Year 6 · SPaG · Summer: After the test: cohesion
Year 6 paragraphs in fiction worksheet and PowerPoint
To use paragraphs in fiction, starting a new one when the time, place, speaker or event changes.
Paragraphs in a story
A paragraph groups sentences about one idea or moment. In a story, start a new paragraph when something important changes.
| time | That evening, ... The next morning, ... |
|---|---|
| place | Back at school, ... Far away, ... |
| speaker | a new line each time a different person speaks |
| event | Suddenly, ... a surprise or change of mood |
Examples
- ...the sand was cold under her feet.
- That evening, Mia sat by the fire with her grandad.
Key words
- paragraph
- a group of sentences about one idea
- time shift
- a change of time
- setting
- where and when a story happens
- indent
- starting a paragraph a little way in
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: Write a story with at least four paragraphs. Start each new paragraph for a different reason (time, place, speaker, event) and say why in the margin.
Pupil target: I can start a new paragraph at the right place in a story.
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 paragraphs in fiction PowerPoint.
Where this lesson fits
This is lesson 63 of 72 in the Year 6 SPaG scheme, in the Summer term, block “After the test: cohesion”. It is taught after the SATs grammar test in May, as a writing skill the test does not ask.
Other lessons in this block
- Recognising cohesion: linking ideas
- Paragraphs in non-fiction
- Ordering sentences within a paragraph
- Linking paragraphs in a text
- Avoiding repetition
- Using cohesive devices
- Ellipsis
- Layout and organisation of texts
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