Pet dogs were a popular topic with my third graders! Here is a great one by Ryan (3rd grade).
My dog Lucky is very nice and cute. She is always either licking or playing, and is very adventurous. Her favorite thing to do is to play in the field by the barn. When she is in the barn, she plays, chases, and doggie talks with other dogs that are walking by. However, the thing that really stands out about Lucky is her sense of adventure for being a troublemaker. I really enjoy being around my playful dog.
Here is another well-written paragraph by Noah (3rd grade).
My new puppy Lulu is fun. She is very adorable. Her toys are all ripped up from her sharp teeth. Whenever she's near me, she jumps up on my lap. Don't you wish you had a puppy like this?
We wrote these on Valentine's Day, so a few students chose the holiday as their topic. Here is a great paragraph by Sarah (3rd grade) that recaps her day:
Valentine's Day is exciting, especially when it is at school. At the end of school, we get to have a really fun party with some of our classroom parents. This year in 2012, we had three parents there. Every year we have a treat, and this year we had cookies and some cheese puffs. Valentine's Day was really fun this year!
My older classes participated in a more complicated game assignment. "The Paragraph Game" was one the students showed a lot of enthusiasm for! Our classroom was abuzz with partners working together and drawing numbers out of a bag, either excited about their draw or challenged by what the number on their card meant for them! Each number, 1-10, corresponded to a sentence type or pattern. Here are a few samples:
1. Write a sentence with at least two strong adjectives.
2. Write a sentence with an adverb.
3. Start a sentence with an adverb. (This one was a challenge!)
4. Vary your punctuation- use " ", ?, or !
5. Start a sentence with "Because."
6. Include a phrase that tells "when" in your sentence.
And more!
The students picked a topic they both agreed upon from a long list of choices, such as "A Yucky Food," "A Favorite Class," "Animals," "A Famous Person," "A Favorite Sport," etc. They then took turns drawing a number from the bag, and the object of the game was to think creatively to write a sentence following the corresponding number pattern. If it felt too forced or was just too difficult, they were allowed one "pass" per game. (Most students didn't take any!) They would know when to conclude their paragraph when, as a partnership or group, they both felt that their most recent draw was a nice conclusion sentence. (For example, "Start a sentence with an adverb" and "Vary your punctuation" worked well with this.) Paragraphs could be between four and eight sentences long.
This game led to some very creative, humorous, and entertaining paragraphs with such a wonderful variety of sentence patterns that it was impossible to become bored reading them!
(*Note to other teachers: This is NOT a good technique to use for beginners. I did this with my more advanced group who had already been exposed to the concept of varying sentence patterns. I created this game in order to challenge them to think outside the box while coming up with sentences that connected and stayed on topic. It was definitely a fun challenge!)
Sulwen, Crystal, and Claire (all 4th graders) worked together on the topic of "A Yucky Food." I love what they came up with. I can tell which sentence pattern number they drew because each sentence is unique and different!
Brussel Sprouts
Truly, brussel sprouts are so disgusting that they make me sick. "Blech!" I say as I spit out my brussel sprouts. They're green and gross. Whenever I have brussel sprouts for dinner, I angrily push them off my plate. Because they are repulsive, I always stay away from them. They are so appalling that I have nightmares about them.
Cody and Henry (both 5th grade) took the game a little different route. They decided on the topic of "A Favorite Game," but instead of writing an informative paragraph, they wrote a mini-story about a tough recess. It turned out great!
4-Square
Surprisingly, I survived Bob's deadly pass and got him out in four-square. "Whoa!" I shouted, as I realized that I got him out. Because I got him out, Bob started crying. A yard duty quickly came running to us to see what happened to Bob. When she came to us, Bob lied and told her that I was being mean to him. That wasn't very fair! I was the one playing fair!
I continue to be impressed by what these students come up with in my workshops!
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