besides this, the words like beautiful, nice, strong, dirt, fat, thin, slim, handsome, etc. could also be used.
Note:
- This SLO will be divided into two lesson plans.
- Lesson plan 1 will focus on revising the concept of describing words / adjectives of size, shape, colour, and physical appearance.
- Lesson plan 2 will focus on writing a paragraph about any one of the above mentioned people, using guided word bank of describing words about size, shape, colour and physical appearance.
- While teaching the lesson, the teacher should also use the textbook at all steps where it is required.
Material / Resources
Writing board, chalk / marker, duster, textbook, chart, newspaper /magazine cuttings, photographs, real objects that the students can see and describe, The printed pictures given below are for teacher`s reference only.
Introduction
- Call any one student in front of the class. Ask the class to describe the colour of his hair and the type of his hair (straight, wavy, long).
- Repeat the activity with two more students.
- Note down the adjectives used by the students on the board.
- Display a flower pot / vase / school bag / toy car/ book, pencil, notebooks, etc. in front of the class, so that it can be seen by all the students.
- Note down the words describing the chosen object on the board.
- Revise the concept that the words which describe the colour, size, shape and quality of something are known as adjectives.
Development
Activity 1
- Ask the students:
- What is the meaning of shape, size, colour and physical appearance?
- Ask the students to tell the size, shape, colour and physical appearance of the item / thing displayed in the class. For example; chalk, pencil, book, desk, student or any other thing in the class. Make columns like this:
Activity 2
- Ask a student to describe a person of his / her choice using 2-3 adjectives.
- Make columns like this:
- My friend Ali has got dark brown hair and black eyes.
- Write the sentence on the board.
- Underline the helping verbs in these sentences.
- Tell the students that since the described object is present in front of them, they should use verbs in the present tense e.g. is, has, have.
Activity 3
- Ask the students to face each other as pairs. They must observe each other carefully.
- Describe the student in your pair. Use at least 5-6 describing words. Write 4 sentences in your notebooks.
- Remind the students the structure of the paragraph: the topic sentence, the details and the conclusion / ending.
Sample:
- Topic sentence:Aria has thick, black hair. She has shining and brown eyes.
- Details: She wears a neat and tidy uniform. She is very helpful and caring. She is my best friend.
- Conclusion / ending: I like her because of her good habits.
Sample –Guided Paragraph:
- Aria has thick, black hair and shining, and brown eyes. She wears a neat and tidy uniform. She is very helpful and caring. She is my best friend. I like her because of her good habits.
Sum up / Conclusion
(Individual presentation)
- Ask the students to give examples of describing words for size, shape, colour and physical appearance / texture.
- Ask the students to tell describing words for physical appearance of sky, class, ball, etc.
- Allow the students to revise and tell a describing word for size, shape and colour of any students` bag, book, duster, dustbin etc.
- Ask the students to tell the meaning of the topic sentence and to give an example.
- Ask the students to tell three things to be covered in a paragraph.
- Find the exercise related to the topic in the textbook. Students must do this exercise in the notebook or on the textbook.
Assessment
- Ask the students to write a short paragraph of five sentences describing their favourite object / person.
- Ask the students to give a list of describing words of size, shape, colour and physical appearance of the items/pictures displayed in the class.
Teacher can take newspaper cutting of the thing or person that he / she wants the students to write the paragraph about. The paragraph could be of five to six sentences.
Follow up
- Ask the students to describe one favourite toy and write the description in their notebooks.
- They can also write five sentences describing a farmer, a milkman or a rickshaw driver using the describing words.