Hamburger Paragraph Model
Topic, Detail, and Closing Sentences as Elements of a Paragraph
Students struggle with creating good paragraphs, but the hamburger paragraph model will be a great aid for all levels. Hamburger paragraph organizer is a tool that outlines the key components of a paragraph. Topic sentence, detail sentences, and a closing sentence are the main elements of a good paragraph.
Hamburger Paragraph Model Lesson Plan
Give each student a gummi hamburger, novelty candy found at many bulk stores. Ask students to unwrap the package and to disassemble the mini burger. The burger consists of a bun top, bun bottom, lettuce, cheese, and burger. Each part of the burger represents the different parts of a paragraph. Ask students to reassemble the burger in any order they choose.
After students have reorganized their gummi burger, illustrate their different burgers on the blackboard. Use colored chalk to represent the different parts of the burger. Top and bottom bun will be the same color. Ask students why they have chosen to assemble their burger in a particular order. Most of the children will order it with the burger bun at the top and bottom to create a sandwich. The order of the cheese, burger, and lettuce will vary. Ask students why the burger ingredients are in between the the buns.
After the discussion about the mini burger, bring paragraph writing into the discussion. Ask students what they know about organizing a paragraph. Write down the ideas on the board in a bubble to refer to later in the discussion.
Next step is to compare a burger with a paragraph. The top bun represents the topic sentence, bottom bun represents the closing sentence, and the ingredients in the middle represents the details related to the topic and closing sentence.
Topic Sentence
Topic sentence is the main idea of the paragraph. Students must learn the topic sentence represents one thought and the thought must be specific. Have students write a topic sentence about their birthday. Often a topic sentence will have a because and be not specific to the birthday party. Reinforce to students the topic sentence is an introduction to their topic.
As well, ask students to write a topic sentence for a paragraph with a missing topic sentence. Students will struggle, but as they practise they will be able to generate topic sentences with little effort.
Detail Sentences
Detail sentences are the meat of the paragraph and this is the part of the paragraph where students elaborate on the topic sentence with related facts, examples, and opinions. Detail sentences are easier for students to create, but often they will get off topic or provide too many details. Compare the burger ingredients to the amount of details. Typically a burger consists of lettuce, cheese, and the burger but at times more ingredients will be added. However, it is a rarity for a burger to have 12 ingredients; explain the typical paragraph is between 6-8 sentences.
Give students a topic sentence and have them add details that relate to it. Begin with a generic topic sentence: My favourite pet is the spotted skunk. Students will be able to quickly think of ideas related to their favourite animal.
Closing Sentence
Closing sentence is the ending of the paragraph. It is the same as the topic sentence but reworded. It is only to represent the main idea of the paragraph. Closing sentence is simple and short.
Give students a paragraph without a closing sentence and have them write one for a paragraph. Share the different closing sentences as a class.
Burger Paragraph Organizer
Give students a burger paragraph organizer to aid them with creating a good paragraph. Burger paragraph organizers are a great tool for students as they make students think about what will be included in their paragraph before they write.
Students will create beautiful paragraphs with the aid of a hambuger paragraph model. As students write a paragraph, they will visualize the different parts of a hamburger to write good paragraphs.
Hamburger Paragraph Model
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