The top bun is where students write the main idea as a complete sentence for their paragraph. It is important to make sure they have a suitable main idea before they continue with the other parts. A common mistake children make is to select a main idea that is too narrow and would work better as a supporting detail. For example, "Cats make good pets" is better than "Cats have claws." Students could easily come up with details to support why cats are good pets, but providing details about claws may prove more difficult.
The filling is where students will write their supporting details. The lettuce, for example, is the first detail sentence. The cheese is the second detail, and the meat is the third detail. If the students are creating their own hamburger out of construction paper, they can substitute other items they like, such as tomatoes or avocado. So if the main idea is "Cats are good pets," a supporting detail could be "They sleep next to you at night."
The closing sentence summarizes the paragraph and goes on the bottom bun. It should not simply repeat the main idea. Instead, it should draw upon the details to create a final thought. Since the example paragraph is about cats being good pets, the closing sentence should emphasize that. For example, "Adopting a cat will improve your life."
The final hamburger will look like this:
Top Bun: Cats make good pets.
Lettuce: They sleep next to you at night.
Cheese: When you're sad, they purr to cheer you up.
Meat: Sometimes they rub against your leg to show affection.
Bottom Bun: Adopting a cat will improve your life.