Tip #173 from 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents (McKinley, Trombly): Paragraph Writing

Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly.

#173
Paragraph Writing

Act as if it were impossible to fail.
~Dorothea Broude

Does your child receive any magazine subscriptions? If you are considering subscribing to a magazine for your child, consider subscribing to one that contains factual, informative articles. Magazines such as Ranger Rick and ZooBooks have informational articles about animals, people and actual world events. If you want to try out a magazine before committing to it, you may want to visit the library. The library has many different magazines to peruse that will help you decide if it is appropriate for your child.
Here’s an activity your child can utilize after reading informational articles from a magazine or book. This activity will help with both her writing skills and increase her comprehension of expository texts.
While reading the articles, ask your child to look for three things: topic, main idea and supporting details. Here’s a brief explanation:
Topic is what the article is about.
Main idea is the most important idea about the topic.
Supporting details are little bits of information that support the main idea.

Read this example below:
HORSES (topic)
There are many things you must do before saddling your horse (main idea). First, you must brush your horse’s back where the saddle will be placed (one supporting detail). You should also check the saddle and blanket for anything that might hurt the horse (another supporting detail).
A good informational paragraph will have these three components. Look with your child through some of her magazine articles. Challenge her to identify and highlight the topic, main idea and supporting details of the article. By identifying these components, she will be increasing her comprehension of the article.

Once she becomes proficient at identifying the topic, main idea and supporting details, ask her to create her own article with these important components. Suggest that she write about something she is familiar with and cares for. Start with something simple such as an article about her pet, friend, family, the importance of her room or privacy. Anything will do!

Cindy McKinley Alder Patti Trombly

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