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Year 10
Edexcel

Structuring paragraphs effectively in creative writing

I can plan and write a piece of creative writing with effective paragraphing.

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Share activities with pupils
New
New
Year 10
Edexcel

Structuring paragraphs effectively in creative writing

I can plan and write a piece of creative writing with effective paragraphing.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Paragraphs are the building blocks of creative writing, allowing our writing to take on an interesting structure.
  2. We should plan an interesting paragraph structure before we begin creative writing to engage the reader.
  3. We can begin with a wide perspective, narrow into a scene and end with a moment of tension.
  4. Prepositional phrases help us transition from one paragraph to another.

Common misconception

Planning each paragraph to describe a different aspect of the scene will always create an engaging description.

Describing something different in each paragraph does not necessarily lead to an interesting description - it is the way in which the paragraphs link and build curiosity and tension that can make it more engaging.

Keywords

  • Alluring - powerfully or mysteriously attractive.

  • Devour - eat or consume eagerly.

  • Intricate - very complex or detailed.

You could revisit the opening of 'After Dark' by Haruki Murakami to give students some inspiration for their writing in this lesson.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of upsetting content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
When should we start a new paragraph in our writing?
Correct answer: when you change topic
Correct answer: when you change speaker
when you start a new sentence
Q2.
To improve the structure of our writing what can we do?
vary our vocabulary
Correct answer: carefully consider the organisation of our writing
use more complex sentences
Q3.
What does devour mean?
to eat something slowly
Correct answer: to eat something quickly
to eat something calmly
Q4.
Which of these sentences uses the word 'alluring' correctly?
Correct answer: The necklace's alluring glow drew attention.
The scorching sun created an alluring heat, leaving people uncomfortable.
Correct answer: The vendor's smile was alluring, making customers feel welcomed.
Q5.
What should you do first when asked to write a piece of creative writing?
write the last sentence of each paragraph
begin writing everything at once
Correct answer: create a plan for the whole piece of writing
Q6.
What might be the most thorough and effective way to plan a piece of creative writing?
to write down all the language devices we will use
Correct answer: to make notes about what we might write about in each paragraph
to write a list of ambitious vocabulary we will use

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Starting with the first, put the points to create an engaging paragraph structure in the correct order.
1 - setting is introduced via wide perspective
2 - zoom in to build curiosity or tension
3 - shift the focus to a point of dramatic tension
Q2.
If we use a wide perspective to describe what are we most likely to write about?
a person's facial features
Correct answer: the weather
a characters's feelings
Q3.
If we use a zoomed in perspective what are we most likely to do?
provide a birds-eye view of a scene
Correct answer: describe one aspect of a scene in detail
describe what you can smell, taste, hear and see within a scene
Q4.
If we want to build tension in a narrative, which of these can we do?
describe events in a random order
Correct answer: gradually build intrigue as our writing progresses
repeatedly use a one sentence paragraph
Q5.
Complete the sentence: paragraphs are the blocks of a piece of writing.
Correct answer: building
unimportant
long
Q6.
To help us transition from paragraph to paragraph when describing a scene, it is helpful to use ...
adjective phrases.
noun phrases.
Correct answer: prepositional phrases.