Lesson Plan: Paragraph Power

Prerequisites
Students can distinguish among main ideas, supporting ideas, and details. Students can organize their ideas using the numbers 1-3 to represent main ideas, supporting ideas, and details, respectively. Students can create Word Power, Phrase Power, and Sentence Power Outlines.

Materials
Computers (Internet Connection) White Board & Marker Paper, Pens/Pencils PowerPoint

Learner Objective
Students will write paragraphs based on sentence outlines.

Behavioral Objective
Students will reformat sentences from a Sentence Power Outline into an appropriately formatted paragraph, using indentation.

Anticipatory Set
Show students a PowerPoint slide of a short paragraph in 1-2-3-2-3 order. Ask them what they are looking at. Wait until a student says paragraph. If none do, elicit the proper response through giving hints (e.g. write one letter of the word at a time on the board).

Input
Explain to students that they will learn to transform sentence outlines into paragraphs.

Direct Instruction/Modeling
1. Ask students what a paragraph is. Write their answers on the board. 2. Show a PowerPoint slide containing the following definition of a paragraph. Read it out loud: A paragraph is a group of sentences related to a main idea. 3. Ask the students to chorally repeat the definition of a paragraph. 4. Show them slides of random sentences organized to look like a paragraph that have no relationship to a main idea. Then show them paragraphs that do relate to a main idea. Ask which is a proper paragraph. 5. Show students a slide of a Sentence Power Outline and ask them how they could transform it into a paragraph. 6. Show them a slide of the same sentences rearranged into a paragraph.

Comprehension Check
Show students a simple 1-2-3 Sentence Power Outline. Ask them to rewrite it on a piece of paper in large letters so you can see it from the front of the room and hold it up when they are done. Check for comprehension. If they do not understand, review the definition and formatting of a paragraph and give them more practice until they do understand.

Guided Instruction
Show a slide of a simple 1-2-3 Sentence Power Outline. Rewrite it on the board. Ask students to rewrite it on their sheets. Then ask them to add an additional 2 and 3 to the paragraph. Give them 3 minutes to do this. Monitor and give feedback.

Independent Practice
Relocate to computer lab. Visit Power Writing Workshop website. Have students read the Paragraph Power lesson and complete the activities.