Year 4 · SPaG · Paragraphs
Year 4 identifying paragraphs worksheet and PowerPoint
To identify paragraphs in a story and to explain why a new one begins.
Paragraphs
A paragraph is a group of sentences about one idea. Start a new paragraph when the time, the place, the topic or the person speaking changes. A sub-heading tells the reader what a paragraph or section is about.
| time | Later that day … (a new time) |
|---|---|
| place | Back at school … (a new place) |
| topic | a new idea or fact |
| person speaking | a new line for a new speaker |
| sub-heading | a short title for a section of a report |
Examples
- The next morning, the rain had stopped. (a new paragraph)
- “Where are we going?” asked Mia. (a new speaker)
Key words
- paragraph
- a group of sentences about one idea
- sub-heading
- a short title for a section
- topic
- what a paragraph is about
- sequence
- the order of sentences or paragraphs
What is on the worksheet
Every sheet for this lesson has a short teaching box and 12 questions that get gradually harder: 8 fluency questions, then 4 reasoning questions that ask pupils to explain or choose. A writing challenge follows. The questions use the same styles as the key stage 2 grammar and punctuation test (circle, underline, tick, fill the gap, add punctuation, rewrite, explain). They are written for this website, not copied from past papers.
All the answers are on the last page of the same editable Word file. New questions are made every time, so you can print a different sheet for every group or for homework. The same sheet code always gives the same sheet.
Writing challenge: Find three places in a story where a new paragraph begins. Say whether the time, place, topic or speaker changed.
Pupil target: I can find where a new paragraph starts.
The PowerPoint
A 20-slide lesson deck for the same lesson: a starter that revisits earlier learning, key words, an I do and a You do question on each slide with a countdown timer, answers that appear one click at a time, and a challenge. Download the identifying paragraphs PowerPoint.
Where this lesson fits
This is lesson 48 of 60 in the Year 4 SPaG scheme, in the block “Paragraphs”.
Other lessons in this block
- Using paragraphs
- Fronted adverbials in paragraphs
- Pronouns and conjunctions in paragraphs
- Speech in paragraphs
- More than one paragraph
- Sequencing paragraphs
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