English Language Arts6-8
Paragraph Writing Workshop for Substitute Teachers
By David B.
An 80-minute block-day paragraph writing lesson in which students craft a five-sentence paragraph about a favorite hobby or school subject. It builds clear topic sentences, supporting details, and vocabulary using a brainstorming word bank and graphic organizer, scaffolded for students writing at a 2nd–5th grade level in a middle school SDC class.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this as a self-directed block for a substitute: the schedule runs 10 minutes of hook and topic selection, 20 minutes of brainstorming with a word bank, 20 minutes on a graphic organizer, and the remaining time for drafting and sharing.
- Discussion question: What makes a topic sentence clear, and how does it tell the reader what the paragraph is about?
- Scaffold for struggling writers: allow them to dictate sentences to an adult or use sentence starters, and provide the action-word and adjective word bank as a printed reference.
- Extension for advanced students: ask them to add a concluding sentence and use at least two sensory details in their supporting sentences.
- Estimated time: about 80 minutes total, including a short wrap-up where students read one sentence aloud to the class.
English Language Arts6-8
Paragraph Writing Workshop for Substitute Teachers
By David B.
An 80-minute block-day paragraph writing lesson in which students craft a five-sentence paragraph about a favorite hobby or school subject. It builds clear topic sentences, supporting details, and vocabulary using a brainstorming word bank and graphic organizer, scaffolded for students writing at a 2nd–5th grade level in a middle school SDC class.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this as a self-directed block for a substitute: the schedule runs 10 minutes of hook and topic selection, 20 minutes of brainstorming with a word bank, 20 minutes on a graphic organizer, and the remaining time for drafting and sharing.
- Discussion question: What makes a topic sentence clear, and how does it tell the reader what the paragraph is about?
- Scaffold for struggling writers: allow them to dictate sentences to an adult or use sentence starters, and provide the action-word and adjective word bank as a printed reference.
- Extension for advanced students: ask them to add a concluding sentence and use at least two sensory details in their supporting sentences.
- Estimated time: about 80 minutes total, including a short wrap-up where students read one sentence aloud to the class.