Key Points

Paragraphs  it is all about change!

Start a new paragraph when

• There is a new topic or idea
• There is a change in time
• There is a change in location
• There is a change in the speaker
• There is a direct quote

Key Words

Location

Speaker

Topic

Time

Paragraph

Indent

Follow-Up Activities

1.Make a set of 4 cards with one word per card   location, time, speaker and topic.  Pass out a set of these 4 cards to each student.  Pick a section of a story that has several examples of each “new paragraph indicator.”  Read the story out loud the first time with the students just listening.  The second time you read the story have the students raise a card each time they think there should be a new paragraph.  Have one of the students show which card they held up and explain why they think there should be a new paragraph.

2.Have the students take out the book they are currently reading.  Ask them to randomly pick a page.  Ask them to look at the different paragraphs on the page and explain why the author started each new paragraph.

Challenge Activity

Write a short story without putting in any paragraph breaks.  Divide the class into teams.  Pass copies of the short story to each team.  Have each team try to figure out where each new paragraph should begin and why there needs to be a new paragraph.