Six sentence frames take 3rd grade writers from introducing a topic to a finished informative paragraph. Students fill in blanks about an animal they know well, finish a starter about space, add facts with linking words, and explain how a tool works. The last frame opens with a question and closes with "As you can see." The 3 pages practice W.3.2.a to W.3.2.c. The answer key gives model sentences about cheetahs, penguins, a thermometer, and sharks.
W.3.2.a
“Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension.”
The Section 1 frames introduce an animal and a space topic, and the Section 3 frame groups several facts under one topic.
W.3.2.b
“Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.”
The two facts in question 3, the tool explanation in question 5, and the three fact sentences in the final paragraph.
W.3.2.c
“Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also, another, and, more, but) to connect ideas within categories of information.”
The linking words also, another, and, and but in Section 2, including the "but" starter about plants.
Question 1 fills two blanks to introduce an animal as "an amazing animal to study." Question 2 finishes a sentence about the most surprising fact to learn about space.
Students share two facts in a frame, finish "Plants need sunlight and water to make their own food, but," and explain how a tool or machine works.
A boxed paragraph frame with five sentences: an opening question, "First, you should know that," "Another important fact is that," the most amazing fact, and a closing sentence.
Sample sentences for every item, from the cheetah as the fastest land animal to sharks with skeletons made of cartilage.
Science tie-in
Use question 5 after a science lesson with real tools. A student who just used a thermometer or a hand lens writes a far clearer explanation than one who picks a tool at random.
Reluctant writers
Because the frames carry most of the sentence structure, so students can spend their effort on facts. Put a short book about one animal on each table for questions 1 and 3.
Paragraph builder
Section 3 takes about 15 minutes. Afterward, ask students to rewrite it without the frame words, keeping only their facts, to see who can structure a paragraph alone.
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