Students perform much better when they understand what is being asked of them. Create a rubric in a simple format, such as a checklist that specifies what is required in the assignment. Present it to the child along with the assignment so it can be used as a tool to assist the student in meeting the requirements. Be sure to include guidelines on vocabulary, as students love to see their finished product when it includes new or exciting vocabulary. When grading the assignment be sure to do so against the checklist.
Assist the children in developing a clear topic for their paragraph. Choose something everyone knows at least a little about. Most children love pets and know a little bit about them, so that makes it a great topic to start with. Brainstorm ideas to turn this idea into a topic sentence. Guide the children to a topic sentence that can be supported with five or six facts or details.
On a sheet of paper or white board, print the chosen topic on the first line and number six or seven consecutive lines on the page. Because this is a creative writing assignment, ask the students questions and teach them to ask similar questions of themselves. What kinds of animals make great pets? What makes a pet fun? What care does a pet need? What mischief does a pet cause? Use one line to write a short response to each question. This is just an outline, so students should put down ideas in just a few words. Save the writing for the rough draft.
Review the details in the outline. Ask the students if the details give more information about the topic that was chosen. Cross out information that does not belong and rearrange the details into an order that will make sense when written into a paragraph. Now add a final thought to wrap up the topic. Children love the analogy of a hamburger or sandwich. The topic sentence is the top bun, the details are the meat, cheese, lettuce, mayonnaise and pickles, and the bottom bun is the final sentence. Your hands get gooey if you hold a burger without that bottom bun. Keep your topic neat.
Now that all the information has been gathered and organized, it is time to write. Encourage students to write double-spaced to allow plenty of room for corrections and edits. Students should use their outline and form sentences from the notes they previously jotted down. This step does not need to be perfect. Remind children that a first draft is never a final draft. It is the corrected mistakes in this draft that will truly teach children how to pull together a great paragraph. Encourage children to end their paragraph with a sentence that wraps up the topic.
Students should then review the assignment checklist, read through their rough draft and make necessary changes and additions. After students have edited their work, a parent or teacher should make edits. Mark punctuation and spelling and assist with rewording run-on or fragmented sentences. Hold children accountable for grammar, spelling and punctuation they have learned. Realize that students are learning and avoid the temptation to over-edit. Awkward sentences are a normal part of learning to write. Make suggestions according to the rubric provided to the student.
After all the edits have been made students should rewrite their paper. Students may push back on this step at first. Focus on the final product to encourage students to persevere. Once students have produced a couple of really nice final drafts they will find this step to be the most rewarding. Keep finished papers together so children can see how they have progressed. As a child's writing skills increase they will look back on previous work with pride and confidence in their new abilities.