Paragraph Building
Friends
kind I have the best friend in the whole world. Detail
Teacher's Guide
To guide students in the process of writing meaningful paragraphs and short essays.
By Patricia Y. Lewis
ISBN 978-9962-709-11-4
Author: Patricia Y. Lewis
Executive Producer: Sheyla Henson
Edited and Revised: Celia Ana Forrester Caton
Adapted:
Pablo Vidal González Murcia
Graphic Designer: Julio Santamaria
Published by PsychoTools Inc. 2022
Paragraph Building Teacher's Guide
To guide students in the process of writing meaningful paragraphs and short essays.
By Patricia Y. Lewis
By Patricia Y. Lewis
Paragraph Building
Introduction
Dear teacher,
As fellow teachers, our main concern is that our students learn meaningfully by means of authentic resources. Therefore, we are committed to creating and providing such means to ensure the quality and depth of English mastery that can open the necessary doors for students' progressive academic growth and development. We also envision them enjoying the experience of learning and using the language at ease. What better way of expressing their thoughts and ideas, than paragraph writing?
Our goal in preparing this Paragraph Building Teacher's Guide is to provide you a hands-onmanual to assist you in the teaching-learning experience for your classroom. It mirrors the Paragraph Building Student's Workbook in order to apply the suggestions and explanations easily, making lesson planning less time-consuming. In this way, you can invest more time in enjoying the teaching process than spending endless hours with paperwork.
As a teacher, feel free to apply your own teaching style to bring about the most lasting learning moments as you work with your students and different groups.
Finally, this Paragraph Building Teacher's Guide is one of the components of the set comprised by the Paragraph Student's Workbook and the Paragraph Building Flip Book, each with its specific goals and purposes forming the complete resource pack to develop writing skills.
Sentence Writing Review
1 Part
In order to write paragraphs, students must be able to write sentences that are the components of paragraphs. The following review is to ensure that students comprehend and have mastered the basic concepts of sentence writing.
Character Setting Conclusion
The purpose of this structure and the exercises is to help students write richer sentences and therefore better paragraphs by following patterns rather than grammatical rules.
The statements will usually begin with the character and end with a conclusion. The settings usually go after the character, but in some cases they can change positions with the events.
Before writing sentences in the Workbook, students should have practiced forming sentences orally first, then by writing them on the board, and finally writing their creative sentences in the Workbook.
1. Naming Characters
The characters are the same as the subjects which are the persons, animals, or objects the sentence is about. It responds to the question who or what.
• Explain point I. to the class.
• Have students create their own characters and share them aloud.
• Write your example on the board.
• Go to page 5 in the Student´s Workbook. Indicate to the students what to do.
Sentence Writing Review Part
II. Creating a Setting
A setting is a location or place. It is where the character is or the action develops. It responds to the question where.
• Explain point II. to the class.
• Have students practice creating settings and share them on the board.
• Write your example on the board.
• Go to pages 6 - 7 in the Student´s Workbook. Indicate to students what to do.
III. Introducing an Event
The event is what happens or takes place in the setting.
• Explain point III. to the class.
• Prompt students to follow the three steps to include an event.
• Write your example on the board.
• Go to pages 8 - 9 in the Student´s Workbook. Indicate to students what to do.
in the 100m competition
Character: Setting: A boy at the swimming pool
Character: Setting: A boy at the swimming pool
Sentence Writing Review
IV. Writing a Complete Sentence
Part
The last point you need to write in a sentence is a conclusion. The conclusion is the end of events and actions the character does or what happens in the story.
• Explain the introductory line to the class, and point IV.
• Have students write complete sentences by joining a character, a setting, an event, and a conclusion.
• Remind the class to maintain the agreement between the structural elements.
• Write your example on the board.
• Turn to pages 10-11 in the Student’s Workbook. Indicate to students what to do.
Character:
Setting: A boy at the swimming pool
Event:
Conclusion:
in the 100m competition won the silver medal.
Sentence Writing Review Part
V. Using the Verb “to be” in
Sentences
Introduce
• Present the different uses of the verb “to be” in sentences.
Explain
• Explain that the verb “to be” is used in sentences that describe, identify, state a condition, or define the place or location of the character.
• The verb “to be” can either be singular or plural according to the subject.
• Write the following sentences on the board. Explain the different uses of the verb “to be”.
Different uses of the verb “to be”
Identify
State a Condition
Joshua a soccer player. A ball a sports article.
Define a place or location
Plural form of “to be”
He tall and healthy. The soccer ball and the basket ball deflated. His soccer field at the sports complex. Our playground at the field.
Joshua and Patrick popular players. Frank and Bill great players.
• Have students practice on page 12 in the Student´s Workbook.
• Indicate to students what to do.
Sentence Writing Review
Part
VI. Using the Present Progressive Form of the Verb (“verb + ing”) in Sentences
Introduce
• Emphasize that the present progressive form of the verb must express an action taking place at the moment of speech.
Explain
• Sentences in the present progressive form describe actions taking place at the moment of speech.
• Use the paragraph to help students identify the verb.
• Explain to students how to change the main verb to the “ing” form.
• Explain to students that in negative sentences “not” goes after the verb “be”.
• Present the example paragraph below on the board.
