Using paragraphs

Using paragraphs

Pencil and paper
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
This task is about breaking a text into paragraphs.
a)  Ina wrote a story about what she did on Saturday. She wrote a good story but she forgot to use paragraphs.
Read Ina's story. Then go back and draw a line (like this: ) in each place a new paragraph is needed.
The first one has been done for you.
 

Ina

On Saturday morning we got up really early and watched cartoons on TV. There was this really funny bit on 'What Now' when Mike tipped a bottle of milk over Tina's head. I pretended to tip a bottle of milk over Sam's head but he didn't laugh. At nine o'clock Mum got up. We got told off for making a mess in the lounge. It wasn't even that messy. There were just a few cushions and some Lego on the floor. There was some milk on the floor too, but hardly any. Mum said we had to clean everything up. I ended up cleaning most of it up by myself. Sam just pretended to help. Then we went to swimming lessons. I am in the Sharks group and Sam is in the Tadpoles. I am the best at backstroke in our group. My swimming teacher said I might be able to go in the inter-club swimming competition. After swimming we went to McDonalds for lunch. Yum! I had a Big Mac Combo and Sam had a Cheeseburger Combo. We got some stickers with our meals. Mum had a coffee. She doesn't like McDonalds' food that much. When we got home Sam and I made a hut in the basement under our house. We got some old furniture and set it up. It looked really good but it was quite dark. We had macaroni cheese for tea. I hate macaroni cheese! I call it macaroni slime. Mum said I didn't have to eat it all but I had to eat some. I ate a tiny bit. But then I ate lots of ice-cream for pudding so I wasn't hungry at all. 
 
b)  When do you need to start a new paragraph in your writing?
 
 
 
 
Task administration: 
This task can be completed with pencil and paper.
Level:
3
Curriculum info: 
English, Creating meaning, Writing
Key Competencies: 
Thinking, Using language, symbols, and texts
Keywords: 
paragraphs, recount, organisation
Description of task: 
Students read a short narrative recount and indicate each place in which a paragraph break is needed.
Curriculum Links: 
This resource can be used to help to identify students’ ability to create texts to meet the writing demands of the New Zealand Curriculum.
 

Links to the Literacy Learning Progressions for Writing:
This resource helps to identify students’ ability to:
  • use a text structure that is appropriate
  • demonstrate knowledge of how language works
as described in the Literacy Learning Progressions for Writing at: http://www.literacyprogressions.tki.org.nz/The-Structure-of-the-Progressions.
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Writing meaningful text: text features, set 4
within the Writing Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
  

Y7 (02/2002)
a)

Award 1 mark for each correctly placed line. The correct answers are indicated in the box below.
NOTE: If students have inserted more than 4 paragraph breaks, use the first 4 they have inserted to assess this task.

4 correct - moderate
3 correct - easy
2 correct - easy
1 correct - very easy
b) When you begin a new topic/subject/idea. moderate

 

On Saturday morning we got up really early and watched cartoons on TV. There was this really funny bit on 'What Now' when Mike tipped a bottle of milk over Tina's head. I pretended to tip bottle of milk over Sam's head but he didn't laugh.

At nine o'clock Mum got up. We got told off for making a mess in the lounge. It wasn't even that messy. There were just a few cushions and some Lego on the floor. There was some milk on the floor too, but hardly any. Mum said we had to clean everything up. I ended up cleaning most of it up by myself. Sam just pretended to help.

Then we went to swimming lessons. I am in the Sharks group and Sam is in the Tadpoles. I am the best at backstroke in our group. My swimming teacher said I might be able to go in the inter-club swimming competition.

After swimming we went to McDonalds for lunch. Yum! I had a Big Mac Combo and Sam had a Cheeseburger Combo. We got some stickers with our meals. Mum had a coffee. She doesn't like McDonalds' food that much.

When we got home Sam and I made a hut in the basement under our house. We got some old furniture and set it up. It looked really good but it was quite dark.

We had macaroni cheese for tea. I hate macaroni cheese! I call it macaroni slime. Mum said I didn't have to eat it all but I had to eat some. I ate a tiny bit. But then I ate lots of ice-cream for pudding so I wasn't hungry at all.