The Importance of Paragraph Writing
Paragraph writing is one of the fundamental skills elementary students and middle school students need to conquer before they can tackle content based writing. Without mastering paragraph writing, students are unprepared for essay writing. Paragraph writing is a fundamental step that children must take in their journey from sentence writing to essay writing. Knowing how to write a paragraph is vitally important because the paragraph is the basic unit of the essay. As sentences are the building blocks of paragraphs, paragraphs are the building blocks of non-fiction essays.
Paragraph Writing Basics
Paragraph structures vary depending on the topic being discussed; however, the basic outline of most non-fiction based paragraphs is the same. To master paragraph writing, children need to learn how to outline–starting with the basic paragraph. (Having an outline is important because it adds structure to one’s thoughts, and guides the writer as he puts pen to paper, reminding him of the structure that he is aiming for.)
T. S. Topic or Introductory Sentence
A. Supporting Details
B. Supporting Details
C. Supporting Details
D. Supporting Details
C. S. Conclusion Sentence
Below is an example of an outline about peaches and including them as part of a healthy diet.
T. S. Peaches, healthy, menu
A. healthy, vitamin C and fiber
B. delicious breakfast, lunch, or dinner
C. cold: salads or smoothies
D. cooked: cobblers, pies, preserves
C. S.: Peaches, eating easy, delicious.
Writing the Paragraph
Peaches make a healthy addition to any menu. Not only are they delicious, but they are also rich in both fiber and Vitamin C. Their versatility makes them a great addition to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Many people enjoy sliced peaches as a part of a healthy morning breakfast or a delicious salad for lunch. During snack time, peaches are often blended with other fruit to make delicious fruit smoothies. For dinner, they can even be used to make fantastic desserts such as fruit cobblers and pies. Peaches make healthy eating easy and delicious.