9 Paragraph Sort
Arley Cruthers
Activity Guidelines
Suggested Course Level
Lower level undergraduate
Activity Purpose
- Students will learn to identify different paragraph types.
Materials Required
- Paragraph handout
- Paragraph activity sheet cut into strips (one for each group)
Activity Instructions
- This activity can either follow a lesson about different types of paragraphs, or it can be used reflect on readings students did about paragraphs.
- Print off one copy of the paragraph activity sheet for each group, then cut it along the lines.
- Put the cut-up pieces into an envelope.
- Give each student a handout about the paragraph types.
- Then, break them into groups of 4 – 5.
- Give each group an envelope and ask them to match the paragraph to the paragraph type.
Debrief Questions / Activities
- After the activity, I ask students what the hardest paragraphs to figure out were, then go over these again.
- Next, students examine their own writing to find different paragraph types or identify places where they could use a paragraph type to fix a disorganized paragraph.
Additional Resources / Supplementary Resources
- Activity Sheet PDF
- Activity Sheet Word Document
- Paragraph Style Handout PDF
- Paragraph Style Handout in Word
Tags: document formatting, hands-on, small group, paragraphs, organization
