D. Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts · Writing with Purpose and Voice

Organizing Ideas: Graphic Organizers and Paragraphs

D1.4 D1.5 D2.1About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can sort my ideas and notes into groups that go together.
I can choose a graphic organizer that fits the kind of text I am writing.
I can write a paragraph with a topic sentence, details and a closing sentence.
I can tell when to start a new paragraph.

Words to know

sort
To put ideas that go together in the same group.

sequence
To put ideas in an order, like first, next, last.

graphic organizer
A chart or drawing that helps you plan and organize ideas.

paragraph
A group of sentences about one main idea.

topic sentence
The sentence that tells the main idea of a paragraph, usually the first sentence.

supporting details
Sentences that tell more about the main idea: facts, examples or reasons.

closing sentence
The last sentence of a paragraph. It wraps up the idea.

indent
To start the first line of a paragraph a little to the right.

Remember from Grade 2

In Grade 2 you sorted notes into groups and put ideas in an order that fit the kind of text: time order for stories, step order for how-tos and subtopic groups for reports. In Grade 3 you will choose a graphic organizer for each form and turn each group of ideas into a paragraph.

Organizers are writing tools

A pile of ideas is like a messy closet. A graphic organizer is like shelves and boxes: everything gets a place. Different forms need different organizers.

Kind of text	Graphic organizer	How it organizes ideas
Narrative (story)	Story map: characters, setting, problem, events, solution	Time order: beginning, middle, end
How-to (procedure)	Numbered steps with a materials list	Step order: exactly what to do first, next, last
Information report	Web or chart with a box for each subtopic	Groups of facts, one group per paragraph
Persuasive text	Opinion, reasons with examples, opinion again	Most convincing reasons, often saving the strongest for last
Comparing two things	Venn diagram (two circles that overlap)	Same and different

Choose the organizer that fits your form.

What is a paragraph?

A paragraph is a group of sentences about one main idea. A good paragraph is like a hamburger:

The top bun is the topic sentence. It tells the main idea.
The fillings are the supporting details. They tell more about the main idea.
The bottom bun is the closing sentence. It wraps up the idea.

The hamburger paragraph: a topic sentence on top, details in the middle and a closing sentence at the bottom.

A model paragraph

Making maple syrup takes a lot of work. First, sap is collected from maple trees in late winter or early spring. Next, the sap is boiled for many hours so that most of the water goes away as steam. It takes about 40 litres of sap to make only 1 litre of syrup! No wonder maple syrup is such a special treat.

Topic sentence: Making maple syrup takes a lot of work.
Details: collecting sap, boiling for many hours, 40 litres of sap for 1 litre of syrup.
Closing sentence: No wonder maple syrup is such a special treat.

Metal sap buckets hanging on maple tree trunks in a snowy forest, with steam rising from a wooden sugar shack. — A sugar bush in early spring: sap drips into buckets, and steam rises from the sugar shack where the sap is boiled. The model paragraph tells these steps in order. AI-generated image

Worked example

Let's sort notes into paragraphs

Theo is writing a report about raccoons. His notes are mixed up: black mask on face, eat fruit and insects, live in forests and cities, ringed tail, wash or wet food in water sometimes, sleep in hollow trees or attics, handlike front paws, eat garbage in cities.

Read all the notes. Ask: What groups do I see? Looks, home and food.
Looks: black mask, ringed tail, handlike front paws.
Home: forests and cities, sleep in hollow trees or attics.
Food: fruit and insects, garbage in cities, wet food in water sometimes.
Each group becomes one paragraph. Theo decides on the order: looks, then home, then food.

Theo has three groups, so his report will have three body paragraphs, one for each subtopic.

Theo's mixed-up raccoon notes sorted into three groups. Each group becomes one body paragraph: looks, home, then food.

Worked example

Let's find the sentence that doesn't belong

Raccoons are clever at finding food. They can open some garbage bins with their front paws. They eat fruit, insects, eggs and even fish. Raccoons have a black mask on their face. They will eat almost anything they can find.

