Grammar · Text level
Deconstructing a model paragraph
Take a model paragraph apart with the class, labelling what each sentence does, then write a new paragraph together with the same structure before students write alone.
- Bands
- 2 to 5
- Stages
- Upper elementary, Middle school and High school
- Settings
- Mainstream class, Push-in support, Pull-out support and Small group
- Prep
- Medium prep
How to do it
- Show a strong model paragraph in the genre students need to write.
- Label each sentence’s job, such as point, evidence, explanation and link.
- Highlight the language that does each job.
- Write a new paragraph together on a different topic, using the same structure.
- Students write their own, with the model and the shared paragraph available.
In a lesson
English literature (high school)
The class labels a model analytical paragraph about Macbeth: the point that Shakespeare presents him as ambitious, the quotation, and the explanation of the verb “vaulting”. Together they write a paragraph about Lady Macbeth, then students write one about Banquo on their own.
What commonly goes wrong
- The shared writing step is skipped.
- The model is too long or too polished.
- The structure is treated as a formula students can’t vary.
Adapting it
For a lower band
Provide a sentence starter for each part.
For a higher band
Compare a strong and a weak model, and explain the difference.