• Analyze the verbal forms with your students.
• Read the paragraph aloud with the class.
• Explain that the change of the form of the verb “be” depends on whether the subject is singular or plural
Today we are having a baby shower. My sister is shopping for healthy food, and I am buying decorations for the party. We are not getting canned drinks; instead, we are serving fresh juice. The couple is not expecting the surprise. They are relaxing at their house. We are trying to have everything ready for later. It will be amazing!
• Go to page 13 in the Student’s Workbook.
• Indicate to students what to do.
Sentence Writing Review Part
VII. Using the Past Progressive Form of the Verb (“verb + ing”) in Sentences
Introduce
• Ask students what they were doing at 3:00pm the day before.
• Model the form for the class.
Explain
• Sentences in the past progressive describe actions that were taking place at a given moment in the past.
• Review the example paragraph on page 8 and work with the students to change the same sentences to the past progressive.
• Have students change the sentences they wrote in present progressive to the past progressive.
Yesterday we were having a baby shower. My sister was shopping for healthy food, I was buying decorations for the party.
We were not getting canned drinks; instead, we were serving fresh juice.
The couple was not expecting the surprise. They were relaxing at their house. We were trying to have everything ready for the party. It was amazing!
• Prompt students to go to pages 14-15 in their Workbook.
• Indicate to students what to do.
Sentence Writing Review
Part
VIII. Introducing Compound Characters/Subjects in Sentences
Introduce
● Point to an object in the classroom.
● State a sentence about it.
● Then point to more than one object and state another sentence with both objects.
Explain
• Explain to students that characters or subjects can be compound.
• To form compound characters, they need to add another one by using “and”, or use a plural noun.
• Present the following examples on the board
One character (Subject)
Joshua is a soccer player.
He participates in tournaments every weekend and he is outstanding.
Joshua practices five days a week.
He wins almost every game.
Compound Characters (subjects)
Joshua and Patrick are soccer players.
They participate in tournaments every weekend and they are both outstanding.
Joshua and Patrick practice five days a week.
They win almost every game.
• Go to pages 16-17 in the Student´s Workbook.
• Write five sentences with a singular character/subject.
• Change the character/ subject to compound and rewrite the same sentences.
Sentence Writing Review Part
IX. Changing Sentences from Present to Future Tense with “Will” and “Be + Going to”
Introduce
• Ask a student where he/she is at this precise moment.
• Then ask the student where he/she will be/going to be two hours after.
Explain
• Explain to students how to change sentences written in the present tense to the future tense with “will” and “be + going to”.
• Present the example and emphasize the verbal changes.
• Encourage students to participate in class by sharing their examples orally.
Present Tense
My family walks our dog at the park during National Holidays.
They help it to eat and drink water.
Bill pampers the dog, because it is important to be kind.
Future Tense
My family walk our dog at the park during National Holidays. is going to will
They will help it to eat and drink water.
The dog is going to play with my brother Bill.
• Go to pages 18-19 in the Student´s Workbook.
• Read the following paragraphs.
• Write five sentences in present tense.
• Then change them to Future with “will” and “be + going to”.
Sentence Writing Review
Part
X. Using the Introductory Phrases “There Is” and “There Are” in Sentences
Introduce
• Present the following paragraph with the introductory phrases.
• Have students practice by identifying different objects in the classroom as they use the introductory phrases, “there is” (singular character) and “there are” (plural characters).
Explain
• “There is” and “There are” are introductory phrases in sentences to indicate that something or someone exists.
• Explain that either “there is” or “there are” comes before the character/s or subject/s.
• Copy the following example sentences on the board and emphasize on the introductory phrases.
There is a cat in our school. His name is Garfield; he is very fluffy and friendly. There is another cat named Ed. He is grumpy and indifferent. Kids love Garfield, but they dislike Ed. There is a big difference between both of them. If Ed were friendly like Garfield, maybe the kids would love him.
There are two sports teams in our school. The first one is the soccer team and the second one is the basketball team. There are twenty players on the soccer team, but there are ten players on the basketball team. There are more players on the soccer team than on the basketball team.
• Read the paragraphs aloud with the class.
• Reinforce that the verb changes when the verb is singular or plural.
• Go to page 20 in the Student’s Workbook.
• Indicate to students what to do.
Sentence Writing Review Part
XI. Using Negative Introductory Phrases “There is not/isn’t” and “There are not/aren’t” in Sentences
Introduce
• Have students give examples of objects that are not in the classroom.
• Indicate that “there is not/there isn’t” or “there are not/there aren´t” come before the characters or subjects in the sentence.
• Ask questions to prompt the use of the negative structure.
Explain
• Explain to students that some sentences begin with negative introductory phrases to indicate that something or someone is not present, or does not exist.
• Copy this example on the board and emphasize on the negative Introductory phrases.
Example:
There isn’t any fruit in the fridge. There aren’t any mangoes, or strawberries, or bananas to eat. There isn’t anything to offer the guests when they come to visit us. There is no food because there was no one to go to the store.
• Read the paragraph aloud with the class.
• Present the paragraph with the negative introductory phrases.
• Explain how the verb changes when the subject is plural.
• Direct students to page 21 in the Student’s Workbook.
• Indicate to students what to do.