Examining Models: Criteria for Success for Our Explanatory Paragraphs

Following up their writing of a school constitution, fourth graders prepare to write a paragraph explaining the document to their peers. After looking at two writing samples, the teacher assists learners in developing their own criteria for creating strong explanatory paragraphs. Young scholars then choose one of two graphic organizers to help them in planning out the structure of their writing. Though the instructional activity focuses on writing about previous work from this interdisciplinary unit, it can be adapted to variety of other topics as well.