Antony West (Author)

A paragraph is not just a random collection of sentences that have decided to hang out together. It has a purpose, a structure, and a rhythm. We need to teach this explicitly. Think of it as a mini-essay. A topic sentence to grab the reader, supporting sentences to expand on the idea, and a concluding sentence to tie it all up nicely. Doug Lemov’s work on ‘Show Call’ can be brilliant here. Pick out a fantastic paragraph from a student’s work (with permission, of course) and analyse it as a class. What makes it work? Why is it so effective? It’s not about being a literary snob; it’s about dissecting a brilliant piece of writing and learning from its bones.