Paragraph Writing for School Students: Learn the Building Blocks of Writing

School students must learn the art of paragraph writing in order to write clutter-free compositions and to clearly communicate their ideas.

Importance of Paragraph Writing

A paragraph is basically a short composition on a single theme.

Paragraph writing is an essential skill for school students as it enables them to put their ideas and thoughts in a written format. This skill will also help them in writing compositions and reports.

When writing bigger compositions (essays) and research reports, it is important for the student to organize their thoughts/ideas and break them down into smaller pieces. Each small piece, based on a separate sub-theme, is then covered in a paragraph.

By writing well-structured and coherent paragraphs, students can provide a nice flow to the overall writing and it also becomes easy to understand.

Breaking a Topic into Several Paragraphs: Example

Here’s an example template of how a topic (for an essay or research project/report) is usually broken down into several paragraphs, each addressing a specific sub-topic.

Topic: The Benefits of Regular Exercise

Paragraph 1: Introduction and general benefits of exercise

Explanation of the importance of regular exercise for physical and mental health

Paragraph 2: Physical benefits of exercise

Examples of how exercise can improve physical health, such as increased strength and endurance.

Paragraph 3: Mental benefits of exercise

Discussion of how exercise can improve mental health, such as reducing stress and anxiety

Paragraph 4: Social benefits of exercise

Explanation of how exercise can be a social activity, leading to improved relationships and sense of community.

Paragraph 5: Tips for incorporating exercise into daily routine

Practical advice for how to include exercise in a regular schedule, such as finding a workout buddy or choosing a form of exercise that is enjoyable.

Paragraph 6: Conclusion and reinforcing the importance of exercise

Recap of the benefits of regular exercise and encouragement to prioritize exercising for overall health and well-being.

Note that the number of paragraphs and the content that each para covers will depend on the topic and the depth of discussion desired. This is just an example template to show how breaking down a topic into paragraphs can help organize and structure the writing.

• Class 5 or 7 students should aim to write a short intro, about 3-4 short paras for the main body, and a small conclusion (each paragraph should include about 2-3 sentences).
• Class 8 or 12 may include more paras and write bigger paragraphs.

Things to Keep in Mind

When writing a paragraph, students must bear in mind the following.

Structure of a Paragraph

• Coherence: All the sentences in a paragraph must be related to the theme of the paragraph. Inclusion of sentences that are not relevant to the topic must be avoided.
• Order: Maintain order of the sentences narrating an incident. the first sentence state the theme or the topic. the last sentence should some of the theme or the topic.
• Variety: Students should strive to create variety in the writing to avoid monotony. This can be done by writing sentences of varying length and following a variety of patterns.

Check the Grammar

In addition, students must take care of the following while paragraph writing:

• Grammatical correctness
• Correct spellings
• Correct punctuation marks
• Use of capital letters in heading (except for articles, prepositions and conjunctions).

So, paragraph writing is an important skill that every school student must learn to be able to communicate better through their writing, and to become more organized writers.

More Examples of Paragraph Writing

My last vacation

I spent my last summer vacation at Manali with my parents. It was a week-long stay and the weather was very pleasant there. We spent the first two days at the Solang Valley and visited the Rohtang Pass where my brother did Paragliding at the Rohtang Pass. Next, we visited the Gurudwara and ancient Ram temple at Manikaran. The next day my brother did river rafting in the river Beas. The following day we went for local sightseeing. The last day we just lazed around at the hotel and packed for the return journey. We left Manali with a heavy heart and brought back several pleasant memories.

Viswanathan Anand (Chess player)

Viswanathan Anand is an Indian chess grand master, a former World Chess Champion, and World Rapid Chess Champion. He is popularly known as ‘Vishy’. Anand learned to play chess at the age of 6. Because he plays at a quick speed, Anand got the nickname “Lightning Kid”. Anand became India’s first grandmaster in 1998, and held the number 1 position for over 2 years. Anand was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri at the age of 18. After Gary retired from competitive Chess, Anand ruled the chess scene for some time. He was the first Indian sports player in history to win the Padma Vibhushan awards in 2007. A planet in the Universe is named after Vishwanaathan Anand.