The topic sentence is about finding food.
Check each sentence: Does it tell about food? Garbage bins: yes. Fruit, insects, eggs, fish: yes. Eat almost anything: yes.
Raccoons have a black mask on their face. That is about looks, not food!

Move Raccoons have a black mask on their face to the looks paragraph. Every sentence in a paragraph should support the main idea.

Just for fun

Why are raccoons great at organizing ideas?

They spend every night sorting through big piles of stuff!

When do I start a new paragraph?

Start a new paragraph when:

the topic changes (from looks to food),
the time or place changes in a story (The next morning...), or
a new person speaks in a story.

Show a new paragraph by indenting (starting the first line a little to the right) or by skipping a line.

Hands-on activity

Cut-up paragraph puzzle

You need: paper, a pencil, and safety scissors (a grown-up helps with cutting).

A grown-up writes this paragraph on paper, one sentence per strip, then cuts the strips apart and mixes them up:

Winter is my favourite season.
I love building snow forts with my friends.
We go tobogganing down the big hill at the park.
After playing outside, I warm up with hot chocolate.
That is why winter is the best time of year!

Put the strips in order. Which one is the topic sentence? Which is the closing sentence?
Now write your own hamburger paragraph about your favourite season. Use the hamburger picture to plan first.
Ask yourself: Did the organizer help me? How?

Your turn

What is a paragraph?

Which organizer fits a how-to text?

Find the topic sentence: Dogs make great pets. They are loyal and loving. They get you outside for walks. Many dogs can learn tricks.

Sort these notes into Looks and Food for a robin: orange-red chest, eats worms, eats berries, grey-brown back.

Find the sentence that doesn't belong: Skating is fun. You glide across the ice. My cousin lives in Winnipeg. Skating outside makes my cheeks rosy.

Write a closing sentence for a paragraph about why you love the library.

Give one reason to start a new paragraph.

More practice: warm-up

What do we call the first sentence that tells the main idea?

In the hamburger paragraph, what are the fillings?

What does indent mean?

Which organizer has two overlapping circles?

A story usually goes in what kind of order?

More practice: on your own

Put in order: a) Finally, it was time for cake. b) My birthday party was so much fun. c) First, we played games in the backyard. d) Then my friends gave me presents.

Write a topic sentence for a paragraph with these details: They have sharp claws. They can see in the dark. They hunt mice.

You are comparing summer and winter. Which organizer helps most, and why?

Your report about snakes has notes about looks, food, homes and babies. How many body paragraphs might it have?

In a story, Maria is at the beach and then "The next morning, she woke up at the cottage." Should the next morning start a new paragraph? Why?

Challenge

Sort these notes about Canada geese into 3 groups and name each group: long black neck, eat grass, fly south in fall, white chin strap, eat seeds, nest near water, fly in a V shape, brown body.

Write a hamburger paragraph (topic sentence, 3 details, closing sentence) about your favourite food.

Leo's paragraph is about why recess should be longer. He has these reasons: we get exercise, it's fun, we learn to play together, we focus better after. Which two would you put last to be most convincing to a teacher, and why?

Check your understanding

Quiz

What does a topic sentence do?

Which organizer fits an information report best?

Which sentence does NOT belong in a paragraph about bears getting ready for winter?

When should you start a new paragraph in a story?

What is the job of the closing sentence?

Which order fits a how-to text?

For parents and teachers

Big idea (D1.4, D1.5, D2.1): Grade 3 writers sort and sequence ideas with organizers that match the form, then turn each group of ideas into a paragraph with a topic sentence, supporting details and a closing sentence. Reflecting on which organizer helped is part of D1.5.

How to help at home:

When your child has lots of ideas, ask "Which ideas go together?" and let them colour-code or cut and sort them.
Read a paragraph from a non-fiction book together and find the topic sentence.
Use the hamburger shape on a sticky note while drafting.

Common difficulties:

Paragraphs that wander. Ask, "Does this sentence tell more about the main idea?"
One long paragraph for everything. Help your child mark where the topic, time or place changes.
Topic sentence that is too narrow ("Raccoons eat fruit." for a paragraph about all their food). Try "Raccoons eat many kinds of food."

Safety: supervise scissors in the paragraph puzzle activity.