Introduction
- Show children a gummy hamburger candy, a real hamburger, or a picture of a hamburger
- Ask children, what items are typically in a hamburger? Focus on the facts that there are two buns with different items inside
- Why is a bun important? Explain that while a hamburger has lots of yummy things inside that add flavor and interest, a bun is important because it holds the hamburger together. Without the bun, your hamburger falls apart.
- When we write and share about a topic or idea, often it is very similar to a hamburger. We often need a bun on top and bottom to hold our ideas together. This is called a paragraph.
Writing Template
- Show hamburger handout as you discuss the parts of paragraph.
- Explain a paragraph is a group of sentences developing one main idea, or topic.
- Just like the meat, or main body of a hamburger, is held in place by the top and bottom bun, a paragraph is held together by the topic (top) and concluding (bottom) sentence. Good paragraphs are arranged and developed according to a definite plan.
- The topic sentence tells the reader what to expect and what you are going to talk about.
- All details, or development, are then focused on that topic. This makes the paragraph is easier to follow, and helps the reader better understand why the details are relevant.
- The concluding sentence adds closure, alerting the reader that the paragraph is done and reminding the reader of the paragraph’s point.
- Read the bad and good examples below and ask the children to identify which one is good and which is bad.
Bad / Good Example
Now we are going to play a game called hamburger smash. I am going to share some paragraphs and you have to decide if it has a good top and bottom bun holding it together. If the paragraph, or hamburger is not held together well, then we are going to smash the gummy hamburger.
Activities
Exploration Activity
I am going to give you a bunch of strips of paper (see lesson printables) and I want you to see if you can arrange them into three solid “hamburgers” or paragraphs.
Writing Project
Write your own hamburger. Pick a topic that interests you and write a paragraph about something to share with your group. Possible Topics: Great inventors, favorite, holidays, national parks, places to shop, sports, musical instruments, foods I like to eat.
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- Date Added: February 13, 2024