What is a paragraph?

A paragraph is 4-8 sentences that state facts on a main subject. [A small group of students responded]

Initial response to the question

What’s wrong with this response?  Many teachers work long and hard with students to develop well-written paragraphs which include a topic sentence and supporting details and examples.  They want the students to recognize the importance of clearly communicating and supporting ideas.

However,…Here’s a snapshot of a discussion from one of my 7^th grade classes.

A small group of students numbered the paragraphs in a narrative piece of writing so they could reference the text during their discussions and written responses.  After working independently, they began to discuss how they would chunk their reading so they could stop and discuss in order to comprehend the piece. They soon discovered; they each had a different number of paragraphs for the same piece of writing.

Their discussion turned into pondering the definition of a paragraph. Does it begin when the text indents or is a paragraph 5-9 sentences?  They were struggling with a portion of the text which used dialogue and the paragraphs were 1-2 sentences long.  Their justifications were solely based on “but the teacher said.”

New definition after a group discussion
 and a bit of research.

            Pointing to a single sentence containing dialogue, “This is a paragraph,” stated one girl.

            “No, that’s not a paragraph,” responded a classmate.

            “Why?” asked the girl.

            “Because teachers always say a paragraph is 5-9 sentences long”, replied the classmate.

At no point, did they discuss the concept that a paragraph deals with a particular idea.

After resorting to an online dictionary and considering various ideas, they discovered a new definition.

            What is a paragraph?

                        A portion of writing that tells a particular idea that begins with an indentation. [Their new response.]

A couple of them are still struggling with the concept of a paragraph, but we’ll get there.

Why do I share this? Concepts are a critical component of learning.  These students (and many more) do not understand the concept of a paragraph. If they did, just imagine how their writing would improve. This idea does not stop at paragraphs. Listen to your students; do they understand the concept of a sentence, of base 10, of the water cycle? When they understand the concept, they can apply it to new learning situations and discover more.

Did you notice, my writing communicates an idea using a variety of paragraph lengths?