MC Mary Kom

Mary Kom’s full name is Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom; she was born in a small village named Kangathei in Manipur on 1 March 1983. Mary Kom is an Indian Olympic boxer. Mary was an all-round athlete initially but took to boxing after getting inspired by Manipuri boxer Dingko Singh. Mary Kom is a 5-time world amateur boxing champion, and the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships. She is the only Indian woman boxer to have qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics winning the bronze medal in 51 kilograms. Kom also became the first Indian woman boxer to get a Gold medal in the Asian Games held in 2014 in Incheon, South Korea. She is also known as the “Magnificent Mary” because of her superlative performances. From Arjuna Award to Padma Shri, from Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award to having a road named after her, Mary Kom has truly made India proud. Kom has started her own MC Mary Boxing Academy in her home state of Manipur where she gives free training to young girls.

Lent (Festival)

Lent is the 40-day period that Christians observe. During this period they either fast or stay away from certain food and drinks. They spend their time in prayer and charity. Lent starts with Ash Wednesday and ends on Good Friday. Good Friday is the day when Lord Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross. The day after God Friday is Holy Saturday, which is the day that Christ lay in the tomb. The day after Holy Saturday is Easter Sunday which celebrates the rising of Lord Jesus Christ.

Guru Nanak Jayanti

Guru Nanak Jayanti is the most important festival celebrated by Sikhs and Punjabis around the world. It is celebrated to mark the birthday of Guru Nanak Sahib, the founder of the Sikh Religion and the first guru of the Sikhs. Processions are carried out through the city with the Sikh flag, known as the Nishan Sahib and the Guru Granth Sahib placed in a chariot. On this day Akhand Path, which is the non-stop reading of the Guru Granth Sahib, the religious book of the Sikh religion is held in Gurudwaras. In the afternoon, Langar or special community lunch is prepared and given to family members, friends and people of all communities.

Waterfalls in India

Waterfalls are usually created when waters of rivers erode all soil and lightweight rocks until there are only heavy rocks present; the water falls over these rocks. A waterfall can also be created when it falls over the edge of a cliff due to gravity. Waterfalls are commonly used by people as picnic spots. Waterfalls help provide drinking water to millions of people and animals. Some of the waterfalls also help us to produce electricity (power). There are over hundreds of amazing waterfalls across India. Karnataka’s Kunchikal falls is the highest waterfalls in India and second highest in Asia. The water of Dudhsagar falls located between Karnataka and Goa looks just like milk therefore it is called ‘Sea of Milk’ or Dudhsagar. Close to Mumbai city, we have Malshej waterfalls, Vangani waterfalls and many more. Waterfalls are one of the most beautiful natural sights that one can see. Though there aren’t many waterfalls in India like other countries, the few waterfalls that exist are truly worth a visit. Jog falls in Shimoga (Karnataka), Dudhsagar Falls in Goa, Iruppu falls in Coorg and Nohkalikai falls in Meghalaya are some of the most spectacular waterfalls in India.

Grandparents Day at School

It was Grandparents day at Yash’s school. A lovely programme was organised by the school for all the kids and their grandparents to enjoy the day. All kids had prepared cute invitation cards for their grandparents to visit their school with them. Yash was very excited to take his grandma and grandpa to his school. Dressed in a bright orange t-shirt and grey pants, Yash was ready for the day. As they reached school, the beautifully decorated welcomed them. All of Yash’s friends had reached with their grandparent. He took them around the school and showed them his classroom, library and the playground. The teacher welcomed everyone and called the kids on the stage. The kids put up a beautiful song and dance expressing their love towards their dear grandparents. It was the first time Yash’s grandparents saw Yash perform on stage. They were overjoyed and had tears of joy in their eyes. As the performance ended, Yash rushed towards his grandparents and hugged them. It was such a loving moment for grandpa and grandma. After the programme, the kids gave their grandparents little gifts that they had made for them. Everyone had delicious snacks after the programme and returned home.

More topics to practice Paragraph Writing

• A visit to an adventure park
• A train journey Through The Hills
• A puppet show
• A hot summer day
• An interesting football match
• My favourite sports person
• Helping mother in the kitchen
• The value of discipline
• Plant a tree
• The importance of obeying traffic rules
• My hobby
• Computer The Wonder machine