• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Which sentence does not belong in the paragraph?; Putting sentences in order). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. Read the paragraph. Which sentence does not belong? (1) The Amazon rainforest is home to amazing wildlife. (2) Jaguars hunt along the riverbanks. (3) Colourful toucans fly between the trees. (4) Penguins live mostly in the Southern Hemisphere. (5) Tiny poison dart frogs live on the forest floor. (Tiny poison dart frogs live on the forest floor. / Jaguars hunt along the riverbanks. / Penguins live mostly in the Southern Hemisphere. / The Amazon rainforest is home to amazing wildlife.) → Penguins live mostly in the Southern Hemisphere.Prompt: Read the first sentence: it tells you what the paragraph is about.
2. Read the start of the paragraph. Which sentence would fit best as the next sentence? Sea otters are clever tool users. They float on their backs and place a flat stone on their chests. Then they smash shellfish against the stone to open them. (Recycling plastic keeps it out of rivers and seas. / Others explore places too dangerous for humans, like deep oceans. / Some otters keep a favourite stone in a pouch of skin under their arm. / It makes your heart and muscles stronger.) → Some otters keep a favourite stone in a pouch of skin under their arm.Prompt: What is the paragraph about? Look at the first sentence.
3. Read the paragraph. Which sentence does not belong? (1) Getting ready for a sleepover is fun. (2) First, pack your pyjamas and toothbrush. (3) Next, choose a game or a film to share. (4) Finally, remember your sleeping bag and pillow. (5) Volcanoes can erupt without warning. (First, pack your pyjamas and toothbrush. / Volcanoes can erupt without warning. / Next, choose a game or a film to share. / Finally, remember your sleeping bag and pillow.) → Volcanoes can erupt without warning.Prompt: Read the first sentence: it tells you what the paragraph is about.

• Show two openings to the same piece of writing and ask which makes them want to read on.
• Share the objective: Put the sentences of a paragraph in a logical order. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: These sentences come from one paragraph. Which one should come FIRST, as the topic sentence?
• Step 1: The topic sentence tells you what the whole paragraph is about; the others give the steps or details.
• Step 2: So the answer is: Making a paper boat is easy.
• Answer: Making a paper boat is easy.
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. These sentences come from one paragraph. Which one should come FIRST, as the topic sentence? (First, fill a small pot with compost. / Then water it and put it somewhere sunny. / Planting a seed is simple. / After a week or two, a green shoot will appear.) → Planting a seed is simple.Prompt: A topic sentence introduces the whole paragraph.

• Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
• Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 1 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. These sentences come from one paragraph. Which one should come FIRST, as the topic sentence? (Then the water falls back down as rain or snow. / Finally, it flows into rivers and back to the sea. / Water goes round and round in a cycle. / First, the sun heats water in seas and lakes, and it evaporates.) → Water goes round and round in a cycle.Prompt: A topic sentence introduces the whole paragraph.

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-4.