Strategies to Teach

Paragraph Writing

to

Primary Students

Handbook 3

Kavita Grover

As a part of my research in classroom intervention to accelerate students’ learning the given worksheets are a compilation of worksheets and strategies to teach students from grades 3-5 to write an organised paragraph. I have presented my research work in three parts.

Handbook 1: What is a paragraph and parts of a paragraph

Handbook 2: Types of paragraphs

Handbook 3: Using graphic organisers to teach paragraph writing

Kavita Grover Page 1

Worksheet 1

Foreign Lands

Up into the cherry tree

Who should climb but little me?

I held the trunk with both my hands

And looked abroad on forging lands.

I saw the next-door garden lie,

Adorned with flowers before my eyes,

And many pleasant places more

That I had never seen before.

I saw the dimpling river pass

And be the sky’s blue looking glass:

The dusty roads go up and down

With people tramping into town.

If I could find a higher tree,

Farther and farther I could see

To where the grown-up river slips

Into the sea among the ships.

To where the roads on either hand

Lead onwards into fairy land.

Where all the children dine at five

And all the playthings come alive.

Kavita Grover Page 2

1) This poem tells you about a little boy’s wish to see foreign lands. Now

answer the questions given below.

a) From where did the poet see the ‘foreign lands’?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

b) What did the poet see next door?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

c) How does the poet describe the river?

d) Why was he looking for a ‘higher tree’?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

e) According to the poet what happens in the fairy land?_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2) Rearrange the sentences in the correct order/sequence. Write them in the flow chart.a) If the poet could climb a higher tree he would see the river slip into the

sea.b) He could see the children dine at five and all the playthings come alive.c) The poet saw the dusky roads go up and down.d) The poet saw the next-door garden decorated with flowers.e) The roads on either hand led to the fairy land.f) The poet wanted to climb a cherry tree.g) The poet held the trunk of the cheery tree with both his hands.

Kavita Grover Page 3

Zz

Now write a paragraph on ‘Foreign lands’.

3) Now write a paragraph on ‘Foreign Lands’.

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Kavita Grover Page 4

Worksheet 2

1) With the help of the concept map write a paragraph on ‘Nests ‘describing the types of nests made by different animals.

Your paragraph should have the following: (a) Main idea, (b) Topic sentence (c) Supporting sentences (d) Concluding sentences.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Kavita Grover Page 5

Worksheet 3

Describe the water cycle.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Kavita Grover Page 6

Worksheet 5

1) Study the concept map and answer the given questions.

a) What was Birbal’s real name?

b) Why was Birbal made a minister in Akbar’s court ?

2) Write a short paragraph on Raja Birbal.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kavita Grover Page 7

Worksheet 5

STORY GRAMMAR

The Tree Goddess

Complete the story-map with appropriate words given in brackets.

1) Setting:

2) Beginning:

3) Happenings or events leading to the end: Middle

End:

Kavita Grover Page 8

Characters (who): ____________________________________________

Place (where): _______________________________________________

Time (when): ________________________________________________

Problem:

1. The king wants to build the most _____________ place supported on one ____________ made from

the _____________ of the tallest tree growing in his kingdom.

(trunk, magnificent, column, deodar)

1) The King sends the _________ and his ___________ to find the tallest deodar tree in the kingdom.

2) They find the most magnificent ________ not far from the city.

3) The tree is ____________ by the people because a Tree Goddess lives in it.

4) The Prime Minister and his people pray and __________ the Tree Goddess that she must leave her _______.

5) She understands their message and appears to the King in his _______.

6) She _________ to the King to spare the three.

7) When the king refuses her ________ , she requests to be ______in three strokes.

8) The King wants to know the reason of her __________ request.

9) She says that her children grow around her and her heavy weight would ________ all of them. If she was to be cut

in three parts some of them would be ______.

( tree, Prime Minister, worshipped, dream, abode, plea, pleads, spared, men, felled, warn, _________ )

The ____________ King changes his mind and the _________ deodar tree is spared.

(lofty, astonished)

Worksheet 6

Objective: Picture comprehension

Skill: Synthesis of a story using visual prompts.

1) The pictures below have got mixed up. Put them in the correct order and write a story. Take the help of the story map to write your story.

Kavita Grover Page 9

General Story Map

Setting: When

Where

Characters:

Beginning:

Middle/Main events:

Conclusion:

Worksheet 7

Build a story pyramid

After you have read a story, you can build a story pyramid. The numbered

directions below tell you how to fill in each level of the pyramid.

1. ___________

2. _________________

3. _____________________

4. _________________________

5. ____________________________

6. __________________________________

7. __________________________________________

8. ________________________________________________

Write a short story about a squirrel.

a) Name the main character

b) 2 words: describe the main character

c) 3 words: describe the setting

d) 4 words: describe the main character’s goal or setting

e) 5 words: describe an important event

f) 6 words: describe the conclusion

g) 7 words : describe your favourite part

h) 8 words: what would you tell others about the story?

Kavita Grover Page 10

Worksheet 8

Story in Action

The Loyal Mongoose

Once there was a farmer who lived with his wife and their little son at the end of a village. They owned a big field on which they grew seasonal vegetables. From time to time, they went to the town and sold these vegetables to earn their living. They always took their son along as there was no one to care for him while they were away.

One evening, when they were walking back from the field, they heard a whining sound from the bushes. When they looked in they found a baby mongoose who was hurt in one foot. They decided to carry it home and tend it. The farmer’s was reluctant but agreed when the farmer assured her that it would grow up to be a pet for their son.

One day, the farmer’s wife went to the market to buy groceries for the house. While, leaving, she told her husband to keep an eye on the baby, who was fast asleep. She was still not confident leaving the baby with the mongoose.

“Please don’t be afraid,” said the farmer. Our pet is as sweet and loving as our baby.”

As he sat on the veranda cleaning his ploughing implements he saw black smoke coming from behind a tree. He dropped everything and ran out to the field to see what had happened.

The farmer’ wife soon returned with a bag of groceries. She found the mongoose sitting on the doorstep. He had blood smeared on his mouth and paws. Searching frantically for her husband, she ran in screaming “Blood!” and struck the mongoose with all her strength with a heavy bag. Inside, she found the baby fast asleep. But on the ground below the cot, lay a long, black snake, torn and bleeding.

Immediately she realised her mistake and ran out to the mongoose. She touched the mongoose tenderly and cried, “You killed the snake and saved my child.” But the mongoose did not move. He was dead. With tears in her eyes she looked at the mongoose.

Kavita Grover Page 11

Story in Action

Kavita Grover Page 12

A farmer lived with…….

in ……

--

……… to earn…..

………….

--

while coming……

………………….

bushes.

--

A ………………..

……………who…

…………………..

--

………………………….

…………………

--

was ………… but then……..

……………….

--

farmer’s wife ……

…………..

--

grocery …………

………………….

--

to………………

………………..

--

black …………..

…………………

-- ……………………………………

--

saw the …………

………………….

………................

--

blood…………………………………………………

--

struck …..

………….

………….

--

She found ………

………………….

………………….

--

lay……………............................

…………….......

--

she realized …….

…………………..

………………….

--

…………………

………………..

…………………..

--

grew

inside the

house

she

he hadWhen she returned

he ran

Farmer sawtold her

to

One day wife

decided to

They found

one

evening

but

below

the cot

1) Answer the following briefly.

A. Why did the famer and his wife go to the town from time to time?B. Why did the farmer decide to carry the hurt baby mongoose home?C. What lesson do you learn from the story?D. Who do you like more the farmer or his wife and why?

2) Rewrite the story in our own words.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kavita Grover Page 13